Morgan Lett is a born performer. Her mom likes to say that Lett started singing as a baby in her crib.
“She said that her and my dad would hear me over the baby monitor,” Lett said. “They’d be like, ‘What is that sound? What is that sound that we keep hearing?’ And it was me singing.”
Since those very early days, Lett, 27, has gone on to perform on bigger stages — from her childhood church, Greater Holy Trinity Church of God in Christ in Sherbondy Hill, to clubs and festivals in Atlanta to NPR’s Tiny Desk with Sasha Keable.
But none of those compare to performing onstage for “The Voice,” NBC’s singing competition.
“When I got on that stage, I was breathing harder than I’ve ever breathed in my life,” Lett said. “I saw those names on the back of those chairs, and I don’t know what happened, but breathing went out the window.”
You would never know it from Lett’s performance, which aired Sept. 23. As the opening bars of Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down,” started, Lett’s powerful, soulful voice kicked in, not a bit of stage fright in sight.
“When that music started, I was like, ‘Let me give it my all,’” Lett said. “And when Queen turned around — oh my god!”
By Queen she means Queen Latifah, one of the four celebrity judges on “The Voice.” Thirty-six seconds into Lett’s performance, Queen Latifah pressed her button, signaling her interest in Lett.
Judges Queen Latifah, Riley Green wowed by Lett’s performance
For those unfamiliar with “The Voice,” a quick explainer: The first step is blind auditions where contestants perform for the judges who then select their favorites — 12 each — to form their own teams. (The other judges are Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green and Adam Levine.)
The judges’ chairs face away from the contestants. If a judge likes a contestant, they hit a button and their chair spins around to face the singer.
“I like some of the choices you made with those notes. You went places I was not expecting,” Queen Latifah told Lett. “You did it your way. Which tells me that you can sing all kinds of songs your way.”
Green also hit his button, signaling his interest in Lett, but the Akron native ultimately decided to join Queen Latifah’s team.
“She’s somebody that I’ve looked up to my entire life,” Lett said. “[She’s] one of the celebrities that if I had to have my career look like somebody’s, it would definitely be hers.”
Lett grew up in East Akron, attending Hatton Community Learning Center and then Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts. Her family moved to Atlanta after her eighth grade year.
Singing and music were instilled in her from a young age, Lett said. She comes from a musical family. One of her uncles is opera singer Lawrence Brownlee. Another uncle is part of the gospel group Half Mile Home.
Although she grew up singing in church, Lett said she still found herself “sneaking some R&B music.” Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Earth, Wind & Fire top her list of favorites.
Lett released a new single, planning first EP
After high school, Lett attended Georgia State University, where she studied music technology and voice. She took a break from school in 2020 after her sister Taylor died. Around then is when Lett decided to pursue music more seriously. She began booking gigs and performing at open mics.
“My sister was born with cerebral palsy, so she was disabled her whole life,” Lett said. “Losing her was a reminder to me that I can’t just sit around and do nothing because my sister never had the opportunity to do some of the things that I’m capable of doing. That definitely put an engine in me to take it seriously.”
Lett eventually went back to school, and graduated in May. Right after graduation, she was in Los Angeles auditioning for “The Voice.”
Blind auditions wrapped up in the Oct. 6 episode, and the battles began. During this stage, two members from the same team perform a song together. The winner advances to the next round.
Lett couldn’t reveal when her battle will air but said viewers will “be in for something amazing.”
Regardless of how things shake out for her on “The Voice,” Lett is committed to making music her career.
“Long term, I’m looking to achieve Grammys, nominations, all the things. I’m the next Beyoncé,” she said with a laugh.
Last month, she released her new single, “Friendzone.” She’s currently working on her first EP, “Mozaic,” which she describes as a project about all the genres that have influenced her.
“I feel like I’m somebody who was called to do this,” Lett said of making music. “I want people to feel something when they hear me.”
“The Voice” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
