When Oakland-born singer Lynnea Moorer first appeared on this season of “The Voice,” no one was buying what she was selling. Her cover of Khalid’s “Location” failed to prompt any of the four coaches to turn their chairs and Moorer cried during the car ride back to her hotel.
But thanks to “The Comeback Stage,” a new digital companion show, she has a chance at redemption. Hand-picked by “fifth coach” Kelsea Ballerini, Moorer will perform live on “The Voice” Tuesday night — along with fellow “Comeback” artist Ayanna Joni — for the opportunity to re-enter the competition.
“I’m a lot more confident at this point,” Moorer said last week. “I kind of have the mentality that there’s nothing to lose. Just go out there and have fun. I can only grow from this experience.”
Time to weigh in. Who is going to be the FIRST EVER winner of #VoiceComeback: @LynneaMoorer or @AyannaJoni ? pic.twitter.com/b4ZLThrQcF
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) November 9, 2018
Even though Moorer, 18, stumbled in her blind audition, it was obvious that she had the talent to stick. Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson both liked her, but questioned her song choice. And when Clarkson asked her to sing something softer, Moorer unleashed a few lines from Adele’s “Someone Like You” that had the audience buzzing.
It was enough to impress Ballerini, who called it “one of the best moments I’ve ever seen” on “The Voice.” The country-music star choose Moorer to be one of six contestants to battle on “The Comeback Stage” and Moorer made the most of her second chance.
Along the way, she received plenty of solid advice from Ballerini.
“She coached me to be more loose — to tell a story while performing, not just sing,” Moorer said. “Let the emotion show on my face and in my body language … I’m a very reserved person and she helped me to break out of my shell.”
Meanwhile, Ballerini believes Moorer possesses the talent and personality to win over viewers of NBC’s singing competition.
“She has one of those voices that can do anything,” she said. “And she’s so young and adorable.”
Moorer, who was born in Oakland, but has lived in several Bay Area locales, including Aptos and Monterey, displayed a love of singing at a very young age. However, even back then it took someone to pry her out of that shell.
“I had a best friend who pushed me into performing with her in a fifth-grade talent show,” she recalls. “It was a huge step for me, not just musically, but in terms of getting out of my comfort zone. It was so nerve-wracking.”
Perhaps because of that reserved nature, Moorer, who graduated from Monterey Bay Academy last year, has done a lot more singing on her YouTube channel than in public. The channel now has nearly 450,000 subscribers.
And so her stint on “The Comeback Stage” was “right up my alley” — filmed in the relaxed atmosphere of a recording studio with no audience. On Tuesday, she’ll be back on stage, in front of the coaches, the live crowd and millions watching at home. Is she ready?
“I keep telling myself that if I can do it in the studio, I can do it on stage,” she says. “Hopefully, I won’t say anything dumb.”