Koumba Diallo Talks ‘The Voice,’ Learning From Kelly Clarkson, And Being A Perfectionist

Koumba Diallo received a four-chair turn during her Blind Audition on The Voice. Performing the Demi Lovato track “Stone Cold,” Diallo performed the song in a confident manner and simply nailed the performance. Diallo, who described herself as a “perfectionist,” is also proud of her Guinean and Filipino heritage. As a fellow Pinoy, I had to ask about her favorite dishes. Our interview runs the gamut, and check out the full discussion as Diallo delivers some important insights that she learned from Coach Kelly Clarkson!

Kelly Clarkson described “Stone Cold” as a “big song” at the beginning of Koumba Diallo’s performance. “It’s a pretty difficult choice,” said fifteen-year-old, who has performed national anthems in over 300 events. “You’re going up on stage in front of some of the biggest names in the industry, and you have to choose something that’s going to show people who you are. Choosing that song was important to me, because I got to tell my story and convey my message through it.”

Diallo ultimately chose Clarkson, and during her time on The Voice she gained some valuable tips from the powerhouse artist. “This is actually a piece of advice that Kelly gave me that I’m always going to remember and keep in mind, is that if you’re singing, you don’t want to really give all of yourself away yet,” said Diallo, who has been singing since she was nine years old. “You kind of want to show people ceratin parts of your voice, but also impress them at the same time. Another thing that I had to learn was that emotion can be conveyed in all kinds of sorts of different ways, but performing on stage doesn’t just mean singing a song. You really have to get the feel of the song.”

Much of Diallo’s hard work comes from the inspiration of her immigrant parents and being a perfectionist. Even with success on The Voice and having a natural talent does not mean that she has her sights on another career. “I really do want to become a singer in the future, and I know it doesn’t work out for everyone, so I’m always keeping that in mind,” she added. “I need to set boundaries and be realistic. Another thing I would love to do if I’m not going to use my voice to sing and storytell, is I’m going to use it to defend people as a lawyer.”

Catch Koumba Diallo and fellow Team Kelly memeberr Lance Tenazas perform on the Battles round tonight!

Full interview with Koumba Diallo, in which she talks about her favorite Filipino dishes and making close friends on The Voice:

Catch The Voice on NBC Mondays and Tuesday nights (8/7c) with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.