She is 24 years old and lives in San Francisco now. But the road to that red chair started a long way from it.
A Dream She Could Finally Chase
Saade moved from Tehran, Iran, to the United States when she was 12 years old. Growing up in Iran, she listened to Kelly Clarkson’s music — the same voice that would one day sit in a coach’s chair directly across from her. Today, she says she is grateful to live in a country where her dream of being a female singer is possible.
In her own telling, that is the heart of it. America is where the dream became something she could actually pursue — not just imagine. Behind that sentence are years of listening, of singing along, of hoping for a stage that felt within reach. The Blind Auditions were her first chance to bring all of it into one room.
RAYE, a Big Song and Three Turned Chairs
For her Blind Audition, Saade chose RAYE’s “Oscar Winning Tears.” The performance aired Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, on NBC, during “The Blind Auditions, Part 4” — the fourth night of the show’s 30th season. The coaches this season are Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Riley Green and Queen Latifah.
By the time she finished, three of the four chairs had turned. Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah and Riley Green were all facing her. Only Adam Levine stayed put, and he later explained why: he had caught on too late to what he called her “theatrical” approach. Saade, for her part, admitted she had hoped to land on his team.
The Most Powerful Vocal in the Room
Each coach who turned had something different to offer. Riley Green did not hold back — he called Saade’s performance “the most powerful vocal” he has heard. Queen Latifah offered to help her find songs that express her, a promise to guide a young singer toward material that fits who she is.
Kelly Clarkson had the most practical note of all. She told Saade to “rein it in” on some notes instead of going big on all of them. Coming from a coach, that is less a criticism than a map. It says the raw power is already there — and the next step is control.
Why She Chose Team Kelly
When the moment of choice arrived, Saade picked Kelly Clarkson. The official clip of the audition was posted on Sept. 29, 2026, tagged #KellyClarkson, and it had drawn about 145,000 views within its first day online.
There is a neat circle in that decision. The artist whose music played in her home in Iran — one of the voices that made a girl in Tehran believe singing could be a life — is now the coach who will guide her next. Saade has said she is grateful for a country where her dream is possible. Now she gets to live that dream in front of the whole country.
Her Blind Audition was a reminder of what this show can be at its best: not just a contest of voices, but a meeting of lives. Saade walked in with a story that crossed an ocean — Tehran to San Francisco, a childhood dream to a national stage. Three chairs turned. Riley Green reached for the biggest praise of the night, Queen Latifah offered to help her find her sound, and the woman whose songs first showed her what a voice could do is the one she chose to sing for. That is a remarkable place to begin — and Saade is only getting started.