The Voice
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Michael B. stepped onto the stage of The Voice on Monday night’s episode to cover Shawn Mendes‘ “When You’re Gone.”
The bespectacled 29-year-old Oklahoma native was assigned the 2022 one-off by the Canadian crooner as his song for the Knockouts — featuring Reba McEntire as this season’s Mega Mentor — where he faced off against fellow Team Niall member EJ Michels. “You never know how good you have it, oh no/ Until you’re staring at a picture of the only one that matters/ I know what we’re supposed to do/ It’s hard for me to let go of you/ So I’m just tryna hold on,” he sang, keeping the verses low and quiet before belting out the chorus.
Ultimately, Michael B. came out on top, with coach Niall Horan selecting him as one of four artists on his team to move on to the Playoffs, which were pre-recorded this season for the first time since season 13. The other remaining members of Team Niall include Gina Miles, Ross Clayton and new recruit Tasha Jessen, who the former One Direction singer stole from Team Blake.
Throughout the competition thus far, Michael B. has made an impressive run, starting with his audition using The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears.” He later faced off against Ryley Tate Wilson in the Battles by duetting on Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary.”
Meanwhile, Horan is still having a blast on his freshman go-round in NBC’s famous spinning chairs. Just a few weeks ago, he stepped into Blake Shelton’s well-worn cowboy boots to impersonate the OG coach in the faux trailer for “One Last Ride: Blake Shelton’s Final Season.”
Watch Michael B. perform “When You’re Gone” in the Knockouts below.
Blake Shelton has his eyes on the prize. And by that, extending his unassailable run of The Voice season wins into double figures, with 10. And, just maybe, going out with back-to-back wins. NOIVAS could get him there.
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During the Battle Round, Shelton stole the 30-year-old Hutto, Texas singer from Chance The Rapper. As the Knockout Round rumbled on during Monday night’s episode (April 17), it appeared to be another shrewd move by the country star. With his fate on the show hanging, and the bright lights glaring, NOIVAS impressed with a rendition of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I’ll Put A Spell On You.” The soul man put a spell on the audience, wielding the mic stand like he meant business and throwing in some measured maniacal moments. NOIVAS, coach Niall Horan enthused, “you’ve got to pay for a floor cleaning bill… You just scraped up that stage with that mic stand. Every time you just bring it — dude, you’re impressive.”Shelton also liked what he saw. “I thought there was a chance that you took the word knockouts literally,” he said at the end. “Got a little bit wild, and it scared me, and I like that. Your talent is shocking and it’s fearless.”
Tasha Jessen, the 21-year-old from Colorado Springs, can also tick the “talent” and “fearless” boxes. When her turn came, Jessen turned it up with a cover of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” — peppered with high notes, power, control and all the good stuff.
Shelton had a tough decision to make. He tapped NOIVAS as winner of the Knockout Round, but the action wasn’t done there. Horan swept in to steal Jessen, keeping her in the contest.
Everyone’s a winner.
Talk about turning an L into a W. After Team Niall’s Jerome Goodwin III and Talia Smith dueled it out on stage during the final night of Battle Rounds on The Voice on Tuesday night (April 5), the newbie coach had to make a very hard decision about who did Sam Smith’s “Like I Can” justice, with Smith shocked the world with her breaking news.
Kelly Clarkson was impressed with Godwin’s control, as well as Smith’s range and capability. “I could not take my eyes off of you,” she said. And though it wasn’t her tough choice to make, Clarkson said she was going to be “bummed to see either one of you go.” Coach Horan admitted there were “some pitch issues across the board” before saying Godwin won the day with his “composure.”
Smith took the elimination in stride, though, because she had her own wild card to reveal. “This whole journey started with a sad story and now I’m standing here and my whole life has changed, so I’m just grateful,” she said. “Thank you for the opportunity, I’m just happy to be here.”
Then, patting her belly, she added, “I want my future baby to look onstage and be like, ‘That was my mommy!’”
Mother of two Clarkson was gobsmacked by the Beyoncé-like baby bump reveal . “Did she just say baby?” she asked Horan, who jumped up to hug Smith. “Oh my God, that’s incredible!” Speaking to camera after the elimination, Horan called Smith “such a lovely lady, and an amazing singer,” adding, “I’m sad to see her go.”
Season 23’s next episode, “Best of the Blinds, Battles and Blake,” will air on Monday (April 10).
Check out the video of the blessed moment below.
The Battles round rumbles on as The Voice’s contestants pull out their best, or face elimination.
On Tuesday night’s (April 4) episode, Team Niall singers Jerome Godwin III, the 20-year-old Ashford, AL native, went head-to-head with Talia Smith, the 29-year-old who calls Queens, NY home.
Both tackled Sam Smith’s “Like I Can” for a performance that had the coaches bouncing along, and Niall Horan out of his seat.
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Kelly Clarkson was impressed with Godwin’s control, and Smith’s range and capability. “I could not take my eyes off of you,” she remarked. It’s not her choice to make, but she’s “bummed to see either one of you go.”
Jerome “smashed it,” added Chance the Rapper. “You could sing anything. I feel like you’d be really good with gospel and soul, but I also think you could do, like, Broadway stuff.” Smith, he reckoned, had some “pitch issues,” but she found the pocket halfway through the song.
Blake Shelton concurred – Godwin “took this battle.”
Decision time. Yes, there were “obviously some pitch issues across the board,” noted Horan. Still, it was an “unbelievable performance,” the Irishman enthused. This Battle would always come down to “who had the most composure.” And that was Godwin.
Smith proved she was a good sport, thanking the coaches and producing a late surprise. She revealed that she’s carrying a baby.
Watch the Battle below.
Libianca will always remember last year’s Friendsgiving — after all, she ran to the bathroom sobbing in the middle of it.
The former contestant on The Voice had recently quit her job as an independent living skills worker, and had been questioning her future as a professional singer. She was no longer interested in covering already established hits; she wanted to create a life-changing one of her own.
“I was talking to God, [thinking], ‘This life is so hard.’ I don’t know what the next step is, but I was working, working, and working, and not seeing anything in return,” she recalls over Zoom.
But the Friendsgiving breakdown left her inspired, and later in November, the embattled singer — who has been diagnosed with cyclothymia, a rare mood disorder that can cause extreme emotional highs and lows — chose to detail her pain through songwriting. She went on YouTube and found a beat that captured her discomfort, then recorded on Apple’s Logic Pro. Within a day, what began as a therapy session formed the foundation for “People,” the 22-year-old R&B-Afrobeats artist’s breakout hit and long-awaited ticket to stardom.
Born in Minnesota, Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji moved to Cameroon with her family when she was 4. There, she drew inspiration from her first babysitter, who enjoyed singing while cleaning around the house. Their relationship sparked Libianca’s initial love for singing, and by the age of 10, she began writing her own songs.
At 13, she moved back to Minnesota and joined a local choir, learning how to engineer, record and mix her vocals soon after. By her late teens, she was covering songs like SZA’s “Good Days” and Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted,” the latter of which she also performed on The Voice in 2021.
Though she was ultimately eliminated after making the show’s top 20, her departure was soon followed by a string of independent one-off releases, including her cover of “Everything I Wanted” at the end of 2021 and a spin on Doja Cat’s “Woman” the following spring.
Libianca photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Liam Woods
Yet the original single “People” is the one that cut through — and is a shining example of how sourcing your pain can have impactful results. While the track bursts with Afrobeats flavor, poignant lyrics like the opening line “I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the past five days/Did you check on me? Now, did you look for me?” ground the song while addressing the impact of substance abuse on mental health.
Libianca played the song for her manager M3tro, whom she met five years ago during her time as a student at the University of Minnesota (the two creatives became fast friends, and eventually roommates). And while he raved about the record, he instantly became concerned while listening to the lyrics. “Once she played the song, I asked her, ‘I know something’s going on, but what’s up?’ ” M3tro remembers. “That’s when I was like, ‘I really have to pay more attention.’ ”
Several days after writing and recording the breakthrough hit, Libianca posted a teaser clip on TikTok in which she was holding a bottle of wine as a snippet of the song played in the background. According to M3tro, within 30 minutes of uploading the clip, likes and comments started flooding her notifications. “Waking up the next morning to so many people feeling so connected to the song [was special],” Libianca says. “I saw families sending me videos of their babies singing the song, and [had] women messaging me about the sh-t that they go through in their homes and how this song needs to drop ASAP because it’s calling to their hearts.”
To date, the viral clip has compiled more than 4.8 million views on TikTok. Less than a week after the initial post, she upped the ante with a live rendition of the track in front of a simple color backdrop. The DIY clip has since earned 1.3 million views on Instagram and 2.5 million on TikTok.
The buzz surrounding the unreleased track soon caught the attention of acclaimed U.K. producer Jae5, who quickly reached out in hopes of signing Libianca to his 5K Records label, and did so last December — just one month after her memorable Friendsgiving. Once the deal was done, Jae quickly mixed the record and helped with the song’s final arrangement before its official release on Dec. 6.
“When it comes to music, that man is my big brother for life,” says M3tro of Jae5. “Not only is he that, but he’s also humble and genuine. He comes in like, ‘How can the music be the best way it needs to be?’ And we applaud him for that.”
Libianca (left) and M3tro photographed on March 17, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Liam Woods
“People” debuted on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in mid-December — where it has held at a No. 2 high since January — and has 288.7 million official on-demand global streams through March 30, according to Luminate. The song also became Libianca’s first entry on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl U.S. charts. And in March, she dropped multiple remixes to maximize the crossover momentum, including one with fellow Afrobeats stars Omah Lay and Ayra Starr and another with Irish singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot.
“We were very particular about who else was gonna hop on this song, because the message is very crystal-clear,” says Libianca. “[‘People’] is very vulnerable, and anyone that comes on there has to be vulnerable as well in their own way.”
Libianca says that her next single, due later this month, will be about “a bunch of real sh-t we don’t like to talk about.” An EP will soon follow. “It doesn’t have to be sad, per se, but if it’s not something I can feel, I’m not gon’ release it,” she explains. “I want every single one of my songs to be an experience rather than just doing what I need to do to get the next check.”
A version of this story originally appeared in the April 1, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Cyndi Lauper reminded us “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” They also want to win, especially when they’ve reached the Battles round of NBC’s The Voice.
Team Niall singers Kate Cosentino, the 23-year-old from Kansas City, MO, and Tiana Goss, the 29-year-old from Los Angeles, stepped onto the stage and into the bright lights for a stripped down cover of Lauper’s enduring ‘80s classic, with some shimmies for good measure.
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“That was a really cool arrangement of that song,” Chance the Rapper remarked. “I felt the lyrics for the first time.” He thought it was “awesome,” and the singers “smashed the choreography.” If he had to choose who would go on to become a star, well, he wouldn’t want to choose. Based off this Battle, he remarked, Cosentino had the edge.
Kelly Clarkson concurred. “I think it’s a level playing field.” Blake Shelton said Goss had the magic dust, at least on this occasion.
Horan, as the team boss, isn’t allowed to sit on the fence. He went with Cosentino.
In the spirit of the song, these girls both get to have fun. Chance used his steal, and welcomed Goss into his team, and back in the game.
Watch below.
One last ride! The Voice unveiled a hysterical new promo on Monday (April 3) for a fake Blake Shelton biopic starring his fellow coach Niall Horan.
In the clip, the camera pans from the country singer’s signature outfit of boots, jeans and a simple black overshirt only to reveal that the former One Direction-er had stepped into his role as a coach. “This is my last season,” Horan says in a near-perfect imitation of Shelton’s Oklahoma drawl as he re-enacts contestant Grace West’s blind audition. “I’ve got somethin’ to say to Grace: People of America are gon’ love you. I would be honored to have you on the last Team Blake.”
The faux trailer also features coaches Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper and longtime host Carson Daly as themselves, as well as Horan playing double duty — and switching accents — to play himself. (“It all comes down to this,” a narrator states to close out the trailer. “One last ride… Blake Shelton’s final season.”)
Of course, the parody is all in good fun, and Shelton finally appears to give Horan’s impersonation his stamp of approval, saying, “I do think Niall does a great impression of me, I gotta say. He’s got the accent down pretty good, but he’s got the words down perfectly. I’m kind of enjoying having this mini-me here, it’s flattering.”
The coaches are currently in the midst of overseeing the Battles of season 23 — whittling their teams down to groups of just six singers each to advance to the Knockouts.
Watch Horan’s spot-on take on Shelton in the latest promo for The Voice below.
Niall Horan stopped by The Spout Podcast on Wednesday (March 29) to talk about his experience on The Voice and praise fellow new coach Chance The Rapper.
“You get a lot of serious-level singers on the show and it’s about making them realize that they’re on a TV show and you should, like, enjoy it for what it is,” the One Direction alum said of his freshman go-round mentoring contestants on the NBC singing competition. “Because I think that was what I took away from when I was on The X Factor. Like, you know, I’m getting to do something that not many people get to do. I still try and carry that now.”
More than a decade after he became part of One Direction on the British reality series, Horan is on the verge of releasing his third solo album The Show, but admitted in the interview that he’s hesitant to get feedback on it from his fellow coaches on The Voice, which also include Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.
“I should play them the record,” he said. “I mean, I don’t know if they’d like it or whatever, but I always get scared with Chance because he’s such a musical genius. Like, I listen to his stuff and I’m blown away, you know? His stuff is so cool to me.”
Though Chance hasn’t released a full-length since his 2019 debut The Big Day, he dropped a string of singles throughout 2022, including “Child of God,” “Wraith” featuring Vic Mensa and Smoko Ono, “A Bar About a Bar,” and “The Highs & the Lows” featuring Joey Badass.
Meanwhile, Horan — who recently visited the White House for St. Patrick’s Day — will drop The Show on June 9 via Capitol Records. Listen to his full interview on The Spout Podcast below.
The Battles Round is firing up on NBC’s The Voice, and on Tuesday night’s (March 28) episode two contestants took a flight with the Rocket Man. Only one is going to come back down.
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Chance The Rapper’s teammates Alyssa Lazar, the 24-year-old Clarks Summit, PA native, went head-to-head with Magnus, the 25-year-old Chesapeake, VA resident, on Elton John’s signature tune “You Song.”
“You have completely different tones but it worked beautifully,” said Kelly Clarkson when the music stopped. She pointed out the power in Lazar’s voice, and the full-round-bodied style of Magnus’ vocals, which, coincidently, is also how she likes her wine.
If the singers burned some rocket fuel for the occasion, the judges appeared to be flat.
“It sounds cozy, it sounds like home,” Clarkson remarked, giving Blake Shelton an easy line of attack. Clarkson and Magnus had issues with the performers’ vibrato. No surprises, Clarkson would lean towards Magnus if it were her choice to make.
Niall Horan fancied Lazar’s singer-songwriter-storyteller talents, and her ability to “break in tone and character.” And the Irishman admitted it was a “bold” choice of song which would obviously “lean towards Magnus.”
The final decision came down to Chance. Lazar’s voice and style “was meant for this song, and I feel like each time you performed it, you got better,” he remarked. As for Magnus, “You hype me up.”
In the end, the could be only one. And that was Magnus. Watch below.
The Battle Rounds have commenced on season 23 of NBC’s The Voice, and viewers have already been treated to some tasty rumbles.
One of the highlights from Monday night’s (March 27) episode was delivered by Gina Miles and Kala Banham, as the Team Niall hopefuls tackled Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love.”
Both artists injected country and pop-pop into Justin Vernon’s 2007 number, a haunting and sad song with a tone that feels like an open wound.
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The action on the stage didn’t end with the performance.
“You have a really special gift,” Kelly Clarkson told Miles, the 18-year-old Sacramento, CA native.
Banham, a 24-year-old from Windermere, FL, possesses a voice that “broke my heart,” she added. The compliments kept on flowing. Together, “you’ve got great taste in music, ladies,” Clarkson enthused, and “your voices sound magical together.”
“This is about as evenly matched as we can get here,” said Blake Shelton, remarking that he’d never heard a voice like Miles’. “Man, Gina,” the country star said, “the thought of your voice on a record doing all those crackly weird things that you can do.” And with that, it was clear where his vote would go.
Niall Horan had the tough decision to make, one that he admitted had caused him to lose sleep. Pairing the artists, he admitted, was like shooting himself in the foot. Ultimately, the Irishman went with Miles.
But wait, there’s more.
Clarkson exercised her trigger finger to activate her one steal in the competition. The game continues for Banham.
“Who cares about Niall? Welcome to Team Kelly,” she said.
In doing so, she turned an earlier loss into a win. Clarkson had tried to secure Banham’s services during the Blind Audition, that was until Horan “blocked” her.
Everyone’s a winner. Watch below.