Instagram Katie Kadan with parents Cathy and Omar Kadan.
As Season 17 of The Voice reaches finale time, Katie Kadan, the 38-year-old Chicago native who first impressed the judges with her blind audition song of Aretha Franklin’s “Baby I Love You,” earning four chair turns, is now a favorite to be crowned champion.
After choosing John Legend as her coach, Kadan went on to defeat numerous of her talented competitors, and has sung her way to the finals alongside Ricky Duran (Team Blake), Jake Hoot (Team Kelly), and Rose Short (Team Gwen).
While Katie, who lives in Jefferson Park, Chicago, considers herself late bloomer as an artist, she credits finding her love for singing by growing up with a musical family, including her parents, Cathy and Omar Kadan, siblings, and cousins.
Here’s what you need to know about Katie Kadan’s family….
1. Her Mother Cathy Kadan Helped Katie Discover Her Love For Music
Katie and her mother Cathy Kadan
In addition to growing up with her mother singing lullabies, Kadan credits mom for bringing the family to church growing up, where at age 3, she first learned to harmonize with the choir. Cathy described her daughter’s voice as “soulful, dynamic and unique. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a voice like Katie’s.”
At age 10, Kadan joined All God’s Children’s Choir in Chicago, where she continued to sing throughout high school. “I grew up singing with my family,” Kadan said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “My mom always sang with us as kids.”
2. Katie’s Sister Sarah Kadan Is Her No. 1 Fan
Katie proudly listed her sister Katie as one of her biggest musical influences, and the love is reciprocated in full. Katie wrote on Facebook, “Her vision to expand her musical influence is shared with her two amazing cousins, Ray Bleth and Joshua Paul, and her amazing sister, Sarah Kadan,” reads the Facebook post. “Of course, she wanted them to be a part of sharing her art. Playing with them has been such a blessing for Katie.”
Sarah’s first ever Instagram post in 2013 was a photo of her big sister performing on stage in Chicago, so was her second shared post. While Sarah isn’t huge into social media, if she is sharing pictures on Instagram, they are photos of the family cheering on Katie’s singing career.
Sarah, who’s also a talented vocalist, shared a video of herself singing to encourage others to vote for Katie on The Voice.
3. Katie Is Not Yet Married
Before auditioning for The Voice, Kadan had already recorded a self-titled album, performed with the band, The Rockwells, with whom she helped produce a 5-track self-titled EP, and coaches other aspiring singers. In addition to being a classically trained pianist, and Kadan’s career skyrocketing with her new-found fame on The Voice, it appears Kadan hasn’t found the time for dating and a love life.
However, with her new found confidence, Kadan’s described in detail how insecure she used to feel growing up, and how suffered with low self-esteem due to her size, now, when the singer looks in the mirror, she loves what she sees, which has opened the door to brining love into her life.
She said, “When I hit my thirties, I said to myself ‘I’m bringing back all the things that I thought was cool, and owning it.’ And now, I’m super dope.”
4. Katie’s Family, Friends & Neighbors Attend ‘The Voice’ Watch Parties In Chicago
At Fergie & Foz, a tavern in Chicago, dozens of Katie’s friends and family showed up to watch their hometown girl compete on the popular reality series. Her mother Cathy said, “It’s really exciting. We were there (at the TV show) for the blind auditions, and went back again. Katie got four chair turns. Everyone loved her.”
Since then, Katie has kept advancing for which Cathy told Suburban Chicago Land, “That’s no surprise. “I’m praying we are there for the finale.”
5. Katie’s Parents Have Been Married 50 Years
While competing on The Voice, Katie’s parents, Cathy and Omar, celebrated a major milestone in their relationship, their 50th anniversary. In addition to keeping their family a close unit, it appears the ladies’ love for music has inspired Katie’s dad to sing a little bit on his own.
Kadan shared a video of her father singing “Blue Moon” on her Instagram, and it’s a clip that will warm your heart.
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