It turns out that Stratford’s latest singing sensation has been around for a while. Now, the whole world is finding out just how Bette Reynolds is making jaws drop.
Reynolds, 76, is a contestant on The Voice UK and made it through the blind auditions after The McFlys (Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones) couldn’t help but push the big red button following Reynolds’ rendition of – wait for it – Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang.
Yes, it’s true. A rapping Scottish granny has the entertainment world by the ear and is loving every second of it.
“It was about a year ago when The Voice UK’s producers got in touch with Stewart after seeing my videos and that asked if him if I’d have any interest in coming on the show,” she said. “I do social media videos and previously I put stuff up on Vine, and they had seen them. So Stewart told me this and I thought ‘I don’t know’, but the next day the producer texted again. I asked Stewart if he thought I could do it and he said ‘absolutely’. So I said okay, absolutely.”
If there was any pause in her decision, it came from the fact that she was the primary caregiver to her husband, Stewart, who was suffering from Parkinsons and related dementia. Reynolds went ahead with the auditions over Zoom but was still faced with having to make the trip across the Atlantic for the in-person portion with directors.
Taping was set to start on February 25 of this year, but sadly Stewart Reynolds passed away a month before. But Bette decided to follow through, supported by her family. In going to England for the show, it was the first time Bette had set foot on English soil in 56 years, and the first time back behind a microphone to sing in 58 years.
It gets better.
The judges for this season’s The Voice UK include The McFlys, LeAnn Rimes, Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas … and legendary Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones. So, Bette, which was the bigger thrill: stepping on to The Voice stage, or singing to Tom Jones?
“I could say it was both equally, because let’s face it he and I have grown up together,” she joked. “To get an opportunity like this was just so special. It was the first time I stepped on a stage in Britain since 1966, and I’ve been a singer all my life and I’m classically trained. But I picked Rapper’s Delight because of my grandkids. They like rap music, so I learned about it so I could talk with them about it. I did a lot of their memes and parodies as well, especially of Drake.”
Reynolds raved about the treatment she got from the show’s producers and crew, especially the encouragement they gave her to really seize the moment.
“I think the producers really wanted me to show that older people can still have talent and still use those talents,” she said. “But everyone right down from the producers to the writers and staff and crew were absolutely fantastic. They were so kind and patient, not just with me but everyone. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about them.”
Watching her performance it’s clear that Reynolds invested herself in putting on an entertaining show, something she said was aiming for out of this experience. But even someone with classical training and years of singing under her belt still needs a reminder now and then.
“When I walked out onto the stage, I took a peek over at (my son) Stewart, (my daughter) Deb and (granddaughter) Angelina, I was like, ‘okay, don’t let me forget my words, don’t let me forget my words’,” she said. “I purposefully didn’t focus on the (judges) chairs; it was more the audience. There were people on both sides of me … and just a few notes in they all started going wild. I thought that was pretty fun. I didn’t really think about anything except that I was singing for the people in the audience, and then Tom and Danny turned right at the end – I was like, oh my goodness, my mother would have a fit. I never thought I was going to get picked because I just went to entertain people.”
Having that kind of perspective might have helped. Reynolds said she watches the North American version of The Voice, and based on her time in the green room at the recordings, she was filled with gratitude for the chance.
“You should see some of the anxiety in the other competitors while we were waiting,” she said. “I was just sitting there going, ‘I’m doing this for entertainment’, to prove to myself and to my family that I could do it. I didn’t even notice the chair turn until I was done and looked over to see Stewart, Deb and Angelina three feet off the ground going in circles.”
The viewing public won’t find out Bette’s fate in the next round until that episode of The Voice UK airs October 12, and Reynolds wasn’t tipping her hand either way as to what happens. It’s an experience of a lifetime and one she’s happy she grabbed with both hands.
“If you have a talent and you feel you can still use it and you get the opportunity, then you should grab it – you won’t be disappointed,” she said. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity I got because it’s a lifetime thing. And also for caregivers. I thought I knew everything and I knew all about it because I came from that area. I thought I was going fine and didn’t realize I was burned out. There is a light at the end of that tunnel; it’s a long journey but look, I’m good now.”
