‘The Voice’ Contestant Kique Puts His Own Spin on OutKast’s ‘Hey Ya’

No one but OutKast could make us shake it like a Polaroid picture. Kique, however, shakes it with his very own style.

Robert “Kique” Gomez, a Miami-based Cuban singer, stepped into the Knockout Round of NBC’s The Voice on Monday night (Oct. 31), for a reboot of OutKast’s classic 2003 single and nine-week leader on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The teen did it his own way, inserting a new groove, style and some low, low notes.

Just 18 years of age, Kique opened Team Gwen’s three-way knockout, going up against Destiny Leigh (performing Christina Aguilera’s “Impossible”) and Rowan Grace (Billy Joel’s “Vienna”).

“One of my favorite things to do is change songs,” Kique remarks. “I really want Gwen to see that I’m not just a singer. I’m also a musician. I like to create compositions and make music and change things and make them my own.”

With his switcheroo, he got the place jumping and created for himself a good chance of staying the distance in this competition.

John Legend enjoyed what he heard. “For you to take that song and do what you did with it was so audacious,” the EGOT star says. “Truly one of the most compelling performances we’ve seen in three rounds on this show.”

“If this was a video game,” Camila Cabello notes, “you just skipped 20 levels today. For you to do a cover that was on the cutting edge of a song that was on the cutting edge was, like, Inception. I felt like a star was born. It was beautiful to watch.”

Stefani was left with a “very hard decision” decision to make. In the end, she sent Kique through to the live rounds.

“Kique is just a very unique type of singer, and I can’t wait to see what we do together next,” she explains.

It’s not all over for Rowan Grace, a student at Rapid City Central High School, who earned Blake Shelton’s steal.

Watch below.

Lars Brandle

Billboard