‘The Voice’ Standout Kaleb Lee Opens Up: How Adopting a Child Changed His Life
He sings of love and love lost. But when he talks about finding love again through adoption is when country artist Kaleb Lee's heart shines.
“I never met my biological dad,” the Season 14 The Voice standout says in a revealing new interview with Taste of Country. “My stepdad adopted me when I was five years old, and I just had always known that I wanted to do that for another child.”
Adoption had always been a topic of conversation between Lee and his wife Meagan, even before they got married in July of 2008.
“We married young, and we had our kids young,” says Lee. “After two, we were thinking, should we just keep having more kids or should we adopt?”
Those lofty conversations filled with plenty of what-ifs were cemented further when the two officially adopted their son in December of 2013 and finally brought him home from Nicaragua in April of 2015.
“The whole process took three-and-a-half years, from the time we started the process to the time we got to bring him home,” Lee says of 5-year-old Jojo, who is color blind. “The money and the paperwork…people have no idea what it takes.”
And while the family, which also includes Jojo’s older sisters Graelynn and Lily, might not look like every other family, Lee says he knows that they all were meant to be together.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like," remarks Lee, who released "I Need a Drink" earlier this year. "The love of one's family is really all you need.”
Family remains one of Lee’s biggest motivations.
“I want my kids to see that you have to follow your passion," says Lee, who will head out on his own headlining tour next spring. "I want them to know that you need to love what you do, rather than just do something. You have to be passionate in everything you do.”
Lee is following his own passion for music as he preps to release his debut EP in early 2020. It will include the title track “I Dream in Southern," featuring Kelly Clarkson. She coached Lee during his run on Season 14 of The Voice in 2018, where he placed in the Top 6.
“I gravitate towards people who are authentic, and Kelly has always been that way to me,” says Lee, who also appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show this month. “She has always been encouraging and she has always been in my corner, and that’s really special.”
Lee is also celebrating the release of his current single “Nothin’ on You,” which serves as a sweet ode to the love of his life.
“Meagan’s always been supportive of me,” he states. “I know it can be really hard when I am out on the road and everything, but she is my partner in all aspects of life. It makes me feel good to know when I am not there, she has everything at home taken care of, so when I do come home, we can enjoy each other even more.”
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