Meet Hailey Mia, the Teen Singer Who Just Ousted Levi Watkins as Youngest Contestant on 'The Voice'
Published Sept. 28 2021, 9:08 a.m. ET
Going into night three of The Voice blind auditions, Ariana Grande was the last judge with a block left. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough when she failed to block John Legend for Samara Brown. However, Ariana recovered when she went up against Kelly Clarkson for Hailey Mia, thus setting a new record for the show. Hailey nudged out Levi Watkins to secure the title of the youngest contestant to date.
Hailey Mia has a rare disorder, but that didn't stop her from getting on 'The Voice.'
Hailey was born with a rare eye condition called double elevator palsy. According to the National Institutes of Health, double elevator palsy is "the inability to elevate one eye equally in abduction, adduction, and primary gaze." At 7 years old, she had surgery, which allowed her to regain most of her vision back.
What song did Hailey choose for 'The Voice'?
Hailey chose Tate McRae's "You Broke Me First." As Hailey started singing, judge Kelly Clarkson enthusiastically said, "Good song." Ariana didn't seem quite as interested as Kelly, as she gazed up towards the ceiling. It was almost as if she was waiting for that wow moment to come. John Legend and Blake Shelton were gazing at each other, though neither one seemed ready to turn around. Blake appeared to be the least interested in the young singer.
As Hailey reached the song's chorus the crowd started cheering in support while her mother anxiously watched on. Ariana whispered, "She's good," to Blake then turned to see what Kelly was doing. It was clear that this was going to be between the two of them. There's a note in the song that has to be held for a few seconds, which is when Ariana shook her head back and forth, muttering, "Wow."
Which judge on 'The Voice' added Hailey Mia to their team?
Kelly Clarkson turned her chair first then screamed, "Oh no!" as Ariana turned her chair next. Blake immediately yelled, "What!" while pointing to Hailey, obviously surprised by her age. Kelly asked Hailey where she was from, to which Hailey said, "I'm Hailey Mia. I'm from Clifton, N.J., and I'm 13 years old." This prompted an, "Oh my god," from Ariana. Hailey went on to tell the judges "I've been waiting 'til I turned 13 to be on this show, and I'm so honored to be here."
Hailey was praised by Kelly for the power and control she had over her voice at such a young age while joking with Hailey's mother that she should probably write a book about parenting. Then, Kelly and Ariana tried to convince Hailey to join their team.
It's hard to turn down Ariana Grande. She's such a force both in and outside of the music world. Ariana dropped off a couple of professional tips as part of her spiel. It also didn't hurt that Blake was siding with Ariana.
"OK, OK, OK, I pick Ariana," Hailey said as the audience erupted in cheers. What an incredible beginning to an already talent-filled season. The Voice airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.
