LOS ANGELES, Ca. — Turns out, she isn't going away.
After a soulful rendition of Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" Shye Roberts, a Bethlehem singer and contestant on "The Voice," advanced on Tuesday's Knockout round on the NBC show.
She was coached by guest mentor Jennifer Hudson and her team coach Michael Bublé, who called Roberts one of his favorite singers.
Roberts, 18, sang against Edward Preble, a vocalist from Florida and J. Paul, who has sung back up for R&B crooner Stephanie Mills.
As is customary during the Knockout rounds, Roberts, an 18-year-old Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts alum was able to choose her own song.
She went with Perry's "The One That Got Away" as a tribute to her mother, Sheila.
"My mom is extremely supportive of me and my music career. She created this YouTube channel called 'Shye's Diaries.' It was a series of skits with me and my siblings where I was her little star," Roberts said before taking the stage.
"She made [the YouTube] series because she was in the hospital and she was worried she was not going to spend more time with me. It was a way to show me when I grow up, if she wasn't around, that this is how she saw me through her eyes and luckily I still got to keep my mother."
Hudson, star of "Dreamgirls" and "Respect," and Sting appeared as guest mentors for the Knockout rounds which began on Monday, Nov. 11.
"To be that young and to be able to emote and connect. You can't teach that."Jennifer Hudson
Hudson remarked she was wowed with Roberts' sensitivity, while "The Voice" judges Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani said her rendition of Perry's 2010 hit sounded as if it was her song.
"At 17-years-old it is there. To be that young and to be able to emote and connect. You can't teach that," Hudson said (Roberts turned 18 after filming the show).
Shye's journey
Roberts made it through auditions for "The Voice" after skipping her high school graduation on June 10.
She wowed Bublé and advanced in the battle rounds on Oct. 28 with a rendition of Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself."
The battle rounds began on Oct. 21 with Bublé and fellow coaches Reba McEntire, Stefani and Snoop Dogg.
During the battle rounds, Bublé mentored 14 singers in preparation for the sing-offs, which determine who will go to the knockout rounds and who will be sent home.
Despite feeling terrified, Roberts during a recent phone interview says she feels proud of herself for getting this far.
Her blind audition, which aired on Oct. 8, was a cover of Five for Fighting's "Superman (It's Not Easy)."
The soulful cover got a four-chair turn from the judges.
New music to come
Roberts lives with her mom, Sheila, and her stepdad. They moved to Bethlehem in 2023 from Glen Cove on Long Island, New York.
She finished her senior year at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts during the 2023-2024 academic year.
At the charter school, she belonged to the treble and touring choir and performed at their coffeehouse performances at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. She won best soloist at the school's adjudicated performance through WorldStrides in New Orleans in 2023.
Since Roberts can't reveal about her journey on "The Voice," viewers will have to stay tuned to learn the outcome.
"Right now, I'm really just trying my best to write as much music as I can and get a jump start on my musical career now that I have somewhat of a fan base," she said. "It's pop music with dashes of soul and folk songs."
"The Voice" airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
