LI Teen Sails To Next Round Of 'The Voice': 'You Are A Prodigy'

SHOREHAM, NY — Carter Rubin, a 14-year-old from Shoreham who has wowed audiences and coaches alike on "The Voice," continued his ascent this week with another powerhouse performance that won him the knockout round to advance to the next level of the competition.

On Monday, Carter went head-to-head against teammate Chloé Hogan. Carter sang “You Say” by Lauren Daigle and Chloé performed "Weak" by SWV. In the end, his coach Gwen Stefani named Carter the winner of the round. He will now move on to the live performances.

Carter saw his first success on the show during the blind audition in the second week of Season 19 of "The Voice," which airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.

The show is hosted by Carson Daly, with coaches including Blake Shelton, Stefani, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. After his blind audition, Carter chose Stefani's team.

After Carter finished singing Monday, both Shelton and Legend stood to applaud.

"My baby!" Stefani cheered.

Carter and Chloé delivered stand-out performances, making the choice a difficult one, Stefani said. "What am I going to do?" she asked.

Clarkson said she thought her makeup artist was going to have to come out and fix "everything that's happening to me right now. That's like a finale performance. It broke me in the most amazing of ways," she said, adding she was still crying.

"Carter, because of your age, it's very exciting to see what you can do," Shelton said. "And you sing as skilled as anybody on this show. It's unbelievable."

"You nailed it," Legend said. "You are a prodigy. You are special because of your age but also, anybody who sang that would have been proud to sing it at any age."

Stefani lamented the choice she had to make. To Chloé, she said: "I feel like I'm in that kind of space where I'm going to be like, if I don't pick you, you're going to become this huge star and I'm going to look like this big idiot on 'The Voice' that didn't pick you — and John Legend takes you to fame. You're awesome; you're so awesome."

Turning to Carter, Stefani said: "Okay, my son, my child. You needed to pick a song that you could relate to, something to show you are connected to your heart. This is a really difficult moment for me."

But a choice had to be made. "I'm going to say the winner of this knockout is my man right here, Carter," she said. "He shocks me continuously because he's just so gifted. His performance was flawless and I had to go with Carter."

In the end, Legend used his one "steal" for Chloé, who will remain on the show with Legend as her coach.

Carter, a sophomore at Shoreham-Wading River High School, said he was inspired by his grandfather, a guitarist and backup singer for Jay and the Americans.

This year, due to the pandemic, there are changes on the show: There is no live audience and judges are spaced farther apart.

During his blind audition, Carter sang "Before You Go" by Lewis Capaldi. His voice captivated the coaches — Stefani and Legend most of all, who turned their chairs as his mom watched joyfully from the sidelines.

Speaking with Patch, Carter said he's been interested in music for as long as he can remember but around 7 years old, he began taking it more seriously. His first live performance was on the boardwalk at Long Beach, where he sang the National Anthem after the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.

"It just kind of escalated from there and now I'm here, so I must have done something right," Carter said.

Carter, who has never taken formal vocal lessons, feels as though he got the singing gene from his grandfather, who has been his vocal coach for years. "That's something special we share together. I don't think a lot of grandpas and grandsons can say that. It's super cool," he said.

Carter also loves singing and playing music with his older brother, Jack, 19, who was diagnosed with autism at 2. They perform together at their family's autism foundation, Families in Arms, which helps bring kids with autism — whose families may not otherwise be able to afford the trip — to Disney World in Florida. Jack, Carter said, plays drums and loves Disney songs.

"It's really important for me to see the world through his eyes," Carter said. "He does see world a little differently. And that's not a bad thing at all. It's quite beautiful. We have the best bond."

In fact, Carter said he chose his audition song and dedicated it to his brother: "It has a different meaning for everyone. For me it's about not missing the chance to be there for someone — that someone being my brother. I want to be there for him, help him. You have to let the walls come down and allow others to help you."

His family, including his mother Alonna, father David and brother Jack, are the "most supportive people I could ever ask to have in my corner," he said. "They've been encouraging me to follow my dream ever since I was born. I would not be able to do this without their support and encouragement."

A self-professed "theater nerd," Carter has taken in part in school productions including "The Wiz," "Mamma Mia," and "Pippin."

He's been wanting to perform on "The Voice" for years, he said. "That's my dream, to get my name out there. I want to sing because I love music but I also want to touch people with my voice. I want to heal people and make them happy."

Carter auditioned for the show in Boston and "was lucky enough" to advance to the blind audition.

"It was such an incredible experience to be so lucky to have gotten to that point," he said. "It's really hard, because you are all alone out there. It's just you, performing to the back of four chairs. And you're hoping and praying."

It was a relief when Legend turned his chair around first, followed by Stefani, Carter said.

Choosing between the coaches was a "tough decision," he said. "I went with Gwen because there was something about her that drew me in ... I could not be happier because she is the sweetest."

Seeing the famous stars up close and personal was "pretty crazy," Carter said. "You are so used to seeing them on TV and then they are right in front of you. But they are all so genuine and down to earth, so sweet. They are just ordinary people even though they are huge superstars. It's really awesome."

The blind audition took place at "The Voice" set at Universal Studios in Hollywood. It was Carter's first trip to California. "I wanted to go to California for the longest time. And I did something right, to get my mom and myself there. It was just a dream come true."

Of his mom, Carter added: "She is awesome, the most hardworking, supportive and encouraging mother. I could not ask for a better role model."

When his next air date comes, friends in Shoreham will be cheering along. "They are super excited," he said.

The community even came together with a car parade on the night his blind audition aired, October 26. The parade, organized by Caryn Albert, was "awesome," Carter said. "There were kids from my school district, with signs, cheering. It was so cool."

Carter was also friends with Boy Scout Andrew McMorris, who was killed by a drunk driver while out on a hike two years ago.

His family is very good friends with the McMorris family, Carter said; when she heard about Carter's being chosen for "The Voice," Alisa McMorris, Andrew's mom, wrote about how excited her son would have been to hear the news. Andrew, too, loved to perform.

"She stopped by and gave me a key chain with Andrew's fingerprint on it, to put in my pocket when I go onstage for future performances — so he's always with me. I thought that was really nice of her," he said.

Carter, Alisa McMorris said, "is the real deal — the beauty of his voice shines right on through to his true and honest heart. I was blessed to be introduced to this incredible family through our work together at the SWR PTA and again when Andrew developed a friendship with Carter."

The boys performed together a number of times, McMorris said. "They made a promise to both audition for either 'American Idol' or 'The Voice' together. I know Andrew is there with him — cheering his friend on as they promised to do for each other, no matter what the outcome. And I don't think it was a coincidence that one of the judge's comments was, 'You must be flying inside.' No matter what happens, Carter is a winner already," she said.

If he were to advise other young people with a dream, Carter said he would encourage them to take a chance. "Just go for it. You have to be comfortable taking a risk. I know it's hard when you are competing with older people but that doesn't mean you are any less talented. Go for it and follow your dream. Do exactly what I did. If you miss that chance you could miss out on great things in your future, things that you really want," Carter said. "You have to do what makes you happy and this makes me happy."

Along with his grandfather, Carter said his musical influences include Capaldi, Harry Styles and Ariana Grande, as well as all four of his coaches on "The Voice."

When he's not singing, Carter enjoys being with his family and friends. "And I love roller coasters. I enjoy going to different amusement parks and getting on as many roller coasters as I can," he said.

He also loves travel and road trips. "Just stopping at random Buffalo Wild Wings in the middle of nowhere," he said.

Of being able to realize a dream in the middle of a pandemic, Carter said: "It honestly feels like a miracle."