Two Alumni Compete on NBC’s The Voice
Carlos Rising (‘17) and Katie Beth Forakis (‘19) were chosen to compete on Season 23 of NBC’s reality show, The Voice.
Carlos Rising, from Wilmington, North Carolina, graduated from Lee with a degree in music business. During his time at Lee, he was a member of Campus Choir, Small Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Music, and LeeU Worship. Rising is now a full-time singer/songwriter and plays in a rock and soul band called Holy Heat.
Rising performed during the blind auditions on Tuesday, March 7, singing Eric Clapton’s “Change the World.” Two of the judges turned their chairs, and he decided to join judge Blake Shelton’s team.
“When I see someone like you up there performing, that’s what gets me excited,” Blake told Rising. “Somebody that I’ve never heard anything like before.”
Katie Beth Forakis graduated with a degree in psychology from Lee, where she was a member of the Lee Chapel Band, Psi Chi Society, Life 432 activities, and Lee Prayer. She is now a worship leader and teaches instrumental and voice lessons in Savannah, Tennessee, where she lives with her husband, Demetri.
Forakis impressed the judges during the blind auditions on Tuesday, March 23, with her performance of “Ghost” by Justin Bieber. Two of the judges turned their chairs for her, and she chose to join judge Kelly Clarkson’s team.
“Katie Beth was the perfect person to finally fill out my team,” said Clarkson. “I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”
As of Tuesday, March 28, following the second episode of Battle Rounds, both Rising and Forakis continue in the competition.
Rising and Forakis are not the first two Lee students or alumni to compete on The Voice. Others include Season 9 winner Jordan Smith; Brooke Simpson, who took third place on Season 13; and Jared Herzog, who made it through the Blind Auditions on Season 17.
To watch Rising’s blind audition, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn1xYRjAqio.
To watch Forakis’s blind audition, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDXdlO0slKk.
