Chevel Shepherd, 16, Wins Season 15 Of ‘The Voice’

Chevel Shepherd was crowned the winner of season 15 of The Voice

The 16-year old singer beat out team Blake Shelton’s Kirk Jay and Chris Kroeze and team Jennifer Hudson’s Kennedy Holmes. This is the second win in a row for the two-time coach Kelly Clarkson, who won last season with her contestant Brynn Cartelli.

Moments after Shepherd was announced as the winner, Clarkson ran onto the stage and gave her a hug, Shepherd’s family also joined her on stage to celebrate her victory. 

Throughout the competition, the New Mexico native surprised the world week after week and has even effortlessly taken on country legends from Loretta Lynn to LeAnn Rimes. While making a name for herself on the show, Shepherd has also become known for her yodeling talent. She reportedly fell in love with yodeling and started to learn when she was 11-years-old after her mom showed her a video.

After her win, Shepherd told reporters, “I’m still hyperventilating a little, I feel very blessed.” Backstage during a press conference, Clarkson also teared up while talking about Shepherd’s performance of “Broken Hearts,” from a night earlier. “She made it just pure country and it’s beautiful. I was listening to her last night and I was like, ‘I remember like before, when I was like her. You just remember that point of your life,'” she told USA Today. ”I’m so glad this isn’t on video. I’m always caught crying…. My makeup artist hates me.”

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After the heat of the competition dies down, Shepherd plans on being a normal teenager for a while and will then get to work on an album. When talking about the album, Shepherd said. “I want to start putting my own classic country music out there and show the world who Chevel really is and who she really wants to be as a country artist. I love Loretta and Dolly and just the honky-tonk-ish but classic country sound. I want to put out an album like that.”

Last night’s competition included special performances by Kelly Rowland, Rascal Flatts and the Doobie Brothers. Shepherd also performed a rendition of “Speechless” with Dan + Shay’s.