NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider The Voice

Why Kevin James Graham's Blind Audition on The Voice Was a "Total Shockaroo"

“You tripped me right up," one Coach said to this Artist. Here's why. 

By James Grebey
Kevin James Graham Shocks Coach Reba with "Stay with Me" | The Voice Blind Auditions | NBC
Video thumbnail
Now Playing
4:15
Highlight
Kevin James Graham Shocks Coach Reba with "Stay with Me" | The Voice Blind Auditions | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:01
Highlight
Olivia Kuper Harris' Last-Chance Performance of "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
4:26
Highlight
John Legend Performs "So High" | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:01
Highlight
Bryson Battle's Last-Chance Performance of "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars | Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
1:59
Highlight
Iris Herrera's Last-Chance Performance of "Rocket Man" by Elton John | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:37
Highlight
Kelsea Ballerini Performs "Baggage" | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:01
Highlight
Adam David's Last-Chance Performance of "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:28
Highlight
Adam David Performs "Bring It On Home to Me" by Sam Cooke | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:29
Highlight
Alanna Lynise Performs "I'm Not That Girl" from Wicked | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:26
Highlight
Kolby Cordell Performs "Drink You Away" by Justin Timberlake | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:28
Highlight
Conor James Performs "Chasing Pavements" by Adele | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:27
Highlight
Jaelen Johnston Performs "I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:30
Highlight
RENZO Performs "Dream On" by Aerosmith | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:31
Highlight
Iris Herrera Performs "Messy" by Lola Young | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:27
Highlight
Jadyn Cree Performs "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James & The Shondells | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:38
Highlight
Olivia Kuper Harris Performs "Someone to Watch Over Me" by Ella Fitzgerald | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:27
Highlight
Lucia Flores-Wiseman Performs "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden | The Voice Lives | NBC
Video thumbnail
2:33
Highlight
Kaiya Hamilton Performs "Ain't Nobody" by Chaka Khan | The Voice Lives | NBC

It’s about as pure an example of The Voice’s central premise in action as you’ll see. In Season 26, Episode 4, two Coaches were utterly flummoxed during a Blind Audition because they thought the voice they were hearing would belong to somebody very different — with a different gender — than who was actually up there on stage singing. 

How to Watch

Watch The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock. 

RELATED: A Full Breakdown of How The Voice Works

The singer, Kevin James Graham, is a 33-year-old from Boston. Not that you would’ve necessarily guessed that from the way he sang Rod Stewart’s “Stay With Me.” 

Kevin James Graham’s Blind Audition on The Voice Season 26

Kevin James Graham sings on stage on The Voice Season 26 Episode 4.

His voice was strong and it was very high, leading to some visible confusion among the Coaches. In the end, Reba McEntire alone pressed her button to turn her chair around, and what she saw surprised her.  

“You look like that!?” McEntire exclaimed. 

“I’m watching her the whole time and she pressed her button,” Gwen Sefani said of her fellow Coach. “And then she saw it wasn’t the girl she was looking for.”

Michael Bublé was also surprised. 

RELATED: Snoop Dogg’s “Seducing” of This 4-Chair Artist Has the Other Coaches Sweating 

“I kept yelling at Gwen ‘is that a minor?’ Either that is a female or a young dude,” he recalled. “You tripped me right up.”

“I swear I thought you were a female. With your high voice, I thought ‘Well, I do need another girl singer.’ I turn around, and there you stand,”  McEntire said to the newest member of her team. “But man, you totally sang your butt off. That was great.”

Snoop Dogg had the opposite problem. 

“This is why I’m mad,” he explained. “I was looking for a male singer, and I didn’t push the button because I thought you was a damn woman! You fooled me, man! And then Reba went and did it.”

“Man, I thought that was a woman, Reba. That’s the only reason why I didn’t push it,” Snoop said as the chairs began to spin back around. McEntire agreed, saying “That was a shockaroo.”