The Voice Crowns a New Champion! Carter Rubin Wins Season 19
Also competing in the finale was John Holiday, Desz, Jim Ranger and Ian Flanigan
Congratulations, Carter Rubin!
The 15-year-old Shoreham, New York, native was crowned the winner of season 19 of The Voice on Tuesday night, tying with past winner Brynn Cartelli as the show's youngest champion to date.
Rubin's win marks the first-ever victory for coach Gwen Stefani, 51.
"You won The Voice!" Stefani repeatedly told Rubin as he looked in disbelief after hearing that he had won. Earlier in the night, the duo performed Stefani's holiday hit "You Make It Feel Like Christmas."
Rubin beat out team John Legend's John Holiday, team Kelly Clarkson's Desz and team Blake Shelton's Jim Ranger and Ian Flanigan.
After Rubin performed the original song "Up From Here" on Monday night, Stefani said, "I'm just so proud of you. To be 15 years old and so incredibly calm and cool and in the moment, I'm so proud of you ... I can't wait to see what happens after this show."
Rubin was inspired by his grandfather, a guitarist and backup vocalist for Jay and the Americans, to pursue singing. He loves playing music with his family, especially his older brother, Jack, who has autism. They perform together at their family's autism foundation, Families in Arms, which surprises families with trips to amusement parks.
"My brother, Jack, and a lot of people on the autism spectrum see things a little differently than many of us," he said during the Dec. 7 show. “And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In fact, it’s a quite beautiful thing, and I think if we all took a second and tried to see the world through their eyes, we’d all be kinder, we’d be more patient, and we’d be more accepting."
"We all just want love and respect," he added. "I thank my brother for teaching me those lessons."
During the Voice knockout rounds, Rubin opened up about his experience with bullying.
"Being a 14-year-old boy in middle school-slash-high school that sings, not very athletic … most boys my age, their voices have already dropped down," Carter said. "So I have been picked on by other kids for being this different, unique individual. As I get older, I realize being unique isn’t a bad thing."
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In addition to crowning a winner, the Voice finale featured special performances by Shelton and Stefani, Dan + Shay, Lauren Daigle, Keith Urban, Pink, Lewis Capaldi, Florida Georgia Line, Nelly, Jason Derulo, 24kGoldn, Iann Dior, Julia Michaels and JP Saxe.
The Voice finale aired on Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.