The Voice
When it comes to the prospect of being trapped on a deserted island, Kelly Clarkson would want to be with a fellow American Idol alum. The hypothetical scenario came up on Thursday’s episode (May 1) of The Kelly Clarkson Show during a round of “Playing Dice With God,” with guests Tina Fey and Will Forte. […]
Before she was one of the most recognizable voices in pop music, Chappell Roan was just one of countless aspiring singers whose hopes were dashed by the audition process for competition shows such as The Voice and America’s Got Talent.
In her W Magazine cover story published Wednesday (April 30), the pop star recalled her disappointing experiences trying out for both shows back when she was a teenager, with Roan not even making it past the first round for either. “When I auditioned for The Voice, I was 15 and I sang ‘Stay’ by Rihanna,” she began. “The producer or whoever the f–k was watching did not even look up from his phone. He was like, OK, next.’”
“I went up there and sang a cappella, the scariest thing ever,” she added. “He never really looked at me.”
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At that point, Roan had already auditioned for America’s Got Talent two years prior. “I was 13, and we flew to Austin, Texas, and waited in line with thousands of people at 4 a.m.,” Roan recalled of that experience. “I sang ‘True Colors’ by Cyndi Lauper. Did not make it either.”
The Missouri native wouldn’t get her big break until more than a decade later, and not before she’d endure even more setbacks (such as being dropped from her label, Atlantic Records, in 2020). In 2024, Roan’s career exploded with a hot streak of festival sets and the success of single “Good Luck, Babe!” on the Billboard Hot 100 — it peaked at No. 4 in September — with the star going on to win best new artist at the 2025 Grammys in February.
During her acceptance speech at the ceremony, Roan used her time on stage to challenge the music industry to take better care of developing artists, reading out of a well-loved notebook, “Labels, we got you — but do you got us?” To W, the “Casual” singer confirmed that the book was her actual diary, revealing that she’s been journaling since she was in middle school.
Roan also opened up about her first kiss in the interview — she was 15 and in her parents’ driveway, though she now says that “kissing girls is funner” — as well as her biggest pet peeve. “When people name-drop,” said the vocalist, who recently confirmed that she has a serious girlfriend. “I immediately don’t trust them.”
“I’m not the girl to care about that stuff,” she added. “It is an immediate turnoff in a romantic or a friendship way. I’m like, ‘If you name-drop, I’m probably not going to be your friend.’”
See Roan on the cover of W below.
Six contestants were eliminated during The Voice Season 27 Playoffs on Monday night (April 28), as Team Adam and Team Kelsea faced off in a night filled with standout performances, tough decisions, and no second chances.
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Team Kelsea lost Jaelen Johnston, Darius J, and Tinika Wyatt, while Team Adam eliminated Britton Moore, Conor James, and Ethan Eckenroad.
Each coach began the night with five artists but was tasked with narrowing their rosters down to just two singers each to advance to the Live Shows. The Playoffs featured no Steals or Saves, and all elimination decisions were made solely by the coaches.
Kelsea Ballerini’s team was mentored by Sheryl Crow, while Adam Levine’s artists were guided by LeAnn Rimes. From Team Kelsea, Iris Herrera secured her spot in the Live Shows with a powerful performance of Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse.”
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“Iris, you just did everything that makes you you. You did the best you’ve ever done. You know you’re supposed to be here, and that is such a superpower to have as an artist and as a woman. But you know you belong here.” Ballerini praised.
Alanna Lynise also advanced with her emotional rendition of SZA’s “Nobody Gets Me.” Ballerini said, “Everything she’s shown is top tier, top shelf.”
On Team Adam, Lucia Flores-Wiseman impressed the coaches with her version of The Beatles’ “In My Life.” Adam Levine told her, “Man, Lucia, I’ve never heard anyone like you. All of it is so refreshingly yours. It’s been a beautiful experience working with you. There is just something about Lucia that is singular and on its own level.”
Kolby Cordell also moved forward with his high-energy take on Bruno Mars’ “Finesse.” Levine applauded him, saying, “You’ve just shot up as… the biggest and best on the show.”
John Legend and Michael Bublé’s teams are set to compete in next week’s episode as The Voice Playoffs continue.
Snoop Dogg is getting back in the coaching chair. As announced Wednesday (April 23), the rapper is locked in to return to The Voice as part of an expansive new partnership with NBCUniversal, which will also see him exploring various film, television, sports and streaming projects in conjunction with his Death Row Pictures company, according […]
RENZO continued to prove why he’s one of the most unique vocalists on The Voice this season, earning a spot in the Playoffs after a powerful performance of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” during Monday night’s Knockouts episode (April 14).
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Paired with fellow Team Legend artist Nell Simmons, who performed Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing,” RENZO delivered a gripping, emotionally nuanced version of the 2021 hit.
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Following the performance, coach John Legend praised Nell’s performance as “poised” and “perfection,” but ultimately chose RENZO to move forward.
“Happier Than Ever” was the title track from Billie Eilish’s sophomore album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2021. The song itself peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.
RENZO’s raw vocal style brought new weight to the song’s emotional arc, which shifts from gentle melancholy to full-throttle anguish. His performance left the coaches visibly moved, and the audience responded with raucous applause.
Later in the night, Team Legend’s Olivia Kuper Harris also earned a spot in the next round with a sultry rendition of Donna Summer’s “Last Dance,” narrowly edging out Jacquelyn George, who tackled JoJo’s “Too Little Too Late.”
Over on Team Bublé, Adam David took on Allen Stone’s “Unaware” and impressed coach Michael Bublé and winning over Carlos Santiago, who performed Calum Scott’s “You Are the Reason.” In another pairing, Jadyn Cree’s performance of Avril Lavigne’s “Keep Holding On” earned her a spot in the Playoffs, with Bublé noting her voice “cuts through.”
Meanwhile, Team Kelsea’s Knockout between Jaelen Johnston and Hailey Wright saw both artists step up. Hailey brought crowd-pleasing energy to the Patsy Montana classic “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” but Jaelen’s take on Noah Kahan’s “Dial Drunk” ultimately secured his win.
The night closed with a dramatic decision on Team Adam, where Conor James’ rendition of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” narrowly beat Darius J.’s high-energy take on Estelle’s “American Boy.” However, Kelsea used her steal to bring Darius onto her team, saying, “I’ve been waiting for this for so long.”
With RENZO’s Knockout victory, Team Legend’s updated lineup heading into the Playoffs includes Ari Camille, BD.ii, Bryson Battle, Olivia Kuper Harris, and RENZO — a stacked roster for the live shows.
The Voice Season 27 continues Mondays on NBC.
The contestants on The Voice are about to get a double dose of female singer-songwriter power when it comes to this season’s guest coaches, with Sheryl Crow and LeAnn Rimes tapping in as Mega Mentors ahead of the fast-approaching playoff round. As announced Monday (April 14), the “If It Makes You Happy” singer will assist […]
Britton Moore stepped into unfamiliar territory during The Voice Season 27 Knockouts — and came out with a win.
The 21-year-old Texan, known for his pop-leaning vocals, embraced his country roots on Monday’s (April 7) episode with a soaring, heartfelt rendition of Zac Brown Band’s “Free,” drawing major praise from all four coaches.
Moore, who originally turned four chairs in the Blind Auditions with Coldplay’s “Yellow,” delivered a masterclass in control and tone, earning him the Knockout win over teammate Ari Camille.
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“There’s this youthful beauty and this clear gorgeous tone,” said coach Michael Bublé following Moore’s performance. John Legend added, “It was like pitch-perfect, but also you made some really great stylistic choices.”
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Coach Kelsea Ballerini was so impressed with his precision that she joked, “Every note is so crisp and perfect, it’s almost like you’re self-auto-tuned.” Legend jumped in with a laugh, calling Moore “God-o-tuned.”
Coach Adam Levine, who had to make the final call between Moore and Camille, didn’t hold back in his praise. “You just sing the living crap out of everything you sing,” he told Moore, ultimately declaring him the winner of the round.
In a feel-good twist, John Legend used his only steal of the round to keep Camille in the competition, bringing her back to his team for the Playoffs.
Moore’s Knockout performance marked his first time singing country on the show, despite growing up in Texas with a strong appreciation for the genre. His version of “Free,” originally released on The Foundation in 2008 by Zac Brown Band, stayed true to the original’s spirit while infusing his smooth vocals and gentle grit.
The young artist has impressed week after week this season. During the Battles, he delivered a haunting version of Radiohead’s “Creep,” with Bublé exclaiming, “You hit that top note!” and Legend calling his vocal power “stunning.”
It’s always a bold move to perform one of the coaches’ songs on The Voice, but Divighn was up for the challenge — and he excelled.
For the Knockout rounds, the 33-year-old California native opted to perform Maroon 5’s “Harder to Breathe” in front of Adam Levine himself. He added choreography and amplified emotion to the Songs About Jane breakout hit, all while maintaining impressive vocal control.
His competitor, Kaiya Hamilton, followed up with a performance of Alessia Cara’s “Here,” an objectively difficult song to sing due to its pace. Hamilton had no issue, though, displaying flawless vocal ability and range as she delivered the track.
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Both performances were met with standing ovations by the judges, and Levine voiced his support for Divighn’s choice to perform a Maroon 5 song. “Divighn, you got great taste in music, man,” he joked, before adding more seriously, “I always secretly dread when people are going to do our songs, because it makes me nervous. I’m so close to it. I love what you did with it. You took it and did something that I actually liked, and that it wasn’t what I normally do. The way that you can get up there and move the way you were moving, and still just deliver a rock solid big vocal, that’s big.”
He also praised Hamilton, noting, “I love how you sing. You kind of gave the opposite clinic. Your’s was like, ‘I’m not going to worry about anything except singing my butt off.’”
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Though, as perhaps expected, he ultimately gave his pick to Divighn. “I would maybe go with Divighn, because he has all these other things that were really impressive but it’s no disrespect to you Kaiya because you did an amazing job as well,” he said.
However, the choice on who stays in the competition comes down to the duo’s coach, Michael Bublé, who revealed that he “made a mistake” putting Divighn and Hamilton against each other. “Divighn, your performance, your choreography was beautiful and so smooth and so fun to watch. You’re an overall entertainer,” he told his team member. “Kaiya, your voice is undeniable. You sang the heck out of this and I feel like you know who are as an artist.”
Watch the Knockout round performance below, and find out who Bublé chooses when the full episode airs on Monday (April 7) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, before it streams the next day on Peacock.
As the first person to ever win American Idol, Kelly Clarkson walked a lonely road for several years as other stars in the music industry had mixed feelings about her then-unorthodox route to success.
On the latest episode of Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast posted Thursday (March 27), the “Stronger” singer revealed that some of her now peers initially judged her for getting her start on Idol — something that wouldn’t be so ironic if some of those same stars didn’t end up serving as coaches on offshoot competition series The Voice. “I had no one,” Clarkson began. “I was the first winner. It was hard.”
“People were really mean,” she continued without naming names. “People that were really mean have been coaches. You know what I’m saying? Like, hated talent shows, and they ended up being on The Voice.”
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Clarkson won season one of American Idol in 2002, a victory that propelled her to a successful career in music marked by three Billboard Hot 100-topping hits and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 so far. Ever since the flagship show premiered, numerous other competition series inspired by Idol have sprung up over the years — one of which, The Voice, saw Clarkson stepping into the coaching role for seasons 14-21 and 23.
But while televised talent shows are all the rage now, the three-time Grammy winner added that 20 years ago, “people were really cruel at first.”
“They didn’t like it,” she told Kelce. “It took the industry kind of by storm, the talent shows. It was a very unlikable thing in the industry concerning the populous. Now there’s so many.”
One advantage of starting out on Idol, however, was Clarkson’s ability to empathize with the contestants back when she was a coach on The Voice. The same applied to fellow coach Jennifer Hudson, who competed on Idol in 2004 before joining The Voice panel on seasons 13 and 15.
“People like us who have been there in that audition process, and just being so judged instantaneously, on maybe not your best performance but you know you can do better … it’s a grueling thing,” Clarkson said of herself and the Dream Girls star. “And it’s unforgiving in a lot of ways, and a lot of pressure for these artists that I don’t think a lot of artists that sell tons of records would be able to handle. It’s a different thing.”
Listen to Clarkson reflect on Idol critics on Not Gonna Lie below.
Conor James and Tinika Wyatt lit up The Voice stage with a powerhouse duet of the Bee Gees’ Billboard chart-topper “How Deep Is Your Love,” in a battle round that proved to be one of the most heartfelt and vocally impressive performances of the season.
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Representing Team Adam, the two artists blended harmonies, emotion and vocal control — and while Conor was ultimately chosen as the winner, Tinika wasn’t going anywhere.
John Legend said Tinika “lit up the stage” and questioned how she didn’t get any turns in the blinds. “You made a fantastic case for yourself staying on this show,” he told her. Michael Bublé called Conor’s vocal runs “perfectly executed,” and said he couldn’t choose between them.
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Coach Adam Levine admitted the decision was brutal, saying, “It’s just energy I want to be around. And so having to make this choice sucks particularly badly because I don’t want to be without either one of you guys.”
He praised Tinika’s growth in the competition, saying, “Tinika, you made a leap — from you were about to go home to me pressing my button for the replay to you getting into the battle rounds with arguably one of the best singers this season has to offer and 1,000% being right there with him, ’cause you are a world-class singer.”
Turning to Conor, Adam added, “The stuff you’re doing in your full voice without even hitting falsetto, it’s pretty astounding. And you somehow managed to make us all feel things. You could go all the way in this thing.”
Before making his choice, Adam summed it up with: “Tinika came in here and made my life hell, because it would be a loss not to have you. So I am in a horrible spot. And before I make this choice, I just want you both to know, from the bottom of my heart, you guys are both incredible. Incredible.”
Then came the moment everyone was hoping for — a steal.
As Tinika began to thank the coaches and prepare to leave the stage, Kelsea hit her button, stealing Tinika for her team. “With my steal, I just wanted to feel something,” she said. “Hearing her voice, I just knew, like, gut girl… Tinika adds a level of soul to Team Kelsea that I’m very excited about.”
Tinika now moves forward on Team Kelsea, while Conor remains on Team Adam — both proving they’re serious contenders this season.