Rabbi’s Great-Granddaughter Who Starred in ‘Curly Sue’ Wins ‘The Voice’

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By Maia Efrem May 25, 2016

The big winner in last night’s “The Voice” finale was none other than the beloved Jewish former child star-turned-singer Alisan Porter.

Best known for her adorable role as the title character in the 1991 Jim Belushi hit “Curly Sue,” the 34-year-old mother of two helped make “Voice” history when her coach, Christina Aguilera, became the first female coach to have a winning contestant. Singing her original song “Down That Road,” Porter sobbed as she belted out her winning song, all the while holding one of her kids as the rest of her family proudly looked on.

✌️?? #AlisanIsTheVoice

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A photo posted by NBC’s The Voice (@nbcthevoice) on May 24, 2016 at 11:01pm PDT

The great-granddaughter of a Worcester, Massachusetts rabbi, Porter has music and dance in her blood. Her mother was a dance coach and her father was the lead singer and songwriter of the Worcester band Zonkaraz. At the age of five, Porter became the youngest contestant to win on “Star Search.” Watch her ridiculously cute appearance here. You won’t regret it.

Image by YouTube

Porter was a frontrunner on “The Voice” from the very beginning, with coach Adam Levine predicting she would win during her blind audition. “That was the most beautiful, flawless, passionate, pitch-perfect thing I have ever heard in my entire life,” he told her. “I’m astonished by you. You’re going to win ‘The Voice.’” Looks like he was right.

Watch Porter’s winning moment below:

Maia Efrem is the former research editor and assistant to the editor and was also responsible for the Forward’s annual Salary Survey. Previously she served as the editor of Blognik Beat, a blog written by students who emigrated from or have ties to the Former Soviet Union. Maia is a graduate of Hunter College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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