This Controversial Performance on 'The Voice' Left Fans Furious: 'That Song Was Disturbing'

Kelly O'Sullivan
Updated
Photo credit: NBC
Photo credit: NBC

From Delish

The competition on The Voice has been narrowed down to the Top 10 and contestants' performances matter now more than ever. This week, Sarah Grace took a huge risk-not with her choice of song, but with the way she sang it.

The 16-year-old took the stage on Monday night to belt out "Amazing Grace." The traditional hymn has been a popular choice on the show over the years, but Sarah's version was completely unique.

"The challenge of this song is to not scare America," she said during her rehearsal. "I'm changing 'Amazing Grace,' everybody. Fair warning."

Sarah performed the gospel classic with a "House of the Rising Sun" production element under it, resulting in a soulful mashup of the two songs. On top of that, the young artist added a trumpet solo to the arrangement. Her coach, Kelly Clarkson, was on board with Sarah's changes from the beginning.

"This idea is the coolest idea anyone I've ever worked with on The Voice has come to the table with,” said Kelly. The coach also offered some surprising advice about Sarah's trumpet playing: "Is there a way you can make that sound dirtier? The dirtier the better."

After Sarah hit her final note, she earned explosive applause from the crowd and unanimous praise from Kelly and Jennifer Hudson.

"I love how this just displays your confidence, to be able to take 'Amazing Grace' and then make it your own and do something else different with it and take that chance," Jennifer said. "That was extremely smart. It was beautiful."

Kelly echoed that sentiment, saying Sarah's "insanely cool version" of the song was her favorite one she's ever heard.

Some people on Twitter, however, weren't as supportive of her take on the hymn.

"Amazing Grace is not meant to be disrespected like that. Haven’t missed a season but this [may be] my last," wrote one disgruntled fan.

Another said that Sarah's "seductive" performance was "disturbing."

Some acknowledged that she did an "incredible job," but were still upset by the "tune" she chose.

Though there have been plenty of controversial performances this year, this one struck a particularly polarizing chord. But we'll have to wait until Tuesday to see exactly how America felt about her rendition.

('You Might Also Like',)