Omar Jose Cardona Flies High With Dramatic Celine Dion ‘My Heart Will Go On’ Cover on ‘The Voice’
Omar Jose Carona earned an enthusiastic standing ovation from The Voice coaches on Monday night (Dec. 5) when the former Orlando theme park singer soared above the competition by taking on one of the biggest, trickiest pop songs in the karaoke handbook.
Tackling Celine Dion‘s Titanic ballad “My Heart Will Go On,” Cardona began his performance in a whispery falsetto, showing off his poise and stagecraft by easing into the song’s swell as the string section behind him added a sense of majesty. Wearing a glittering black jacket, the 33-year-old cruise ship veteran capped the soaring segment by hitting a gigantic, elongated “on” as fireworks rained down behind himand coach John Legend jumped to his feet.
Host Carson Daly said it was worthy of the the season finale for the show’s 22nd season and panelist Gwen Stefani said the performance was so scary good it couldn’t be real. “I’m pretty sure he was lip-synching on that one,” she joked. “There no way that was real.” Her husband had to agree, adding, “All across America right now old men are getting up off their easy chair and picking up their toupee.”
In advance of next week’s finale, the night also featured Team Camila Cabello’s Morgan Myles singing Lady Gaga’s “Always Remember Us This Way,” Team Blake’s bodie sing Halsey’s “Without Me,” Bryce Leatherwood take on Justin Moore’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” and teenager Brayden Lape cover Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know.” Team Legend’s powerhouse Kim Cruse ripped “Summertime” from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Parijita Bastola took on Sia’s “Unstoppable” while Team Gwen’s Justin Aaron sang Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up.” The top 8 also teamed up for Whitney Houston duets to promote the upcoming Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which premieres on USA on Dec. 23.
Watch Cardona’s appearance below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard