Kelly Clarkson Is Floored By ‘The Voice’ Auditionee’s Dreamy Rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ Cover

Apr 13, 2023 by apost team

We’ve seen countless artists take over “The Voice” stage over the years, and most of them do not disappoint. Running for more than ten years already on NBC, the reality singing competition continues to produce high-caliber talents and give opportunities to those who are still starting in the business. 

D.Smooth, a 25-year-old crooner from Birmingham, Alabama, delivered a stunning cover of Ed Sheeran’s hit song, “Perfect,” which had both Kelly Clarkson and Niall Horan fighting over him. 

As soon as he finished the song, Chance The Rapper, one of the coaches who did not turn for him, offered him sound advice. 

“D. Smooth, I got to tell you, straight out the gate, you smashed that; you powered through. There was like maybe a second at the very beginning where there might have been a little sour note. But straight from after that, you just had so much control. I told Kelly she needed to turn around,” he said. 

Blake Shelton, one of the longest-standing coaches of the voices, interjected and joked that Horan turned around without anybody telling him to, which prompted laughs from the crowd and D. Smooth. 

The defensive Clarkson assured the auditionee that she wasn’t being “told,” saying, “Mama turns, when she wants to turn!”

Clarkson then admitted that she loved how D.Smooth took the song to a Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight level, “different” than how Sheeran did it. She then pointed out that Horan turned around with like five seconds before the clock ran out in an effort to discredit him from being selected as a coach. 

D.Smooth’s rendition of Sheeran’s “Perfect” impressed not only Clarkson but also Horan, who turned around last minute to secure him on his team. 

“D.Smooth, because I know how hard of a song it was to sing, that’s why I was waiting, cause there’s no room for breath.” Horan defended his last-minute decision. “You just carried the song, and you kept taking it to new heights. Nice and delicate at the start. And then you went on a rip, and you were just flying.” 

D.Smooth eventually chose Clarkson’s team. At the Battle Rounds, D.Smooth competed in a head-to-head vocal melee with ALI, a deaf singer who got a two-chair turn from Clarkson and Chance. However, when Clarkson was pushed to the corner to choose, she chose ALI. 

Like in previous seasons, contestants who lost the Battles can be poached by other coaches, and that’s what Chance did. However, in a split-second decision, Clarkson used her only “Playoffs Pass,” which meant that D.Smooth would still be on her team but would skip the cutthroat Knockouts to advance directly to the Playoffs round. 

“I kind of feel bad. You might wanna be working with him, but I just don’t care, man. I love you. You have the gift to make it all the way to the finale,” Clarkson told D.Smooth. 

Elated with the privilege of getting Clarkson’s “Playoffs Pass” on the season, D.Smooth took to Facebook to share his delight. 

“Mannnn when I tell y’all God is so good!! This whole week I just had a feeling everything was gonna be good. Had a sense of calmness the whole time. Me and ALI (my battle partner) even prayed together before we hit the stage. And boy, I tell you, he made room for both of us!!”

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What can you say about D.Smooth’s performance? Do you think he deserved to be on Kelly Clarkson’s team and to advance to the Playoffs round? What song do you think he should sing? Let us know, and pass this on to anyone who you think should watch him perform!