At the end of a special three-hour broadcast, Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids” crowned Cuban songstress Paola Guanche, 12, as the show’s first winner.
The Spanish-language and children’s version of the singing competition “The Voice” brought its first season to an end after 13 weeks of featuring young hopefuls and their voices. The spunky singer from Florida, who was a member of Prince Royce’s team, won the title by popular vote.
“La Voz Kids” closed out the season with performances by Ricky Martin, Mexican singer Ana Barbara and -- the newly crowned coach -- Prince Royce, who took the stage for a rendition of his latest single “Darte Un Beso.”
Paola performed “I Will Always Love You,” made famous by Whitney Houston, and received a standing ovation from the audience and the coaches after giving an impeccable rendition of a song infamously difficult to sing. (Watch The Performance Above)
Noticeably excited throughout his pupil's entire performance, Prince Royce had no choice but to continue to sing the young girl praises.
“Paola has an exceptional talent that has impressed everyone,” Royce said in a press release. “ Through this show she has demonstrated excellence in all musical genres.”
After winning the ultimate prize, the young singer closed the show with an energetic performance of Celia Cruz’s “Quimbara” -- a song she had wowed audiences with weeks before.
Raised in a family of famed Cuban musicians, Paola began singing and performing with her family from a young age. The starlet will receive a recording deal with Universal Music and $50,000 courtesy of AT&T to put toward her education.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article indicated the winner's prize to be $5,000. Paola will be receiving $50,000.
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