By Chanda Temple
Moments before Birmingham native Jasmine “Jazz” McKenzie stepped on stage, capturing the votes and hearts of the judges and audience from NBC’s “The Voice” on Monday, Oct. 13, she remembered six little words.
“What’s for you won’t miss you.”
It’s a saying a fellow “The Voice” contestant shared with other contestants this season, and it’s something Jazz has been saying to herself since starting the process on Season 28. On Monday, Sept. 22, she appeared in “The Blind Auditions” premiere, singing her rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
That evening, Jazz received a “four-chair turn,” earning the attention and interest of all four celebrity coaches. While each coach wanted her, she selected singer/coach Michael Buble.
Then, on Monday, Oct. 13, Jazz appeared again for her next competition in what’s known as “The Battles.” She faced off with team mate, Trinity, as they did a duet to Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity.”
The praise from the coaches continued.
“Lord have mercy!” exclaimed celeb coach Snoop Dogg. “I used to be on tour with Jamiroquai, and y’all took that man’s song and put some herbs and spices” on it.
“This right here is what ‘The Voice’ is built on: great showmanship,” Snoop continued. “That was entertainment at its finest. They both were so strong, Mike.”
The other coaches, Reba McEntire and Niall Horan, also heaped positve feedback on the singers. But Jazz, 31, emerged the victor on Oct. 13 with Buble saying Jazz has this “wonderful, powerful voice, and this is the essence of what this show is about.”
“Jazz has really a pitch-perfect voice,” Buble said. “She has no fear, and I think it just leads her to have really no ceiling. She is … smart and she is beautiful. There is no reason why, at the end of this competition, Jazz isn’t standing there as one of the finalists.”
The Oct. 13 show was pre-taped at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, and Jazz watched the episode with friends in Huntsville, which is where she lives now after attending Alabama A&M University. Meanwhile, her mother, Brenda McKenzie of West End, joined loved ones in Birmingham to watch. Both were so proud of what happened.
“I feel great. I’m super excited,” Jazz said shortly after watching the episode.
In thinking back to the quote, “What’s for you won’t miss you,” Jazz said it was a true testament to what she’s been experiencing with the competition.
“Even in this process, I had my doubts,” she said. “And the thing is, I wasn’t chasing perfection. I was chasing purpose. And going back to what’s for me, just didn’t miss me.”
“That was my energy going in, and that was my energy coming out.”
Jazz works full-time at AT&T in Huntsville. But in her spare time, she sings at events. Later this week, she’ll fly out to Texas to perform love songs at a wedding cocktail hour for a Huntsville fan, who booked her in 2024.
“She took me aside one day and she said, ‘You know, I really see a lot in you, and I see a lot for you,” Jazz said. “She encouraged me to keep walking in my purpose.” Like her fans, Jazz’s family members are also her cheerleaders.
“Girl, I’m over the absolute moon,” said her mother, who is also a singer. “‘She’s always been … a go-getter. And she’s going after her dream. We are all proud of her.”
From the first time Jazz appeared on stage for “The Voice,” the coaches have loved her.
“That’s how you audition for ‘The Voice,’ right there. That was impressive,” Coach Horan said after hearing Jazz sing “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” Coach McIntire followed up with, “When a singer starts singing and it shoots through the air at someone’s heart, you know that person is truly blessed. And I was hit so hard by your beautiful voice.”
Season 28 of “The Voice” airs Monday and Tuesday evenings, starting at 7 p.m. CST. The next “The Battles” episode will air Oct. 20, according to the NBC website. Once contestants have gone through “The Battles,” Jazz and the remaining contestants will appear in what’s known as “The Knockouts.” To see Jazz’s performance from Oct. 13, go here.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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