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When “The Voice” finale took place, all four coaches had at least one singer of theirs in the Top 5. For Kelly Clarkson, her last remaining performer, D. Smooth, took the time on June 1 to share just how important she was for him and his journey on the NBC competition.
D. Smooth ended up placing third as Gina Miles took home the top spot in Niall Horan’s first year as a coach. Grace West finished as runner-up for Blake Shelton in his final season. Rounding out the Top 5 was Sorelle and NOIVAS in fourth and fifth, respectively.
D. Smooth Called Kelly Clarkson ‘The Woman Version of Me’
Clarkson was quick to gravitate toward D. Smooth during his Blind Auditions. During the season 23 premiere on March 6, D. Smooth sang Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” which earned two chair turns. One of those was Clarkson, who he chose, and the other was first-year coach Niall Horan. From that point forward, D. Smooth remained on Clarkson’s team all the way to the finale.
He shared how much her decision to support him along the way meant to him, referring to her as the “best coach in the world” at the start of his Instagram post.
“Everyone wants to know what our relationship is like and [to be honest] I can’t explain it,” he wrote. “You are literally the woman version of me… We get each so much to the point where you just trusted my ear and my musicality.”
He continued, “Each week I showed you a different side of me and you were shocked every time! LOL. I appreciate you so much! Thank you for me to show you, and the world how creative and musically inclined I am,” he wrote.
D. Smooth added that the environment she created made it a “no stress zone” which helped him in the competition.
D. Smooth Shares What He Learned from Kelly Clarkson
Before wrapping up his heartfelt Instagram post, D. Smooth also shared what he will take away from his experience with Clarkson as a coach on “The Voice.”
“The biggest thing you’ve taught me is to just be yourself,” he wrote. “Being a morally good person and being yourself will take you father in life than any talent you have. You are an A-list vocalist but more an A-list person.”
On finale night, the two were able to take the stage together for the first time as each coach was tasked with performing one song with their finalist. The two gave their take on Joji’s “Slow Dancing in The Dark.” During the episode, Clarkson said she was “very excited” to perform this while noting that “there’s nothing better than being on this side of it and getting to help” in reference to understanding what D. Smooth was going through in the competition.
When “The Voice” returns in the fall, Clarkson won’t be one of the four coaches. She will be taking a break as two other coaches, Chance The Rapper, and Blake Shelton, will also be absent. Shelton officially retired from his position, one that held since the show’s inception. In their place will be Reba McEntire, John Legend, and Gwen Stefani.