Biography
Possessing a commanding, blues-infused vocal timbre that exceeds her age, Sarah Grace drew widespread notice on season fifteen of The Voice in late 2018. Placed on Kelly Clarkson’s team—two Texans whose vocal timbres drew immediate parallels—she reached the fifth week before exiting, yet left a durable mark through her smoldering, jazz-colored reading of “Amazing Grace.” That exposure quickly translated into independent momentum when she issued the single “What I Came For” with her band the Soul and then mounted a national tour the next year.
Born in Houston, Grace received a childhood diagnosis of synesthesia, the neurological trait that assigns colors to musical sounds. Once the condition receded, she turned to music first as a hobby and later as a profession. Trumpet studies began in middle school; additional instruments followed at the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. During those years she also entered Houston’s blues and jazz circles through performances with Campfire Soul, whose lineup included her sister Regan Kimberly on drums and bassist Daniel Holder. By the time she tried out for The Voice in early 2018, the group had adopted the name Sarah Grace and the Soul.
Still fifteen at her televised debut, she earned callbacks from all three judges with her rendition of “Ball and Chain,” the Big Mama Thornton number later made famous by Janis Joplin. She progressed to the live rounds and remained until week five. In the episode before her elimination she generated fresh attention with a smoldering delivery of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” during which she inserted her own trumpet solo.
The television run lifted the band’s visibility: the Houston Press named Grace “Best Newcomer of 2019,” the trio released “What I Came For” before 2018 ended, and in early 2019 they embarked on an American tour.
Born in Houston, Grace received a childhood diagnosis of synesthesia, the neurological trait that assigns colors to musical sounds. Once the condition receded, she turned to music first as a hobby and later as a profession. Trumpet studies began in middle school; additional instruments followed at the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. During those years she also entered Houston’s blues and jazz circles through performances with Campfire Soul, whose lineup included her sister Regan Kimberly on drums and bassist Daniel Holder. By the time she tried out for The Voice in early 2018, the group had adopted the name Sarah Grace and the Soul.
Still fifteen at her televised debut, she earned callbacks from all three judges with her rendition of “Ball and Chain,” the Big Mama Thornton number later made famous by Janis Joplin. She progressed to the live rounds and remained until week five. In the episode before her elimination she generated fresh attention with a smoldering delivery of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” during which she inserted her own trumpet solo.
The television run lifted the band’s visibility: the Houston Press named Grace “Best Newcomer of 2019,” the trio released “What I Came For” before 2018 ended, and in early 2019 they embarked on an American tour.
Albums
Singles
