19-year-old sends bold message about queer identity with a soul-stirring performance on ‘The Voice’

Contestant Frank Garcia ‘The Voice’ 2024. (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Voice)

19-year-old Frank Garcia openly shared his sexuality during his ‘The Voice’ Season 25 audition in 2024, saying, “Since I was little, I knew that I was gay.”

Fortunately, debut coaches Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney took him under their wings after his soul-stirring rendition of Adele’s ‘Love in the Dark.’ However, this was not the first time Garcia performed on a singing talent show. As per NBC, he previously competed on Season 4 of the Spanish ‘La Voz Kids,’ reaching the Battle Rounds before elimination.

Meanwhile, during ‘The Voice’ Knockout Rounds, Garcia, who had initially struggled to ‘come out of the closet’ due to extreme bullying, wanted to establish himself as a successful queer singer. With incredible support from mega-mentor Keith Urban, he chose to perform José José’s ‘El Triste’ (The Sad One) to deliver a powerful message.

Explaining his connection, he said, “Not only does this song allow me to present my heritage and my roots, but also this song just holds a lot of memories for me.” “It has been with me throughout the process of my self-identity journey. I like being different; that’s what makes me special! I also get to show that we queer Mexican and Latino boys can make it, as anyone else can.” Unfortunately, Dan + Shay chose rival Olivia Rubini over him, as per Music Times.

However, the fan-favorite’s elimination was labeled unfair by viewers, and they vehemently criticized the coaches on X. Why, Frank, why? That was beautiful, and he totally killed it. @DanAndShay made their first big fumble. Sad to see him go. Bummer #theVoice,” an X user slammed.

“Why is the Hispanic person always getting kicked out when they sing this song?? Do you know Americans do not know how DIFFICULT that song is?! He sang better than the other girl. Her voice is common and has been heard in previous seasons. Frank is unique,” a fan chimed in. “Frank Garcia needs to come back! His win was taken from under him! He is talented, performs with passion, and delivers; his voice is clear and rich, and his timbre and endurance were spectacular,” a netizen voiced.

The R&B soul singer later confessed that by opening on stage, he truly embraced himself and his voice. “I feel like it really helped me embrace myself,” he said. “Even though I love Mariachi music, and it’s my culture, it did feel very restrictive. I just couldn’t be who I wanted to be.” As per the Columbia Spectator, Garcia didn’t get the opportunity to appear on ‘The Voice’ until he tried out for the sixth time. The teen is now pursuing med school and practices music during his free time. “I was like, ‘Eventually I’m going to have to quit music because I’m on the pre-med track, so I need to get a grip eventually,’” Garcia concluded. “So I was like, ‘Let me just do it for right now.’… And then I got in.”