Former Worship Leader Wows Judges on THE VOICE
By Movieguide® Contributor
A former Lee University worship leader landed a spot on Blake Shelton’s final team on this season of THE VOICE.
Carlos Rising, who graduated from the Christian university in 2017, performed “Change the World” by Eric Clapton for his blind audition, which aired on March 7.
The North Carolina-based singer wowed the judges with his “insane” voice and “controlled rasp.”
“I hit my button because I thought you have what it takes to be on this show,” judge Kelly Clarkson told Rising.
“When I first moved to Nashville, it was just me and my guitar,” Shelton said. “When I see someone like you up there performing, that’s what gets me excited. Somebody that I’ve never heard anything like before.”
“I’d be…proud to have you on my last team,” he added.
Rising chose Team Blake and reflected on his experience in an Instagram post.
“Last night was a dream come true! A once in a lifetime experience that I finally got to share with all of you! I want to say thank you to my wife, my family, my friends, and my community for your never ending support and love.”
“Most of all, thank you to MY NEW COACH @blakeshelton,” Rising wrote. “Thank you for seeing something in me and giving me a chance to be on your last team ever! Let’s do this thing!”
As the son of a pastor, Rising got his start in music by singing for church services and eventually learned bass and guitar.
Now a member of the band Holy Heat, Rising typically performs at local venues, so singing on THE VOICE was a major change.
“I’ve always had this dream of being a full-time singer and songwriter,” and while nerves kicked in right before he performed, “It wasn’t necessarily the stage or the lights or the crowd,” he said.
It was more “the fact that all of this work has led up to this moment of just getting a chair turn. That was the only thing I was worried about.”
When Shelton turned around, “It felt like I blacked out in that moment,” Rising revealed. “OK, I finally got there. Then I had to kind of like bring myself back and go, ‘Hey, you’re still singing a song.’”
Rising isn’t the first Lee University graduate to perform on THE VOICE. Jordan Smith, THE VOICE season 9 winner, also graduated from the Christian university and continues to use his voice for God.
Movieguide® previously reported on Smith:
In 2015, Jordan Smith won season 9 of NBC’s THE VOICE and has since grown to become the best-selling artist in the show’s history.
However, fans who watched Smith’s original audition on THE VOICE, where he wowed judges with his rendition of “Chandelier,” will remember his singing roots began in the church of his hometown, in rural Kentucky. Recently, the pop singer announced his first Christian single and hopes to release a full album to honor God.
“It’s really special for me to take this moment and say back to the Lord, let everything I am declare your glory, to help tell your story, the story of your Gospel. Let everything I am point the world back to you,” Smith told The Christian Post.
The song is called “Great You Are” and is Smith’s first explicitly Christian song which he co-wrote with Jeff Sojka and Matt Armstrong.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
