Alexia Jayy performing on The Voice stage in a denim jumpsuit and red textured sleeves with sunflowers in her hair. Photo Credit: Alexia Jayy/Instagram
History was made on the world stage this week, and we need to talk about it.
Alexia Jayy, a 31-year-old R&B singer from Alabama, became The Voice’s first Black woman champion on 14th April, claiming victory across the show’s entire 15-year history. Let that sink in. Fifteen years, twenty-nine seasons, and it took this woman from a small town in Alabama to finally break that ceiling wide open.
She competed on Team Adam, handing coach Adam Levine his fourth career win, and if you watched that finale, you know it was never really in question. Her finale performances of Patti LaBelle‘s “Lady Marmalade” and Adele‘s “One and Only” brought the coaching panel to their feet, and before the winner was announced, she joined Levine on stage for a duet of his Maroon 5 classic “Sunday Morning.”
Alexia’s journey to that stage began at the Blind Auditions, where her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman” earned a chair turn from all three coaches. She chose Adam, partly because her 9-year-old son Matthew is a devoted Maroon 5 fan, which is one of the sweetest origin stories in competition television. From there, she moved through the Battle Round, the Knockouts, and the Semis with a consistency that made her the one to watch all season. Kelly Clarkson compared her tone to Whitney Houston and Lauryn Hill, a pairing that tells you everything you need to know about the kind of voice Alexia carries.
Alexia Jayy in a cream gown smiling alongside the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill backstage at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. Photo Credit: Alexia Jayy/Instagram
But here’s what makes this story even richer: Alexia Jayy was already building something long before The Voice cameras found her. She sang background vocals for Muni Long on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2022 — a moment she described as one of the most significant of her career, one that people from her small hometown simply don’t get. And earlier this year, she performed alongside Leon Bridges as part of Lauryn Hill‘s Grammy tribute to Roberta Flack at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Away from the competition, she released her debut single “Who Raised You” in 2021, and her debut EP “Mixed Emotions” followed in September 2025. She is also a mother, her son Matthew, now 9, watched her stop and start over the years, and according to Alexia, he never once stopped being proud of her.
The top nine finalists of The Voice Season 29 sitting together on a blue velvet sofa, with winner Alexia Jayy in a gold fringed dress at the centre. Photo Credit: Alexia Jayy/Instagram
As winner, Alexia walks away with $100,000 and a record deal with Republic Records, a label under Universal Music Group. Her new single “Rent Free” dropped immediately following her win, produced by Grammy winners Jack Splash and Jim Jonsin, the people behind records for Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, and Beyoncé. In Alexia’s own words, the song is about knowing your worth: “Sometimes people don’t realise what they had until it’s gone, and by then you’ve already moved on. But somehow, you’re still the one on their mind.”
The post History Made! Alexia Jayy Becomes The Voice’s First Black Woman Winner After 15 Years appeared first on BellaNaija – Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
