Liberty University student Tatum Scott shines on ‘The Voice’

During her impressive performance on the nationally televised singing show “The Voice,” Liberty University senior communications student Tatum Scott turned two judges’ chairs in the Blind Auditions round, which aired on Feb. 10, securing her spot in the show’s Battle Rounds in March.

Both Grammy Award-winning singers John Legend and Kelsea Ballerini turned during the first verse of Scott’s performance of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.” Scott chose Ballerini as her coach moving forward into the next round, where she will sing against another competitor in a duet.

Scott, who grew up in a Christian home in High Point, N.C., always made her faith a priority. She enrolled at Liberty in Fall 2021 to pursue a degree in communications.

“My education at Liberty’s definitely helped me just grow so much,” she said. “With my time being (on campus), I learned a lot, and it was just a great time in my life for me to really grow, especially in my faith.”

She lived on campus for one semester and said although she loved the campus life and atmosphere, especially the worship music at Convocation and Campus Community, she knew God was calling her to Nashville, Tenn., where she could dedicate more time to singing and songwriting. She moved to Nashville and has continued to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Strategic Communication through Liberty University Online Programs.

“Online is such a great option, especially for people like myself who just want to pursue a dream or even just be in a different city,” she said. “Having the access to a degree online is just amazing. It’s super different than in person, but it’s definitely challenged me in a lot of ways, and I’m super, super grateful for having the option to do online, because I can do it from anywhere.”

Scott had auditioned for “The Voice” several times before in preliminary rounds but never made it through to Blind Auditions until now. Trusting in God’s timing, Scott went through preliminary auditions again last March and received her casting call a couple months later.

As a fan of country music, Scott grew up listening to Ballerini and admired her as an artist, so she was excited when the judge turned for her.

“No one really prepares you for that moment (when a judge turns),” Scott said. “It was really cool to see one of my like biggest influences in music turn around for me. Of course, I was just thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, how am I going to finish this song?’ That was just my first thought, because (the judges are) just looking at you, and it’s nerve-wracking but also so exciting.”

Prior to her Blind Audition, which was filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood, Scott performed at a variety of events and venues, including at a private event at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman’s PNC Plaza Stage, Broadway in Nashville, cafés, and local gigs. Scott said she has always tried to reflect Christ in the way she presents herself and performs, and she made a concerted effort to lean on God’s will in preparation for “The Voice” auditions.

“From the beginning, I’ve prayed for this,” she said. “Throughout the process, I really just wanted to thank God like continuously. Even before I went on for my audition, I just said a silent ‘Thank you, Jesus.’ He’s given me so, so much, and getting the opportunity to reflect Him is really what I want to do for the most part.”

Scott said many people have asked about the joy she exudes on stage whenever she performs, and she points it all back to Christ.

“I said, ‘It’s Jesus.’ It’s literally Him because I just want to reflect Him and His light above it all.”

Scott’s next performance will be aired on NBC and Hulu next month during the Battle Rounds, which take place March 10-24 every Monday night.