NBC Reina Ley "The Voice"
Tuesday, September 21, 2022 marked the first day of Blind Auditions for “The Voice” season 22, and the show started off with an impressive audition.
The then-13-year-old mariachi singer Reina Ley was the first audition of the night, and she immediately impressed coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Camila Cabello, earning a two-chair turn after singing “Cielito Lindo.” Ley has since turned 14.
Ahead of her audition, Ley told the cameras that she performed for the first time live when she was nine years old, and her parents shared that they’re proud of her, with her dad saying that he sometimes couldn’t even watch her perform or he’d start crying.
Ley Chose to Go With Team Camila
Ley sang “Cielito Lindo” because, she shared, representing her roots was important to her going into the audition.
“It’s part of me,” she said. “I’m gonna give it everything that I’ve got.”
Cabello was immediately impressed with the singer, dancing in her chair and turning before any of the other coaches even seemed to be considering turning their chair. She later also got a chair turn from Gwen Stefani, and Stefani and Cabello danced together for the rest of the performance.
Afterward, Cabello spoke to Ley in Spanish while the rest of the coaches looked on.
“Your voice is incredible,” Cabello said to her. “I love that you’re singing a mariachi song. I’m so proud of our culture and all of that music is such a beautiful thing to tap into. If you did a mariachi version of, like, a Billie Eilish song… I just think we could have so much fun together.”
Stefani said that she liked that Reina had a “raw and pure” performance and asked what Ley’s dream is.
“To be a big star, of course,” she said, adding that she does sing country music as well as pop music. Her idol, though, is Camila Cabello.
The 13-year-old singer ended up going with Cabello as her coach, and fans think she made the correct decision.
Afterward, Cabello shared that she loved Ley’s tone.
“Also, as an immigrant child, I feel like she can be, like, my little sister,” Cabello said. “This is the kind of artist I wanted.”
Before the next audition, Cabello added, “I can’t believe she’s 13. That’s insane.”
Fans Think Ley Ended Up With the Perfect Coach
Fans took to the comments on the uploaded YouTube video to say how excited they were for Ley.
“She’s so amazing!” one person wrote. “Such a wonderful voice to be only 13!? And Camila is such a great coach open to every genre of music, love her!!”
Another person wrote, “This is one of those moments when its not even up for debate who this young hopeful should be paired with !! Camila is very right for her not only coz theyre age gap are more close to each other and theyre both latinas but more importantly camila can guide her very well on how to navigate pressure on a high stakes competition show like this one at a young age because she’s literally been through it so she knows the feeling all too well !! Excellent match !!”
Many were impressed that the singer’s voice was so mature for her age.