Eighteen-year-old Shye Roberts, who is originally from Glen Cove, has always had a deep connection to music. That passion took center stage on Oct. 8, when she appeared on NBC’s “The Voice,” performing Five for Fighting’s 2001 hit “Superman.”
Her voice, rich with emotion and power, impressed the show’s four celebrity coaches — Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé — who all turned their chairs to secure Roberts for their team. Roberts chose to join Bublé.
Her journey to that defining moment began when she was a child, and was surrounded by music. Her mother, Sheila Roberts-Creen, remembers noticing her daughter’s natural musical abilities when she was 2. “She was barely walking, but she could whistle,” Roberts-Creen recalled. “It was something that caught our attention immediately. I knew there was something special about her.”
By the time she was in third grade, it was clear that Roberts had more than just a knack for singing. In a school talent show, she amazed her family and teachers with her ability and even added riffs to her performance.
“We thought it was going to be a regular kid performance,” Roberts-Creen recounted. “But when she started singing, we realized this wasn’t just ordinary — there was real talent there.”
Despite Roberts’s undeniable gift, her family couldn’t afford formal vocal lessons. But that didn’t stop her from developing her skills. “I was mostly self-taught,” she said. “We didn’t have the money for lessons, but I just kept practicing, singing wherever I could.”
Her natural ability and determination soon caught the attention of Edward Norris, her choir director at Glen Cove High School. Norris met Roberts during the coronavirus pandemic, when the school had adopted a hybrid learning model. Even though their sessions were virtual, Norris could see that Roberts had something special.
“She was 14 years old, and I was voicing new students for choir,” Norris recalled. “As soon as I heard her, I knew there was an extraordinary instrument there.”
Roberts’s talent continued to grow under Norris’s guidance. She took on lead roles in school musicals, including “In the Heights” and “Miss Saigon,” where her performances left lasting impressions on audiences. Norris described how, as the grandmother in “In the Heights,” she “brought the house down” with her emotional delivery. “She stole the show, and she was just a freshman,” Norris said. “I could see she had a unique ability to connect with her audience, even at that young age.”
By her junior year, Roberts earned a scholarship for a year of free music lessons from vocal coach Jennifer Toohey, of the Long Island Studio of Music. Toohey became one of Roberts’s most ardent supporters.
“She’s a storyteller,” Toohey said. “Her voice is dynamic, but it’s her ability to connect with a song that really sets her apart.”
As Roberts’s senior year approached, life took an unexpected turn. Her family moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she finished high school at Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Arts. The transition was difficult for her, because she had left behind her friends and the supportive musical community she had in Glen Cove.
“Leaving Glen Cove gave me an extra drive towards music,” Roberts said. “I didn’t have my friends or my teacher with me, so I decided to take a chance and audition for ‘The Voice.’ I had nothing to lose.”
Encouraged by Toohey and Norris, Roberts auditioned for the show online, submitting videos of herself singing. After multiple rounds of video submissions, paperwork and background checks, she got the call she had been waiting for — an invitation to fly to Los Angeles to audition in person.
“I auditioned with Adele’s ‘When We Were Young,’” she said, “and when I got the invite to L.A., it felt surreal.”
Her live blind audition on “The Voice” was nothing short of impressive. As she sang “Superman,” Stefani and McEntire were so moved that they stood and applauded before Roberts finished the song. All four coaches turned their chairs, a rare feat on the show. McEntire called her voice “rich and creamy,” while Bublé enthused about her “wonderful range.”
Reflecting on her sessions with Bublé, her coaching choice, Roberts said, “He said there wasn’t much to teach. He didn’t want to alter my voice, but rather help me emotionally connect with the song and really be myself.”
Though her adventure in Los Angeles forced her to miss her high school graduation, Roberts felt the experience was worth it. “I was sad to miss that moment,” she acknowledged, “but standing on that stage, singing my heart out, made it all worth it.”
Now, as she prepares for the next round of “The Voice,” known as “The Battles,” she remains grateful for the support of her family, teachers and friends. “This experience has made me courageous as a performer,” Roberts said. “It’s given me opportunities to express myself in ways I never thought possible.”
