A singer-songwriter from Kenosha is getting to pursue her dream career as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”
On Tuesday night, Betsy Ade got through the first stage of the competition during the blind auditions, dropping the jaws of all four judges.
She performed “Hunger,” a song written by Florence and the Machine, and within just one minute 10-time Grammy Award winner John Legend pressed his button to see who Ade was.
Maroon 5 lead singer, Adam Levine also pressed his button, but Betsy chose Legend to be her coach for the competition.
“In my head I’m like did you see what just happened while I’m performing. I was moved and the rest was like autopilot. I was like I did it,” Betsy said. “I just felt like I was on top of the world.”
It was a long time coming for the 40-year-old, who grew up loving music, and got her start in her brother’s band.
“Became a backup singer and then eventually became the lead singer,” Betsy said.
They split up after a few years and she had a baby named Talynn with her partner, but soon her life took a turn for the worst.
“We broke up. I moved back here with Talynn and you know I needed my family," she said. "It was probably one of the lowest moments that I can remember.”
She struggled balancing her son, work and music, and only recently committed to pursuing her dream career as a singer-songwriter, so she’s been working as a substitute teacher to pay the bills while also performing with her band Well-Known Strangers.
Then, on a whim last year she decided to audition for “The Voice,” and her now 10-year-old son is along for the ride.
“This girl’s gonna be a rockstar someday,” Talynn said.
He’s her biggest supporter, writing his mom a good luck note to keep with her, which says ‘I know it’s hard to be away from me but you will get through it because you are the best mom I can ask for. Follow your dreams and I love you.’
Her fan club is already growing, especially right here in Wisconsin.
First graders and teachers from Curtis Strange Elementary gave her good luck cards and banners before her audition aired.
“The amount of love that they have given me is just amazing,” Betsy said. “It’s only the beginning.”
New episodes of “The Voice” air Monday and Tuesday evenings on TODAY'S TMJ4, an NBC affiliate
