State Champ Radio The Voice
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At this point in his career, Keith Urban is a singing competition pro. He was a vocal coach on three seasons of the Australian edition of The Voice, and spent four seasons as a judge on American Idol.
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That’s why he was the perfect selection for a mega mentor on season 25 of NBC’s The Voice, helping the contestants prepare for the Knockout Rounds starting on April 8. “It’s such a family vibe on The Voice,” the “Blue Ain’t Your Color” singer tells Billboard, noting that he loved working with coaches Chance the Rapper and John Legend, as well as his fellow country stars Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay.
As a veteran of the singing competition space, he knows that mentorship is personal, opting against “blanket advice” for the contestants. “You have to meet each artist where they’re at. What’s consistent is knowing what advice to take or to discard,” he explains. “I’m sure the coaches would agree that nobody has all the answers. Particularly, if you’re doing something unique, chances are that nobody understands yet. A lot of artists get a lot of ‘You have to change this and change that.’ Sometimes, you don’t have to change anything at all. You have to keep working and make a better version of what already is.”
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Navigating advice from all directions is a “challenge” Urban himself experienced throughout his career, adding that it’s important to be selective with your inner circle. “You can be really stubborn and immovable on certain things but that’s going to keep you stuck. Then, other times, you’d hear someone’s advice and think maybe that’s what you should do and you do it and then you find yourself to be lost and that the advice didn’t work for you,” he says. “For me, the most important thing was having people around me that I trust. Honestly, even family and friends will often have a little bias — positive or negative. You can have some friends that are super jealous or they might have a bias and they’ll give you advice that’s actually not very good. Having people around me that I really, really trust their opinions helped the most in my career.”
As for McEntire and Dan + Shay’s country takeover on The Voice, Urban isn’t surprised. “It’s reflective of the growing popularity of country music as a genre, not just nationally but all around the world,” he says proudly. “It’s extraordinary watching it take off like it’s doing.”
While he’s helping aspiring artists at the beginning of their careers, the four-time Grammy winner is continuing his own illustrious career, as he’s slated to soon release a new album, which will include the songs “Straight Line” and “Messed Up As Me.”
“It’s always fun for me,” he says when asked how he stays passionate about making music after all these years. “I know it sounds crazy, but I get more excited now to write a song than I ever did. Even making the current record was a crazy mix of fear, excitement, discovery, curiosity, passion — just everything. I went through everything with this record, because I’ve never made this record. I’ve never seen this day. We’ve had plenty of fun but we’ve never had this one. And that’s just how I live my life. Every single day is a brand new blank canvas.”
He also stressed the importance of staying in touch with how he felt when he was first beginning his journey in music. “A quick example is when I went into the record company to play my new album the other day for about 50 people,” he recalls. “I wanted to print out the lyrics to every song and while it was a lot of work, I didn’t want to have somebody do it and I wanted to do it myself. So, I stapled all the lyrics together and put together this massive presentation. It felt like putting up my own posters at the beginning of my career. If you lose that feeling, you do start to become jaded and you get bored and your passion just disappears. For me, my passion stays so long as I keep doing the things I did at the beginning and it keeps it exciting.”
Catch Urban during The Voice Knockouts, which begin on Monday (April 8) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, before it streams the following day on Peacock.
Keith Urban is set to serve as a mega mentor on season 25 of NBC’s The Voice. The two-time CMA entertainer of the year winner will join a country music-heavy lineup of leaders on the show, including coaches Reba McEntire and Dan+Shay, in addition to fellow coaches John Legend and Chance the Rapper. Explore Explore […]
Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat‘s 2008 hit “Lucky” is already the epitome of a love song, but on an upcoming episode of The Voice, two of Dan + Shay‘s team members added an even more romantic layer to the track by making it bilingual.
Madison Curbelo and Kyle Schuesler take the stage to perform the hit in the Battles round, trading off verses on acoustic guitar — with Curbelo performing in Spanish and Schuesler performing in English, before both of them come together to sing a bilingual chorus.
“I believed you,” coach John Legend told Schuesler when he admitted he never performed in Spanish before. “When I’m able to just enjoy and not overthink it, when it’s in my heart and not my head, that’s when I know it’s great and that’s what I felt.”
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Chance the Rapper was blown away by the performance, giving a piece of advice to the duo’s coaches, Dan + Shay. “Both of you guys could win the entire competition, and neither of you guys should leave and I think John is going to try and steal Kyle, so if I were Dan + Shay, I would use my Playoff Pass right now,” he said, referring to a once-per-coach pass that allows both contestants to stay in the competition, with one advancing to the Knockout rounds while the other goes straight to the Playoffs.
“Stay out of this! Enough from you,” Legend then shouted at Chance, as his plan was clearly foiled.
It was then time for Dan + Shay to make a decision. “I am so proud of you both. This was definitely the most cohesive performance so far,” Dan Smyers told the duo. “I feel like your individual performances were incredible but together, it was just so locked in. I felt the energy, I felt the magic, I felt the chemistry between the two of you guys when you were singing. When we left rehearsals the other day, Shay and I were like, ‘They both deserve to win this show.’ Just like Chance said, you guys are incredible. This is a tough decision.”
“We didn’t sign up for heartbreak,” Shay Mooney. “Kyle, I feel like you’ve really come out of your shell, even from just the beginning of this. Madison, you are an absolute ray of sunshine. I can’t believe that we’re lucky enough to have you on Team Dan + Shay.”
Check out the full clip above, and find out what Dan + Shay decided to do on the next episode of The Voice, which airs on Monday (March 25) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Voice 2024 has entered the Battles phase. And, for two Team Dan + Shay hopefuls, a fight to the end with a twist.
Karen Waldrup, a Mandeville, Louisiana native, all turbo power, and Ryan Argast, a Plainfield, Illinois man with range and gravel in his voice, were sent into the ring with a cover of Dan + Shay‘s 2023 number “Save Me The Trouble”.
The contestants impressed the coaches with their obvious talent, and earned a few hollers with a smoking hot conclusion. “That was just steamy at the end,” Chance the Rapper remarked.
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“That’s better than the original version,” Dan Smyers insisted.
“That was so good. The energy, the passion, the power coming out of you two,” John Legend said. The rasp in Argast’s voice is his “superpower,” he enthused. Though he’s “mad he didn’t turn” for Waldrup, whose tone and vibrato worked magic. Legend would chose the latter, if he had the option.
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Reba McEntire did turn for Waldrup. “I think you’re fantastic,” she remarked. And there’s a lot of love for the “growl” in Argast’s voice.
That performance was “awesome,” Chance chimed, though the pair had mismatching “energy levels.” Karen, he continued, has a “true talent. It was like there was a storm around you and you were just shining through it.” The Chicago rapper was quietly kicking himself for not turning for her when he had the chance. The final moments of the Battle were “steamy,” he reiterated, and exactly what the cameras adore.
Dan + Shay had the last word. Argast’s “presence on stage is incredible,” claimed Smyers, while Waldrup “rose to the occasion,” belting out a “guy’s song.”
It’s a voice that reminds Mooney of old country, classic stuff he grew up listening to. “I love that sound, it’s very unique.” Argast’s voice, he continued, is “powerhouse.”
With the kind words out the way, a decision had to be made. They chose Waldrup.
Dan + Shay are the newbies on this 25th season of NBC’s The Voice, joined by returning coaches Reba McEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper.
Watch the Battle below.
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Getting through the Blind Auditions on season 25 of The Voice is enough of a boost. But on Monday night (March 11), New Orleans native and mega-Swiftie Zoe Levert got double-gifted when she got a last-minute chair turn from coach John Legend. Levert, 20, scored a slot on Team Legend with her confident take on […]
Books, as we know, shouldn’t be judged by their cover. Ronnie Wilson reminds us not to judge someone by their day job.
On Monday night (March 11), Wilson stepped into the bright lights of NBC’s The Voice’s blind auditions and shone right back with his rendition of Zayn’s “Pillowtalk”.
Wilson’s soulful cover was a showcase of control, range, emotion. The full package.
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John Legend turned first, then Reba McEntire. Though Dan + Shay and Chance The Rapper were clearly enjoying the art, their chairs didn’t budge.
The 28-year-old singer is proud and out, originally hailing from South Carolina, and now calls Atlanta, GA home.
“That was unbelievable,” Shay Mooney remarked after the performance.
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There was more “unbelievable” to come. Wilson pointed to his influences from gospel and “a lot of country music.” And when he’s not he’s blowing minds, he’s counting beans.
Wilson is a full-time accountant, a vocation that no-one saw coming.
In a previous life, Legend too was “crunching numbers, making Powerpoint presentations” as a management consultant, a fun fact he hoped would find a connection with the hopeful. “I know what that’s like,” he articulated.
“You created moments by being creative with the melody, you made the song your own and made it a competition song by the way you did it,” Legend explained. “I just feel like you’ve got fresh taste, great ideas musically and stylistically,” he continued. “I feel like you’re going to do so well on the show.”
Not to be left out, McEntire leaned on her 50 years in the country game. “You have a quality in your voice that just makes a person feel good,” she remarked. “You’re absolutely wonderful.”
In the end, there could be only one coach. Wilson went with Team Legend.
Watch Wilson’s performance below.
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In art, imperfections can create character.
That’s certainly true for Anya True, the teenage singer who stopped by NBC’s The Voice on Tuesday night (March 5) to showcase her talents.
Hailing from Encinitas, CA, the recently-turned 17-year-old performed Stephen Sanchez‘s “Until I Found You” for the season 25 Blind Auditions. Wielding an electric guitar, True threw down country vibes with a vocal style that doesn’t match anything pumping out of commercial radio.
When she nailed an early, sweet run, Chance The Rapper hit the red button, followed immediately by Dan + Shay.
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Reba McEntire and John Legend kept their backs turned.
“That was a flawless performance. I love the vulnerability. You have this Olivia Rodrigo kind of thing going on,” remarked Shay Mooney. “Your voice is just phenomenal. I just love all the little imperfections that you had,” he continued. “They were…character. And they were very purposeful.”
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The country pair stood to show their respect, and maybe secure the singer’s services.
If that wasn’t enough, Shay made a pledge. “I was a good singer, and when I started working with (Dan), it made me a great singer.” Join the team, and “we will take you from being a great singer to an amazing singer. I think you’ve got a shot at winning this thing.”
Dan Smyers chimed in: “I loved your voice when it broke into the falsetto. It was vulnerable in a whisper tone. And then at the end of the performance, you hit those same notes, full voice and I was like, ‘she’s got it all.’”
Did Chance stand a chance after all that? “I think your voice is amazing. I really love all the falsetto and head-voice stuff that you were doing,” he remarked. If she joined his team, his style is to let the artist take the stage, do their thing and he leans in on their influences.
McEntire enjoyed the contestant’s voice and tone, but she’s “not what I’m looking for right now.” Legend heard nerves in her voice, but he’s excited for the youngster’s journey ahead.
True had a decision to make. After all the flattery and the recruitment, it wasn’t a tough call. True chose Dan + Shay.
Watch the performance below.
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Success is not final, failure is not fatal, Winston Churchill once remarked, but it “is the courage to continue that counts.”
Madison Curbelo might not be familiar with those words of inspiration the British wartime prime minister once shared with his compatriots, but she certainly gets the drift.
On Monday night (March 4), Curbelo stepped into the blind auditions for season 25 of The Voice with a guitar, a skinful of courage and a story of failure.
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Hailing from Puerto Rico, now residing in Westfield, Massachusetts, the 21-year-old stood out with her rendition of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me.” Curbelo incorporated Spanish lyrics into her delivery, for a version reminiscent of Prince Royce’s 2011 cover, but very much her own take.
John Legend turned first (and fast). Then Dan + Shay, followed by Chance the Rapper and finally, Reba McEntire. A four-chair turn, and a standing ovation from Legend, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney.
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A clearly ecstatic Curbelo has been here before, but not like this.
The youngster was a contestant on season 20. On that occasion, the 18-year-old sang “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” None of the coaches at the time — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton, and Nick Jonas — would turn their big, red chair.
Failure is not fatal.
“Confidence is the biggest thing that has changed. And I’ve been writing so much music,” she explained after her latest performance made all four coaches turn. “So I kind of like discovered the sound that I love. And just finding Madison, I think was a big thing.”
Legend admitted he wasn’t a believer back then, but things have changed. “I feel like you’re just ready now. And I love that you say that you found your sound. And you found the way you want to express yourself,” he remarked. He could feel her smile with his back turned, and “every run you did was so tasteful.”
Legend pitched Finding Madison as an album title, getting his sales pitch in discretely.
Dan + Shay set out to recruit the singer. “You radiate light and joy,” explained Mooney. “It’s true, you know when you get told no sometimes in your life I think that pivots you and puts you on a different trajectory. And allows you the opportunity to grow in your moments. Your voice was just flawless.”
Chance weighed in, “you’re an awesome talent. So exciting and fun. You have a really cool energy. It makes me smile just hearing you sing.” He added, “whoever you go with, just think about ways that we can help you in terms of arrangements.”
Curbelo had a decision to make, a choice of four teams. She chose Dan + Shay who, for a moment, gave off the kind of energy that typically beams from a winner.
Watch the audition on NBC‘s The Voice below.
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John Legend is a fierce competitor. The “All of Me” singer proved it on Tuesday’s (Feb. 27) second night of the blind audition round on The Voice when he dangled one of his wife Chrissy Teigen’s signature dishes as enticement to win over an impressive singer.
The delicious moment came when season 25 contestant Nathan Chester busted out an impressive, high-energy cover of Al Green’s soul-pop classic “Take Me to the River,” which elicited chair turns from Legend and new coaching due Dan + Shay. “I’m always waiting for someone to inspire me, excite me, and Nathan, when I heard you singing, I turned very quickly, because I was like, this man’s got it!” Legend gushed about the performance that added a rocking edge to the 1974 classic.
Chicago native Chester got Legend out of his seat, clapping along and shaking his hands in the air, even as Chance the Rapper admitted he didn’t turn around after he assumed that Chester’s vocals would be a perfect fit for Team Legend. Chester also noted that he sings on cruise ships and, not for nothing, he loves cheesecake.
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While the latter tidbit seemed kind of random — though coach Reba McEntire said that made him a “man after my own heart” — Legend put on the full-court press after emerging so far with only one artist on his team. “I’ve been very selective. I’m always just waiting for somebody to inspire me, excite me and Nathan, when I heard you singing, I turned very quickly because I was like, ‘This man’s got it!,’” Legend said.
After Dan + Shay playfully noted that “there’s a reason John’s only got one guy on his team,” they also laid it on thick in praising Chester’s vocals, with Shay Mooney adding, “Also, I love cruise ships and I love cheesecake a lot!”
Legend had the closer, though. “My wife makes a mean cheesecake,” he said of spouse Chrissy Teigen, author of the 2018 cookbook Cravings: Hungry For More and its 2021 sequel, Cravings: All Together. “And you can just come to the house and have cheesecake. Homemade cheesecake,” Legend piled on, eliciting groans of “unbelievable” from his fellow panelist.
In the end, the singer’s cheesy pitch did the trick and Chester picked Team Legend.
Watch Chester’s performance below.
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No one can sing a Journey number quite like the mighty Steve Perry. Or perhaps Gene Taylor.
Hailing from Vernon, New Jersey, now based in Brooklyn, NY, the 33-year-old Taylor has done the rounds of theater and performed for much of his life. Under the bright lights of NBC’s The Voice on Tuesday night (Feb. 27), he showcased his talents for power and glory.
For Taylor’s blind audition, a cover of Journey’s 1978 song “Lights”. Power, glory.
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John Legend turned first, then Dan +Shay, followed by Reb McEntire and, finally, Chance the Rapper, for a four-chair turn and a standing ovation.
“I always love a tenor who can sing those beautiful big notes,” says Legend, “but also you had finesse. It was just so expertly done as a vocalist.” And with that, Legend launched into his sales pitch. Legend would also identify some classic vocal skills in the mix, a fusion of Nat King Cole with rock.
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“Your voice is unbelievable,” says Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay. “I was just sitting back and enjoying the music for just a second.” Dan Smyers chimed in, “so much power, so much control. You’re a star. We could tell you’re a seasoned pro.”
“I thought it was awesome,” reckons Chance. The reason he was last to turn? “It was because I was really arrested by the performance. Your tone is so different, and I was just really into it. And then I turn and see you and you, like, kind of got this southern vibe to you.” The Chicago rapper is convinced Taylor will “go really far” in the 2024 competition, thanks to his “distinct tone.”
If the The Voice fans and coaches didn’t already love the contestant, he made certain of it when he brought his mom on stage.
A minor hit following its release, “Lights” has enjoyed a second life as inspiration blast for Bay Area sporting franchises. Now, perhaps an unexpected lift after its exposure on The Voice.
“The way you were working the crowd,” notes McEntire following the audition, “that was perfect to go with your beautiful voice.”
So, with any doubts over his talents utterly erased, and all coaches rolling out the welcome mat, it was time for Taylor to make a decision. He chose Legend.
The 25th and latest season of The Voice began Monday. Watch Taylor’s performance below.
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