Christina Grimmie was a superb performer that had a very bright future ahead of her. (Photo property of NBC’s Trae Patton)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Multiple news outlets such as CNN, USA Today, and E! News have confirmed that Voice alum and YouTube sensation Christina Grimmie is dead.
The Season Six third place finisher was shot outside of her Orlando, Fla. concert while she was signing autographs for fans at the Plaza Live theatre. Orlando police department authorities stated that after a male gunman shot her, he shot himself after being confronted by Grimmie’s brother. Grimmie died from her injuries at the hospital.
Ms. Grimmie first entered the public eye when she joined YouTube on February 9, 2009, and started performing covers of David Guetta & Sia’s “Titanium,” Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain” and Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up.”
As her career gained momentum, she performed backing vocals as part of Selena Gomez & The Scene and was invited to be a part of the DigiTour, a concert tour that highlights the best YouTube artists.
But, it was not until Ms. Grimmie appeared on the sixth season of The Voice, that she became a household name. Her bombastic cover of Season 11 coach Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” caught the attention of all four coaches (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher) and she chose Adam to be her coach.
Throughout the competition, Grimmie’s fanbase grew exponentially as several of her covers: Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” Lil Wayne’s “How to Love,” Goyte’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” (a duet with her coach) and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” reached the Top 10 of iTunes’ Overall Music Charts.
After she had appeared on the show, Grimmie was signed with Island Records. Unfortunately, the label dropped her in March 2015. Luckily, she rebounded and won the Macy’s & iHeartRadio’s Rising Star Contest, where the prize was a spot to open the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Festival. She also returned to The Voice that year as it’s behind the scenes fashion correspondent.
2016 looked like it was going to be a promising year for Ms. Grimmie. She dropped her second Extended Play, Side A, in February and opened for Rachel Platten and the band Before You Exit.
Jake’s Take is extending its thoughts and prayers to Ms. Grimmie’s family, friends, fans and extended Voice family.
I do not own the clips that are sprinkled in this article. They belong to Ms. Grimmie’s estate and NBC.
