Meet ‘The Voice’ Star Holly Forbes, Team Ariana’s Resident Powerhouse
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
Holly Forbes has officially made it to the Top 11 on The Voice Season 21. The 31-year-old singer joined Kelly Clarkson’s team after her Blind Audition and was later stolen by Ariana Grande during the Knockouts.
Since joining Team Ariana, Holly has been voted through twice by the viewers during the live shows, without having to be saved by her coach or the Instant Save.
‘The Voice’ Star Holly Forbes Gained Confidence Through Music
Holly Forbes is originally from Argillite, Kentucky, and currently lives in Catlettsburg. When she was a kid, her father and her sister Erika performed gospel music, and Holly eventually joined in. They performed together as The Forbes Family.
“We knew she had a really special talent from a very young age,” Erika told the Daily Independent of Holly’s love for singing. “She would spend hours listening to songs from artists she admired, learning how to use her voice like they did. It was really amazing to see her teach herself to sing like that.”
According to her The Voice bio, Holly also joined a choir in middle school, and it was around that time that she began having health issues and lost her hair. Music helped Holly get her confidence back, and she’s now proud to rock a bald head.
Holly studied music education and vocal performance for two years at Morehead State University. Her freshman year, a video of her singing “Peace Like a River” with her gospel ensemble earned praise on YouTube, with people all around the world contacting her teacher, Dr. Roosevelt Escalante. Holly calls him a “huge inspiration.”
The singer has two children (daughter Violet and son Oliver) with her partner Seth Carey. The couple officially got engaged in August of this year. Seth is also a musician, and the pair gigs together as Holly & the Guy. Their daughter Violet is already getting into music, as she recently sang in public for the first time at a talent show.
Holly works as a caregiver for adults with disabilities, and she even sings with the people she works with. She told the Daily Independent that her employer has been “so supportive the whole time” as she’s competed on The Voice.
SEE ALSO: ARIANA GRANDE BLOCKS JOHN LEGEND FROM FOUR-CHAIR TURN HOLLY FORBES
Holly Earned a Four-Chair Turn After Several Auditions
This wasn’t the first time Holly Forbes auditioned for The Voice. She told the Daily Independent that this was “like the fifth time” she’d tried out, adding, “I auditioned for the first season when I was 19 or 20. I didn’t for a couple of years, but I did it this time because of the pandemic.”
Holly said that an online group called Quarantine Karaoke helped give her the motivation to audition again, sharing, “They all hyped me up and I felt like I really improved while we were in lockdown and I felt I was finally ready to do it again.”
It paid off, as Holly turned all four coaches’ chairs with her Blind Audition performance of Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” She chose to join Team Kelly, but was later stolen by Ariana Grande after she lost her Knockout against Girl Named Tom. Grande has already made her feel at home on her team, as Holly has posted her love for the team and her coach on social media.
Holly and her fiancé Seth recently opened for the pop star Tiffany at the Paramount Arts Center in Kentucky. She also has a YouTube channel where she has posted a number of cover videos for artists such as Chris Stapleton and Billie Eilish.
You can follow the singer on Instagram and TikTok for more of her journey as she heads into the Top 11 next week.
