The Voice
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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton have been bringing laughter, mentorship and hearty competition to season 22 of The Voice, but the husband and wife duo will go their separate ways — as coaches, not spouses — for the show’s next season. Shelton announced his departure from the long-running NBC singing competition earlier this month, which Stefani revealed on Thursday (Oct. 27) makes her feel sad for fans of the show.
“He’s brought so much joy. He’s so talented,” the “Hollaback Girl” singer told Entertainment Tonight. “I know people just wait around to laugh and watch him on TV, so I feel sorry for everybody [that] he’s gonna be gone.”
“It’s so weird Blake Shelton is leaving The Voice. I wasn’t ready, you know what I mean? I have to figure out who this new Blake’s gonna be,” she added. “I’m just so proud of him.”
Speaking with Extra, Stefani explained that she was initially nervous to be working alongside her husband, as season 22 marks her first time working alongside Shelton on The Voice since they married and after a hiatus from the show.
“I was nervous because I hadn’t been on for a few seasons and I hadn’t been on since we were married, and it is different … It’s like, ‘OK, wait, how are we gonna act?’” Stefani admitted. But once the pair was on set together, her nerves faded away.
She added, “It was like nothing … Blake, he would look so handsome because he’s all made up … It was like a flow of, like, memories from meeting him on ‘The Voice’… It was just super natural.”
Watch Stefani talk about Shelton and The Voice below.
As season 22 of The Voice continues to heat up, coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello and John Legend have had to task members of their team to battle it out to songs of their choice. The final set of battles occurred on Tuesday night’s (Oct. 25) episode, which saw Legend pitting his team members Omar Jose Cardona and Lana Love against each other for a performance that, according to him, was inspired by his and Chrissy Teigen’s daughter, Luna.
As the pair rehearsed the track Legend chose for them — “Into the Unknown” from the Frozen 2 soundtrack — with Jazmine Sullivan as their celebrity advisor, he shared, “As a father of a 6-year-old girl, I’m very familiar. This one’s a classic.”
Come performance time, the pair did the theatrical Disney tune justice. They passionately sang the second verse in tandem: “Everyone I’ve ever loved is here within these walls/ I’m sorry, secret siren, but I’m blocking out your calls/ I’ve had my adventure, I don’t need something new/ I’m afraid of what I’m risking if I follow you,” Cardona and Love took turns belting, before launching into the titular chorus.
After Legend’s fellow coaches provided their critique — which largely saw three other coaches marveling at how Broadway-ready Cardona and Love’s voices are — he provided his thoughts on the battle and gave his decision.
“Lana, I just love your passion, the way you move your body when you sing. And everyone’s right — you should be on Broadway right now. You have the voice for it,” the “All of Me” singer shared. “Omar, I’ve never heard anyone sing like you, dude. You’re not just singing, you’re giving the physical performance, you’re getting into it. I like the way you even toss the mic to yourself. You just felt confident, in control. Just know that both of you, it was phenomenal to watch and just inspiring for us, honestly.”
Fans will have to stay tuned to see who kept their spot on Team Legend. Watch Cardona and Love’s performance of “Into the Unknown” below.
Peak Whitney Houston was impossible to beat.
Clearly Andrew Igbokidi and Zach Newbould read the memo when they engaged in a Battle Tuesday night (Oct. 25) for NBC’s The Voice.
The Team Camila singers went to work with Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” steering it into different territory. The pair stripped it down, creating a midtempo number with few clues to the shiny ‘80s original.
“Zach your voice really shined,” enthuses Gwen Stefani. “It was like an alternative sounding voice in a pop song. I like the contrast of that.”
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Igbokidi, she comments, had great range and unexpected runs. “And you are very beautiful, it was stunning when you came out.”
John Legend also picked up on Igbokidi knack for “very cool” unexpected vocal flurries. “You have an interesting approach to music.” His rival, however, is “more consistently on point” with “really lovely” tone. “It was really well executed”
Blake Shelton cut to the chase. Nerves got the better of Igbokidi. “Andrew, almost felt like something was holding you back,” he remarks. “I just think you’re better than what happened here today.” Newbould delivered best in this “tall task,” he admits.
Cabello went deeper on Igbokidi’s stumbles. “I think that your hypercriticism of yourself is keeping you from accessing the freedom and the fun to go to that next level. But the talent is there.”
However, Newbould stepped up under the bright lights. And he did it consistently.
Cabello had a decision to make. Her pick, like Igbokidi’s runs, was most unexpected.
Watch below.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.The Voice is back for its 22nd season, which premiered Sept. 19 with Camila Cabello joining the coaching panel.
Cabello will join previous A-list coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and John Legend as they turn their chairs for aspiring stars with the goal to coach them throughout the season.
See below for everything you need to know to watch The Voice both on TV and online.
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The Voice: Premiere Date, Time, Channel
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream on Peacock.
How to Watch The Voice Online Free
For those without cable, you can watch The Voice online via NBC.com with a cable provider login. The NBC app is also available on smartphone devices, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Roku and more.
Additionally, purchasing a digital TV antenna on Amazon here will give you access to basic cable channels, including NBC, without a monthly bill.
The Voice is also available to watch on NBC’s streaming platform, Peacock, which you can sign up for here or click buy button below. While Peacock offers a free tier with no subscription required, the free tier will only get you a limited amount of content. Watch The Voice via Peacock Premium, which starts at $4.99/month or $49.99 for an annual subscription.
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$4.99/month
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While Peacock offers a free option with no subscription required, the free tier will only get you a limited amount of content. Besides The Voice, you can also watch Peacock Originals such as Vampire Academy, A Friend of the Family, The Resort, LoveIsland USA, One of Us is Lying, Angelyne, Bel-Air, Dr. Death, The End if Nye, Last Light, Vigil, Saved by the Bell, We Are Lady Parts, Girls5Eva, Rutherford Falls and Days of Our Lives. You can also find a ton of movies on Peacock including Beast, Jurassic: World Dominion, Minions: Rise of Gru and Halloween Ends.
Signing up for free trials of fuboTV and Direct TV Stream will give you access to NBC as well, and SlingTV is offering half off monthly subscriptions, to let watch The Voice live on TV or stream from your laptop, tablet or phone.
You can watch a live stream of NBC (live in most markets) plus dozens of other TV channels via Hulu + Live TV, which costs $69.99 a month. Hulu + Live TV includes over 75 channels and unlimited DVR, plus you’ll get access to Disney+ and ESPN+.
Blake Shelton gave his Voice contestants a tough battle on Monday night (Oct. 24), as Hillary Torchiana and Kevin Hawkins went head-to-head on fellow coach John Legend‘s 2019 hit, “Preach.”
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The duo traded impressive belts and notes as they performed the track, leading to a standing ovation from Legend himself. “I love it. Thank you for singing my song. I felt your passion, I felt your love,” he told the contestants, before ultimately picking Hawkins as his personal pick to win the battle.
But the decision came down to Coach Shelton, who was visibly stuck on having to choose between two incredibly talented singers. “Well, my first thought is these guys did an incredible job of sticking to the plan and representing the song and giving it what it needed,” he said, noting that Hillary had a “tall glass to go up against” Kevin.
“I mean, he’s unbelievable, but so are you,” Shelton said. “I’m completely shocked at the way you stepped up to the plate. You took all my notes, you walked up here and gave it, I feel like, 100% of what you had to give it. Kevin, you also gave 100% of what you had to give for this performance. Even though that was 100%, I still don’t think we’ve seen your full potential. And, man, that’s saying a lot because that was obviously an incredible performance.”
Shelton ultimately ended up picking Hawkins, to help him live up to his full musical potential. Watch the full performance below.
There are harmonies, and there’s the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love”.
The brothers Gibb put on a masterclass for their Saturday Night Fever ballad, a hit that logged three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in 1977.
The track has lost none of it’s luster, though tackle it at your peril.
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On Tuesday night’s (Oct. 18) episode of The Voice, Parijita Bastola and the Marilynds did just that with a Bee Gees “Battle.”
Coached by John Legend, both acts hit their smooth targets, creating a difficult choice for their mentor.
“I’ve worked with some duos on this show,” says Blake Shelton of Kasey and Lindsay Marilynd, and there’s always one person that’s a little ahead of the other.” Not this time. “It’s just so locked in together.”
Bastola, the 17-year-old Nepalese-American hopeful, impressed the country star with her “unique” and “powerful” voice.
Camila Cabello likened the Marilynds’ harmonies to “dripping a vanilla candle into my ear,” but the teen, with her vocal mastery at such a young age, is at another level. “It seems effortless and you have such a gorgeous voice.”
Legend had a decision to make. The Marilynds, the pop-country duo, both from Maryland, “you all just leaned into those harmonies,” he says. “It was flawless. The quality of your execution today, it was just really, really strong.”
Bastola, however, is a step ahead. “There’s something where you just feel like you’re connected to who you are. And it’s just amazing that that amount of self-awareness, self-knowledge, self-possession is coming from someone so young. And your voice is just phenomenal. It feels so inviting.”
It was a hard decision, so hard that Legend went with Bastola, and used his only “Save” on the Marilynds, keeping them all in the family – and the competition. Everyone wins.
Watch below.
The Voice‘s season 22 lineup continues to be whittled down during the Battle Rounds, which saw contestants Cara Brindisi and Jay Allen going head to head on Monday night’s (Oct. 17) episode for a spot on coach Gwen Stefani‘s team. The two performed a stunning duet of Stevie Nicks and Don Henley‘s 1981 track, “Leather and Lace.”
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After Brindisi and Allen took turns singing pairs of lines from the song — which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 — the duo employed a fitting country twang for the track that soared as the chorus rolled around.
“Lovers forever, face to face/ My city, your mountains/ Stay with me, stay/ I need you to love me, I need you today/ Give to me your leather/ Take from me my lace,” the pair harmonized, with Brindisi going for a softer tone and Allen opting for a stronger belt.
John Legend started off the commentary. “Cara, you were like so perfect. I love when you were whispering. I love when you were belted a little bit more and it just relaxed me,” he said. “Jay, the power of your voice, the raspiness … it was just a little more compelling to me, so I pick Jay.”
Blake Shelton also agreed with Legend’s reasoning, and brought in his country expertise into this critique. “I feel like Jay has the more Stevie Nicks approach to his vocal, and you definitely stepped into that role. And man, it sounded good,” he said, adding that he picked Jay as the winner of the battle.
Stefani then stepped up to the plate to give a decision on who to keep for her team. “One of the things that Jay needed to work on, his voice is so powerful that it was coming out too much, and I’m so proud of you because you took the advice and went to another level. Cara, your voice is so soothing and there’s a confidence that has to come with that,” she told the pair and noted that her decision was a difficult one before ultimately picking Brindisi to keep.
After extending a gracious thank you to the coaches, Allen headed off stage thinking he was headed back to Nashville, but was later saved by Stefani in a split-second decision. “Well, honestly that was such a hard one for me and it was so confusing because I knew I wanted to save Jay,” she said, before Shelton slammed down his buzzer and cut in with, “What if somebody wanted to steal Jay?”
Citing his near 10-year stint in Nashville, his love of country music and Shelton’s status in the genre, Allen switched over to the country star’s team.
Watch Cara Brindisi and Jay Allen’s Voice battle below.
The gloves are off, the Battles round is upon us on NBC’s The Voice, and the remaining contestants are wearing their big boy/girl pants. It’s no time for a slip-up.
On Monday night (Oct. 17), Grace Bello went head-to-head with Reina Ley for a performance of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” a timeless gem that went all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984.
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Ley, a thirteen-year-old hopeful from San Tan Valley, Arizona, is a member of Team Camila Cabello, catching the Cuba-born pop star’s attention in the Blind Auditions with a mariachi song, “Cielito Lindo”.
Bello, a 21-year-old who raised in Cibolo, Texas, and now based in Lacey, Washington, announced herself on the talent show with an audition of Justin Bieber’s “Ghost,” a performance that was rewarded with a four-chair turn and a spot on Team Cabello.
With the lights a little brighter in the Battles, and the pressure ratcheted up a notch, it was Ley who impressed.
“Reina, your voice is unbelievable,” Gwen Stefani enthuses. “I was shocked. Your tone is so warm and deep and rich, and I could feel you, that you understood what the lyric was doing and saying.”
John Legend remarked on how “secure” and “confident” she was in the melody and the moment. “I was really impressed.”
Blake Shelton cut to the chase. “I wish you could get in your head how super-talented you are,” the country star says. “I just felt like you’ve lost some confidence at some point between the Blind Auditions and right now. You seem scared up there, which, by the way, is ridiculous because you’re so good.”
Whereas Reina, he continues, “she’s 13 and she doesn’t even realize how much pressure this should be… She just came out here and did her thing and owned it and because of that your voice just came through stronger.”
The pressure then fell on Cabello, who had a decision to make. “This is just a sucky situation because I have two really talented people,” she remarks. “I don’t think one was better than the other. If I had a ‘Save,’ neither of you would be going home.”
Just before the axe fell, she added, “I hate this so much. This is the most terrible I’ve felt literally in all of these Battles.”
There could be only one winner, and that was Ley.
Watch below.
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Earlier this week, Blake Shelton revealed that after the next season of The Voice, he will be leaving the show. Now, fellow coach John Legend is opening up about the country superstar’s exit and his own future on the show.
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“Well, you know, he’s been doing the show for 22 seasons, it’ll be 23 when he’s done, and you can’t do something forever,” Legend told ET. “We’re gonna miss him though. He’s been the heart and soul and anchor of the show for a long time, and he’s a friend of mine, and I really enjoy working with him.”
He added that “we’re all going to miss him.”
Legend is also not returning next season, as he’s set to tour in support of his newest album Legend and will soon be a father of three. “My family’s growing, I have a new album out, I’m gonna do a little bit of touring, and so it’s probably better that I take a break,” he explained. “We took a break last season because we had another show in our slot that the network tried — and I thought that was gonna happen this season, but it ended up that they wanted us back…but I’ll be back on The Voice, just not this coming season.”
Shelton took to Twitter on Tuesday (Oct. 11) to announce his The Voice exit after season 23. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” Shelton wrote in a statement. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
He continued, “I’ve made lifelong bonds with Carson and every single one of my fellow coaches over the years, including my wife Gwen Stefani!”
NBC revealed its coaches for season 23, which includes Shelton and The Voice veteran Kelly Clarkson. Newcomers Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper will also join the judges panel.
The best battles on The Voice are more like well-orchestrated duets than knock-down, drag-out fights, and in the face-off between bodie and Jaeden Luke — premiering exclusively on Billboard below before airing in full Monday night — the duo are in perfect harmony.
The battle reimagines Justin Bieber‘s decade-old song “As Long as You Love Me,” featuring Big Sean, as an acoustic, lovelorn duet, leaving the 2012 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit’s synth and hip-hop elements behind.
Both bodie and Luke are on Team Blake, and this battle will determine who moves forward in the competition. But there is a world where both men could advance, if one of the other three coaches (Camila Cabello, Gwen Stefani or John Legend) decide to steal a singer for their team.
It looks like the guys’ best chance will be Cabello, who admitted to getting pretty “hot and flustered” by the track’s “sexy arrangement.”
“Well, it is my team,” Blake Shelton quipped in response.
Cabello had kind things to say about both singers — especially Jaeden, whom she jokingly called “my boyfriend” after they had a flirtatious meeting during his blind audition. “Jaeden, your tone is so beautiful. I want to hear it in my ear,” she said, quickly adding: “I’m just kidding. I’m joking. That was a joke. I want to hear it on a record. I think you as an artist, as the whole package, is special.”
For Bodie, Cabello said, “You were even better than I remember in your blind. Your runs were crazy, then your belts were masterful. You were flawless.”
She also let it be known that she would “steal both of you,” regardless of who Shelton chooses.
So who will he choose? You’ll have to tune in to NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Monday night to find out, but you can watch the full performance and coaches’ comments below: