Date: 11-19-2015
Smith continues on ‘The Voice’
By Reina P. Cunningham
Harlan Daily Enterprise
For the first time this season, Jordan Smith was the first contestant to find out his fate on ‘The Voice’ — America voted him into safety and he would be performing once again on the live show on Monday night.
The Harlan native got back to his roots during Monday nights performance, singing the gospel hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Smith sat alone on stage during Monday night’s show, in the darkness with just a piano and a spotlight, pouring his heart and soul into the song he says he knew would make him vulnerable on the show — a risk he said he willing to take.
The risk proved to be worth taking, as Smith has maintained his No. 1 spot on The Voice iTunes chart since the song debuted on Monday night.
His performance of the hymn garnered a standing ovation from all four judges, as well as a hug from Voice Coach Adam Levine.
Smith has made national headlines, as raving reports about his uplifting song choice coming during a time when the world is dealing with continuous negativity highlight what some are calling a religious experience.
As of press time, Smith continued to have four songs on The Voice iTunes chart, which means all four songs were listed in the top 200 iTunes charts.
‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’ is topping both The Voice and Top 100 iTunes charts at the number 1 and 2 spots, followed by ‘Halo’ at numbers 4 and 19, ‘Chandelier’ at numbers 7 and 4, and ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ at numbers 12 and 66.
Smith is continuing to acquire millions of new YouTube views as well — at press time on Tuesday, his collective performances on the hit reality show have been viewed over 27 million times, with that number rising by the minute.
Back home in Harlan, watch parties continue to take place as hometown supporters gather at the Harlan Center to watch Smith continue to shine a positive light on the hills of Appalachia.
Fans may follow Smith’s progress on his Facebook page and Twitter and can now download his performances on iTunes. “The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
