Chari proved she had a voice worthy of a four-chair turn when the 31-year-old surgical technologist stunned all four coaches during her Blind Audition on The Voice.
Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green, Queen Latifah, and Adam Levine all turned their chairs after hearing Chari sing Oleta Adams’ Get Here.
The song carried a deeply personal meaning for Chari. She told The Voice cameras that her love of music came from her parents, who have both passed away. Her father first introduced her to the song, while it was also one of the last songs her mother heard her sing.
Chari brought that emotion onto the stage, delivering a performance that immediately caught the coaches’ attention.
“I’m not going to sit down because it would be disrespectful,” Levine told her after turning around.
Green was equally impressed, telling Chari, “You filled the room up with your voice. It was flawless.”
Clarkson also made it clear that Chari was exactly the kind of singer she believed The Voice was created to discover.
“You were literally why this show was created, to find people like you who were passing a scalpel but needed to be up on stage,” Clarkson said.
Levine then tried to give himself an edge by reminding Chari that he knows what it takes to win the competition.
“Do you know who won last season?” he asked.
He went on to say that there was a certain quality he had heard in past winners, and he believed Chari had it.
“I believe that you can win the show. Come home,” Levine told her.
Queen Latifah makes her winning pitch
Queen Latifah was not about to let Levine have the final word.
She praised Chari for using “surgical precision” to make the song her own, turning her career as a surgical technologist into part of her pitch.
Green also jumped into the battle.
“Have you ever won The Voice before? Me either,” he joked. “I was just thinking, maybe we could do it together?”
The coaches continued fighting for Chari, but Queen Latifah ultimately found the words that connected with her.
“When I was asked to be a coach on this show I prayed about it, and this is one of the things I prayed for,” Latifah said afterward. “That I could be helpful to someone who is so amazing and deserves to be seen in front of the world.”
Her heartfelt pitch worked.
Chari chose Queen Latifah as her coach, giving Latifah another major win in the Blind Auditions.
Levine could only watch the decision play out, but even he had to admit what had happened.
“I think she’s got the best team right now,” he said.