An Arlington native won a spot on NBC’s The Voice this month, strutting on stage in a black leather vest, boots, chunky silver jewelry and a cowgirl hat, delivering a soulful blind audition.
Not even 30 seconds into Kendra Remedios’ performance of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” judge John Legend turned his chair around, securing Remedios a spot on the show.
“I love that Texas grit,” said Legend, a 13-time Grammy winner. “I was hearing country, I was hearing rock, I was hearing soul, I was hearing blues.”
Fellow judge and North Texas native Kelly Clarkson didn’t turn around — and regretted it. She sighed when she heard she missed the chance at turning her chair for a fellow Texan.
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“I love to see a Texas girl shine,” she told Remedios.
Born and raised in North Texas
Remedios, 31, was born and raised in Arlington, but her “home away from home” was her grandparents’ cattle farm in Martins Mill in east Texas.
“Country music is in my veins,” she told the Star-Telegram in a Zoom interview.
Some of her childhood memories include romping around the Stockyards — specifically Joe T’s and Billy Bob’s, where she hopes to perform one day.
Her first live performance was in second grade at the Wood Elementary School talent show. She sang “Oops!… I Did It Again,” complete with a Britney Spears headset.
She sang on and off through junior high at what was called the Johnnie High Country Music Revue (now known as Arlington Music Hall).
Her dream was always to move to Nashville, which was what she planned on doing once she graduated from Temple College’s dental hygienist school.
But right before graduation, Remedios’ father suffered a brain aneurysm. She moved back to Arlington to be with him through recovery.
“So I put my dreams on hold and stayed here for a few years,” she said. “And then after his passing in 2021 I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ My dad would want me to pursue my dreams.”
So she did. Remedios moved to Nashville. She works as a dental hygienist during the day and sings gigs on Broadway at night. You can catch her singing at writers’ rounds at live music bars like The Local, Live Oak and Losers.
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Honoring her father on national TV
A scout from The Voice heard Remedios’ gritty voice through Instagram and reached out to her to audition.
In fact, Remedios had already done the whole singing competition show thing before. She auditioned for American Idol in Season 12 and won the golden ticket to Hollywood.
“Man, I never thought that I would do a music show again,” she told the Star-Telegram. “I’ve been praying for a door to open and I felt like this was something that I had to walk through.”
Remedios gave an ardent performance during episode 2 of season 29 of The Voice this month. She said watching her father fight through the hardest part of his life lit a fire under her to pursue her dreams.
“I know that God chose me to have this voice, to not just sing in my car, sing in the shower, sing in my room or sing in front of 20 people,” she said. “I wanted the world to hear me so I could honor God, honor my father and honor my passion.”
If you want to watch her journey on The Voice, tune into the live shows on NBC on Mondays at 8 p.m. Viewers can also catch new episodes and reruns on Peacock.
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)