Kenzie Wheeler is one of five artists who’s hoping to win season 20 of The Voice during the May 25 finale. Kenzie is Kelly Clarkson’s only remaining artist in the competition, and he’ll be going up against Blake Shelton’s two singers — Cam Anthony and Jordan Matthew Young — as well as John Legend’s final singer, Victor Solomon, and Nick Jonas‘ finalist, Rachel Mac. During part one of the finale on May 24, all of the finalists performed two times in hopes of earning enough of America’s votes to be declared the winner. Here’s more to know about Kenzie:
1. Kenzie’s History On ‘The Voice’
Kenzie’s blind audition was the very first one that aired during the season premiere of season 20 of The Voice. All four coaches turned around for his performance of “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” Kelly was so enamored by Kenzie’s performance that she even used her BLOCK button to make sure Blake couldn’t nab the talented country singer for his team. It worked, as Kenzie chose Kelly as his coach, and they’ve been riding it out together ever since!
During the battle rounds, Kelsea Ballerini was filling in for Kelly, and she chose Kenzie over JD Casper after their duet. Kelly was back for the Knockouts, and she gave the edge to Kenzie over Avery Roberson there, too. This brought Kenzie to the first live show, where he earned the most viewer votes on team Kelly, ensuring him a spot in the Semi-Finals. Following his Semi-Final performances, Kenzie also received enough viewer votes to move on, which is how he landed in the finals.
2. Kenzie Has A Mullet
In addition to his incredible voice, Kenzie has also stood out to viewers because of his unique hairstyle — he proudly rocks a mullet! After the Semi-Finals, Kenzie admitted that he has no plans to get rid of the mullet any time soon. “It is my trademark now, on the show, and to America, so I don’t think I can ever cut it off,” he admitted. Kenzie’s dad was actually the one who encouraged him to grow the mullet in the first place.
3. When Did Kenzie Start Singing?
Kenzie has known he enjoys singing since he was young, but it wasn’t until high school that he started to take music seriously after performing karaoke at a local restaurant. “His family and friends were impressed and encouraging, so he started going every Friday and eventually won a few local contests,” Kenzie’s NBC bio reads. This led to more gigs around town, as well as opportunities to open for artists like Charlie Daniels and Craig Campbell.
Kenzie actually didn’t even have intentions of auditioning for The Voice until his mom pushed him to do so. “I put this off for a while,” he admitted. “I always wanted to give The Voice a try, a shot, and I guess this past year was the time. [My mom] helped me put it together, so I sent the video in and here we are.”
4. What Does Kenzie Do For Work?
Although Kenzie performs quite a bit, he also has a job at a grocery store warehouse to pay the bills. He drives a pallet jack for the company. It’s unclear whether or not he plans to return to this job after The Voice. If he wins, he’ll certainly have a lot more on his plate!
5. Kenzie Has Already Released Music
Winning The Voice will give Kenzie a shot at a record deal, but he’s actually already released music of his own. His first song, “Talk To You,” was released in 2014. He also released a 10-song album called Dover in 2018, which is available on streaming services.