Parijita Bastola made history on Tuesday night as the first Nepalese American to audition on “The Voice.”
Bastola gave the other contestants plenty to be “Jealous” about with her chair-turning blind performance of Labrinth’s 2016 hit song.
During introductions, the show’s four coaches – Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello, John Legend and Blake Shelton – were shocked to learn that she is just 17 years old.
“What? 17?” Stefani shouted, while Cabello exclaimed, “Get out of here!” and Legend said, “Holy moly.”
Bastola, a high schooler from Maryland, told the judges that she is the first Nepalese American to audition for “The Voice” in its 22-season history. She also shared that her family has been watching “The Voice” since its very first season. They would close down their restaurant on Mondays to watch the show in the evening.
“[It] has always been our family show. They owned a small restaurant, and they specifically closed on Mondays to watch ‘The Voice,’” Bastola revealed.
Before choosing her coach, Bastola gifted each judge with Rudraksha beads from Nepal and placed them around their necks. Bastola’s father can be seen vying for her behind the scenes to choose Legend as her coach, which she does in the end.
Legend expressed his excitement on Tuesday by posting a video on Twitter. While sitting in his coach chair, he tells his followers, “I think the king of the four-chair turn is fully back in business. Parijita is stunning, incredible, I cannot wait to work with her.
Watch Bastola’s performance below:
