4-Year-Old Hijacks Her Dad’s Blind Audition on The Voice

A tender folk song, a steady voice, and a tiny surprise guest turned a standard Blind Audition into a moment millions would remember. This is the story of Dave Crosby’s performance on The Voice season 13, where a quiet ballad and a father-daughter bond stole the show.

Dave Crosby, a singer from Seattle, Washington, walked onto the stage with an understated presence and a lot of heart. He shared later that he had stepped away from music years earlier, only to return because of his young daughter. That detail mattered, because the night ended with the little star joining him under the lights and capturing the coaches’ hearts in seconds.

The Performance That Captured Hearts

Dave chose Death Cab for Cutie’s modern classic, I Will Follow You Into the Dark. He opened with a gentle touch and clear tone that carried the emotional weight of the song. The lyrics set the mood right away, with lines like, “Love of mine, someday you will die, but I’ll be close behind, I’ll follow you into the dark.” His phrasing felt intimate, his pitch steady, and the room grew still.

The chairs stayed put at first, which only added to the tension. The coaches listened in silence and swapped glances. The audience leaned in. When the final notes fell, applause broke the quiet, then a wave of smiles and a few laughs followed as the moment clicked. The coaches had been playing a bit of poker.

The banter started fast. Adam Levine grinned and said, “You tricked me, you tried to trick me.” Dave fired back, “We were trying to trick each other, we just poker faced it for so long.” It set the tone for a playful, warm exchange.

Dave introduced himself: “My name is Dave Crosby, I’m from Seattle, Washington.” The name landed, then a light went on for Adam.

Chairs turned, compliments poured in, and Adam made it clear he felt the magic first. He admitted he was frustrated others turned late because he thought he had Dave to himself for a moment. He called the choice to turn “impulsive,” the kind of snap response that comes from feeling something real. Another coach praised the purity in Dave’s voice and the way it seems to carry its own space, a quality that makes simple lines feel bigger and more emotional. The reaction was less about big runs, more about tone, control, and honesty.

Dave’s Backstory: From Giving Up Music to Viral Inspiration

When asked what inspires him to sing, Dave shared a personal turning point. He had given up on music about four years earlier. Then his daughter was born, and everything changed. He held her for the first time and, in time, discovered she had a knack for singing. Not just a cute voice, a striking one for her age. They made a few videos together. Those clips went viral and gave him a reason to dream again.

The story clicked for Adam right away. He asked, “Wait a minute, you’re not the one that was doing the Randy Newman song, were you?” Dave confirmed it. The song was Randy Newman’s Toy Story staple, You’ve Got a Friend in Me. The recognition changed the energy in the room. The coaches realized the man in front of them was the dad from those viral clips.

Then came the request everyone wanted. Could his daughter come out and sing? She walked onstage, four and a half years old, confident and bright. The room let out a collective “awww.”

She nailed it. Small voice, big charm, and zero fear. She sang, “You got a friend in me, you got a friend in me, yeah, you got trouble and I got them too,” and the crowd melted. Adam said he was “obsessed with her.” The coaches were beaming. It felt less like a TV moment and more like a family snapshot that everyone gets to keep.

The surprise duet did more than charm. It showed the source of Dave’s spark and why this audition mattered to him.

Once the daughter exited, the pitches began in earnest. The panel teased each other and tried to sway Dave with humor, empathy, and clear praise for his tone.

The banter took a funny turn when Adam mentioned that Blake Shelton sends him videos, then joked that the last one he got was a guy punching a kangaroo. The room laughed, the tension eased, and the pitches kept flowing.

The shared ground was clear. This was a dad story. Adam talked about having a daughter and how that changed him. He said he felt a plan for Dave. He liked the voice, but he also understood the person. Another coach shared that starting at age four shaped their life in music, which mirrored Dave’s daughter and her big start.

The emotion never felt forced. It was a clean blend of admiration for his vocal skill and respect for the family story that brought him there.

Dave made his choice. “I’m going to pick Adam, come here.” The team pairing felt right. Hugs all around followed. Adam congratulated him, thanked him, and soaked in the moment. The daughter returned for a hug too, and when Adam asked how proud she was, she held out her hands to show it. The coaches cheered. Dave thanked everyone for their kind words and for making the audition feel special.

At its core, the audition worked because it was honest. Dave did not oversing. He did not chase big notes. He trusted the song and his tone. The lyrics, “If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied,” hung in the air like a quiet promise. The room felt it.

The father-daughter thread raised the stakes. Dave shared that his daughter sparked his return to music. That connection took the performance beyond technique and into story. The surprise appearance turned the show into something warmer, and the coaches reacted like fans, not judges.

The result was a blend of Seattle indie sensibility, a timeless lullaby of a song, and a family memory caught on camera.

People remember purity. Dave’s voice carried a calm that felt anchored, and the coaches responded with quick turns and kinder words. When the applause hit at the end, the entire segment felt complete. A great song choice, a poised performance, and an encore that no one saw coming.

The biggest takeaway might be simple: never give up on music, family can bring it back. Dave did not just sing a song about devotion, he lived it onstage, and the audience got to see both sides of that promise.

I Will Follow You Into the Dark is a brave pick for a Blind Audition. It leaves no room to hide. The melody is simple, the lines are bare, and the delivery must be clean. Dave made the most of that space. He leaned into the tenderness of the lyric, kept the guitar light, and trusted silence between phrases. The choice showed taste and control, and it put the focus squarely on the voice.

The surprise duet of You’ve Got a Friend in Me made the moment feel personal. Her soft, playful tone balanced his steady calm. It was not about perfection, it was about presence, and the crowd reacted to that.

Conclusion

Dave Crosby’s Blind Audition worked because it felt true. A simple arrangement, a focused vocal, and a family story with heart turned a quiet song into a national moment. The coaches laughed, teased, and praised, and Dave found a coach in Adam Levine who connected with both the singer and the dad. The daughter’s cameo sealed it, reminding everyone why these shows matter at their best. Music brings people together, and sometimes, it brings people back to themselves.