On The Voice UK, 76-year-old Scottish grandmother Bette Reynolds stunned judges and viewers with her performance of Rapper’s Delight. She became the oldest competitor in the history of the show by doing this.
Bette, who currently lives in Ontario, Canada, was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire. Nobody expected a granny to perform a rap song—especially a timeless favorite by The Sugarhill Gang—when she took the stage. However, her faultless performance of the fast-paced lyrics soon captured the attention of the audience, who cheered and applauded, energizing the room. The judges were seen grinning, obviously delighted by the surprise performance.
Bette was permitted to continue in the competition as a member of Team Tom and Dan because two judges, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones from McFly, were so thrilled that they turned their chairs.
Bette responded, “My grandchildren are into rap, and I thought I’d give it a shot,” when asked why she chose such an odd music. To see how I would react, they selected a few rappers they loved.
As inspirational as Bette’s performance is, so is her journey to the stage of The Voice. Despite receiving classical training as a vocalist at the age of five, she hadn’t given a performance since 1966. After being married, starting a family, and concentrating on being a wife and mother, her life changed.
In the recent past, Bette provided dementia care for her husband, Stewart. Bette made the decision to pay tribute to him by going back to music after he died in January, just a few months before her audition. She decided to embrace a new chapter in her life by trying out for The Voice UK in February.
“It’s been a tough year,” Bette said, looking back on her experience. My husband passed away recently, although I took care of him for a long time. But I knew we had to continue because he was such a happy person. It’s simply amazing—a true boon.
Bette’s vibrant personality delighted the assessors. Sir Tom Jones commented on how young her voice sounded, stating he believed it belonged to a much younger person, while LeAnn Rimes commended the way the audience responded to her.
Will.i.am was so affected by Bette’s performance that he rushed onstage to give her a hug. He then joined her for an impromptu duet of The Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling, which further energized the crowd.
Bette had already amassed a sizable social media following prior to her debut on the show, with over 60,000 fans enjoying her humorous music videos featuring songs like “I’m Your Granny” and “I’m on the Bus Y’all.” Producers from The Voice UK noticed these videos and invited her to try out.
Many people at home expressed their happiness on social media after Bette’s performance. “I was having a really sad day UNTIL I heard Bette!” one YouTube user remarked. She made me incredibly happy! “This is the best audition EVER!” said another.
Bette now advances to the following round of the competition, where she will compete against other competitors one-on-one. Fans are anticipating her upcoming performance with great anticipation, thanks to the support of her family and the memories of her late husband.
