‘The Voice’ Season 22: How 17-Year-Old Parijita Bastola Made History With Her Audition
The Voice put another history-making moment in the books during the new episode on Sept. 27. Parijita Bastola, a 17-year-old singer from Maryland, wowed The Voice coaches Camila Cabello, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend with her Blind Audition in season 22. But on top of having a seriously impressive voice, Bastola made history as she walked onto the stage. Here’s how.
Parijita Bastola already made history on ‘The Voice’ Season 22
The Voice has seen many record-breaking and history-making moments. Last season, Girl Named Tom became the first trio to win the competition. And a few seasons before that, Carter Rubin became the youngest male winner at 15 years old. Now, Parijita Bastola will go down in The Voice history as the very first Nepalese-American to audition. Whether she goes on to win or not, this could inspire other Nepalese-American singers to audition, as well.
During her introduction on The Voice, Bastola revealed that her parents fled to the U.S. to escape Nepal’s political unrest. They had to leave Bastola’s sister behind due to immigration laws, but the family kept in touch with letters. Bastola and her sister would write to each other about their favorite music, including R&B, which influenced Bastola’s own musical style. Additionally, she said her Nepalese heritage is a huge part of her “identity as an artist.”
“I’m super honored to be the first Nepalese-American to audition,” Bastola said.
Parijita Bastola’s audition was met with a four-chair turn
Bastola auditioned for The Voice with Labrinth’s “Jealous.” Legend, Stefani, and Cabello turned their chairs early in the song. Meanwhile, Shelton waited for her to show off her incredible range before hitting his button.
The coaches were shocked to hear Bastola’s young age given her mature voice. After the audition, they gave her a standing ovation, and Cabello said it was her favorite audition song she’s heard so far. She connected with Bastola over the importance of bringing one’s heritage into their music.
“That’s been really, really important to me, too. I would be so excited to work with you,” the coach added.
Legend agreed, saying, “The best artists are able to bring the music of their culture and of their roots into the wider global landscape of music. I think your voice is that kind of transcendent voice and it would be an honor for me to work with you.”
Bastola even shared a bit of her culture with the coaches by gifting them rudraksha beads from Nepal.
Who did Parijita Bastola pick as her coach on ‘The Voice’?
Finally, it came time for Bastola to pick her coach. Standing on the sidelines, her family encouraged her to choose Legend, so that’s exactly what she did.
“The king of the four-chair turn is fully back in business,” Legend said in a video, as seen above. “Parijita is stunning, incredible. I cannot wait to work with her.”
New episodes of The Voice air on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Next-day streaming is also available on Peacock.
