Girl Named Tom Reveals Kelly Clarkson’s Final Text Before Last Performance

In an exclusive interview, Girl Named Tom, the trio that took home the trophy on Season 21 of “The Voice,” told Distractify what Kelly Clarkson texted the band before their final performance.

Caleb Liechty shared, “Before the final Monday show, [Kelly Clarkson] texted our group chat. She told us to have fun and let go of any desire for perfection. ‘It’s art and it’s supposed to be inspiring, fun, and keep us growing.’”

Bekah Liechty added, “Kelly said, ‘No matter where you’re at in this music business, you’ve gotta work your BUTT off!’ (Maybe she didn’t say butt ;).) Everything she says is such valuable advice because it’s coming from someone who’s been there. A lot of folks think that once you’re at a certain point, you’ve ‘made it’ in the music industry, but Kelly’s advice gives us a realistic view of what life is going to be like. We’ve made up our minds that we’re going to work hard in this industry!”

Here’s what you need to know:

The Band Returned Home for the Holidays

Siblings Caleb, Joshua, and Bekah Liechty returned home after winning “The Voice” to be with their father, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, per Distractify.

In their Q&A with the outlet, the trio admitted that their parents got them to where they are. “They’ve been cheering us on ever since Mom had the idea for the band! Their love and support kept us going when we needed it most … when we were so ready to just hop on a plane and head back to Ohio to be with them in person,” Caleb shared.

In late December, on their band’s Instagram page, the group shared that their father was in “horrific pain” after undergoing yet another surgery.

NBC’s “The Voice” bio page reveals that the Liechty’s father was diagnosed with a “rare form of cancer” and after Bekah finished high school, his prognosis was still unclear so they decided to spend the past two years by his side at home in South Bend, Indiana. It was during that time that the siblings came together to form Girl Named Tom.

What inspired the name? Simple: Joshua used to call Bekah “Thomas” as a kid.

The Band Looks Back at Their Huge Win

In a December 2021 interview with People, Girl Named Tom spoke about their win on “The Voice.”

“[It feels] surreal,” Joshua shared. “It’s really crazy going into this whole process. We just wanted to turn a chair.”

Speaking about their return home to their father, he added, “Our parents were elated and could hardly believe that their children who were just on national television, less than 24 hours ago, winning this trophy thing, all of a sudden were back hanging out with them. It was really neat.”

Bekah added that knowing their parents were at home watching each week was what gave them motivation to keep going.  “… it was giving them so much hope in life… And so in turn, it gave us a lot of life too in that aspect. It’s very much a roller coaster and calling home brought a lot to our emotional selves.”

The Liechty siblings have said on more than one occasion they plan to release a full-length album in 2022.

Bekah told Distractify, “Word on the street is we remind folks of CSN [Crosby, Stills, and Nash] and Peter, Paul, and Mary. That’s great to hear because a lifelong goal is to be the harmony trio of this generation! 2022 is going to be the year we establish our sound further with each new release of music and we can’t wait to get on the road too.”