NBC’s The Voice · Season 5 · age 16
The night no chairturned — and why it mattered.
In 2013, a sixteen-year-old from Southern California who performed as “Sammy C.” walked onto the blind-audition stage of NBC’s The Voice and sang “Where Is the Love?” — rapping and singing both parts himself.
The Voice — audition highlight
Footage: NBC's The Voice. Embedded from Samuel's unlisted YouTube upload.
Footage: NBC’s The Voice
What happened
The coaches liked what they heard. None of them turned around.
For a kid who had spent years being stared at for having alopecia, hearing “no” in front of millions could have been the end of the story. It wasn’t. It became the beginning of the one he tells now — in gyms and auditoriums full of students who are facing their own version of that moment.
That same year Samuel gave the keynote at the National Alopecia Areata Foundation conference. Today he brings Finding Your Purpose, an anti-bullying school assembly, to schools nationwide, and is the author of Beyond The Cover.
“This guy’s good.”
Read the recap in The Hollywood Reporter.
Samuel today
For students
Three things a “no” taught me.
- 01
A setback isn’t a verdict.
Four chairs didn’t turn. My future didn’t change — my next step did.
- 02
Different is a strength.
The thing people stared at is the thing that gives me a platform.
- 03
Use it for someone else.
The best reason to get back up is the kid watching you do it.
Free For parents & guardians
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The Dream Worksheet
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Spot It. Say It. Solve It.
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The 7-Day Purpose Challenge
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Scroll Less, Talk More
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A Message From Samuel
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