When some people audition for NBC’s “The Voice,” they hope that at least one chair turns around. But for Alabama A&M University alumna Jasmine ‘Jazz’ McKenzie, she managed to get four. McKenzie won over all four judges with her rendition of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” this week on the Season 28 premiere of “The Voice.”
Country star Reba McEntire was the first person to turn for McKenzie, followed by former One Direction member Niall Horan, hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, and Grammy Award winner Michael Bublé. McKenzie describes the moment she finished her song as “overwhelming.”
“It was overwhelming,” McKenzie said. “As soon as I hit the last note, I was so overcome with emotion, I cried like a baby because I couldn’t believe it.”
All four judges wanted McKenzie to join their team. To increase her chances, Reba used her ‘block’ to stop Snoop Dogg from snatching McKenzie for himself. Despite being the last one to turn his chair, Bublé convinced her to join his team.
In an article published by her alma mater, McKenzie shares how she started singing.
“My mom sings. My grandmother. I come from a big music family,” she said, noting that several relatives are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Alabama. Her mother, Brenda McKenzie, is a familiar voice around Huntsville, often performing at Oakwood University. McKenzie grew up singing in church, and when it came time for college, she said Alabama A&M chose her. “They came to my high school in Birmingham for a college fair, and I was accepted on-site. From there, I was good. They made me their first choice, so I made them my first choice.”
McKenzie graduated from Alabama in 2018. While on campus, she was a member of the University and Gospel Choir after nailing her audition. She is also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music fraternity.
McKenzie’s audition for ‘The Voice’ is not the first time she has performed in front of thousands of people. After graduating from college, she had the opportunity to perform as an opening act for big-name music artists such as Chrisette Michele and Leela James. She even headlined Huntsville’s Panoply Festival. All of her experiences and passion for music prepared her for this very moment.
“It all started with a DM I got on TikTok in February for this video that started gaining attention,” she recalled. “At first, I thought it was a scam. But when I got the same message on Instagram and through email, I called my friends—who are all AAMU grads—and we checked it out. It turned out to be real.”
One of 80 contestants, McKenzie managed to earn one of the 48 final spots. Although she is the one singing, she isn’t doing this alone. McKenzie says that her family has been extremely supportive, especially her mom, three brothers, and nieces and nephews.
She even says that she is looking forward to returning to her alma mater. Despite her recent experience on the show, she is making sure to return to Alabama A&M for homecoming.
“I’m so excited, and I’m even more excited that I’ll be home for Homecoming, because I don’t want to miss that.”
Receiving four chair turns exceeded any expectations McKenzie had for herself.
“My thing was, if I could just get one chair turn, you know, just one. All I need is one,” she said. “And to see that I got four? It blew my mind. God blew my mind. I was just so thankful and full of gratitude, and all the hard work paid off. That’s what I saw. And it just felt good to finally, in a world of everybody being overlooked, including myself, to be chosen—for that one specific thing. It was beautiful to me.”
McKenzie is not the first HBCU alum to make an appearance on the show. North Carolina A&T State University’s Victor Solomon made an appearance on the show back in 2021. Earlier this year Solomon returned to our TV screens when he received the ‘golden ticket’ on another popular singing show, American Idol.
To watch McKenzie and her journey, you can watch ‘The Voice’ Mondays and Tuesdays at 7:00pm CST on NBC.
