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The Voice paid tribute to Taylor Swift on the Monday (Dec. 11) episode, which saw the remaining contestants teaming up in the live semifinals to perform covers of the pop superstar’s songs for a chance to stay in the competition. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The […]
When Tom Nitti, 31, unexpectedly left The Voice last month during the playoff rounds citing “personal reasons,” the Team Reba country singer didn’t provide a lot of information about why he unexpectedly had to bounce.
But in a new interview with the Utica Observer-Dispatch, Nitti finally opened up about the difficult situation at home that forced him to make the decision. “It’s always been a dream of mine to pursue music full time, but I can’t do that without a cushion,” said Nitti, a New York State trooper and former Airborne Cavalry Scout who suffered a serious brain injury in a mortar attack in Afghanistan that earned him a Purple Heart. “As a dad, I need to make sure my children will be supported,” he said.
Performing in front of thousands of people has “always been my dream” Nitti told the paper. But once he became a dad, his goal adjusted to being known locally and serving his community. “The biggest misconception is when people think I went on the show knowing that I’d leave,” said the father of two young children who lamented leaving his kids when he deployed to Afghanistan for several rotations and during his stints in airborne school and a warrior leader course. “It all happened so quickly and I needed to make a fast decision. I chose my family and I’ll tell you why.”
After turning heads, and chairs, with his covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” in the blind auditions and winning the battle rounds with his Cody Johnson “Til You Can’t” cover — and then getting saved by McEntire in the knockout round thanks to his take on the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” — Nitti became one of Team Reba’s six finalists.
Nitti — who was slated to appear on season 23 of The Voice but said he had to defer a year because he hadn’t given the state police enough of a head’s up — told the paper that even though pursuing music full time was his long-time goal, his priority was making sure his children, Rayleigh and Brently, were well-supported.
Then, five months before season 24 aired, Nitti filed for divorce. After going up against Jacquie Roar during the knockout rounds, Nitti said she asked him what was wrong when he seemed glum despite McEntire saving him from elimination. “I spilled my guts,” he said. “I told her about how I had just received an email from my lawyers urging me to come home because my ex-wife was going after primary custody.”
The “gut-wrenching” moment pushed Nitti to make the difficult choice to leave the show, “not because I missed my kids, but because I couldn’t imagine losing them,” he told the paper. “I am happy with the decision I made, but should it have come to that point? Absolutely not,” he added. Though he left before the shows went live, Nitti said he was not prepared for the reaction to his leave-taking during the pre-taped portion of the season.
“I never believed that things were meant to be until this all happened,” Nitti said. “The most positive thing from my experience on the show was the camaraderie I found among other vocalists.”
Shortly after leaving the show, Nitti acknowledged his split in an lengthy Instagram post, in which he wrote, “As much as it absolutely stings to say, I had to make probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever and ultimately at the end of the day, my kids will always come first and if I had to make the same decision again I’d do it over and over.” He also promised at the time that, “This isn’t the end of me and I’ll do what I do best for everyone to see which is keep my head down and move forward playing music and raising/creating new memories with a family I will continue to grow.”
Earlier this week, Nitti dropped the new original, “One Night Stand,” with fellow contestants Bias and Lennon VanderDoes. “There’s a hole in the wall dive bar/ It’s downtown/ Can’t believe a girl like you would come around/ Strut keeps turning heads/ Gotta get you outta here,” Nitti sings on the country ramble. Bias is still on the show, but VanderDoes was sent packing after the playoff round after Gwen Stefani used a Super Save to bring him back. Nitti told the paper he’s also written a new song about his journey called “Redemption Road.”
“I’m hoping one day my kids will be able to see why I did what I did instead of just thinking that I quit,” he said.
Reba McEntire flipped from mentor to performer on Tuesday night (Dec. 5) when she got up from her red chair and stepped into the spotlight on The Voice to sing her recent single, “Seven Minutes in Heaven.” The moving ballad recorded in tribute to McEntire’s mother, Jacqueline McEntire — who died of cancer in March […]
It’s hard, if not impossible, to out-goth Robert Smith. But on Monday night (Dec. 4), Team Niall’s Nini Iris did her level best to bring all the spooky vibes to her cover of The Cure’s 1989 mope rock ballad “Lovesong” on The Voice.
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The 27-year-old Tbilsi, Georgia native who made it to the live shows on the Georgian version of The Voice in 2012 and then moved to New York in 2016 — where she went from being a cabaret singer to a professional wedding singer — has been on a serious roll since the beginning of the playoff rounds last month.
But on Monday night she kicked it to a new high with her moving, emotive Cure cover. Accompanied by a string quartet and pianist, Iris stood atop a square platform midstage wearing a midnight black dress, long lace gloves and a matching choker and belted out the song’s keening lyrics over the moody arrangement.
Adding a bit of Adele-like soul to the darkly bouncy song from the Cure’s Disintegration album — which became the band’s highest-charting U.S. single when it hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in Oct. 1989 — Iris climbed into her sky-high register to sing the track’s’s haunting refrain: “Whenever I’m alone with you/ You make me feel like I am home again.”
As the music swelled and Iris’ voice took on a gritty growl, she became more animated and held the final “I will always love you” for an extra beat as mentor Horan closed his eyes and watched with pride. “And the Grammy goes to” he joked, dubbing the performance “absolutely spectacular.”
The stunning performance came on the same night that season-long frontrunner Ruby Leigh, 16, posted yet another impressive performance for Team Reba when she sang McEntire’s 1980 single, “You Lie.” With the season 24 grand finale just two weeks away, the competition got real on Monday night when the top 12 semifinalists finally competed for America’s votes.
Other impressive performances from the episode included Team Reba’s Jacquie Roar’s roaring version of Lainey Wilson’s “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” Team Gwen Stefani’s Kara Tenae doing an elegant cover of Keyshia Cole’s “Love” and Team John Legend singer Lila Forde’s mellow ramble through the Barbie soundtrack Indigo Girls folk rock classic “Closer to Fine.” The show also featured spots from Team Gwen’s Tanner Massey and BIAS, Team Niall’s Huntley and Mara Justine, Team Legend’s Azán and Mac Royals and Team Reba’s Jordan Ranier.
Watch Nini Irish sing “Lovesong” on The Voice below.
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Somehow, Kaylee Shimizu makes singing look like a glorious gymnastics routine — all style, grace, strength, athleticism.
Hailing from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the 17-year-old got everyone’s attention during the Blind Auditions with a cover of the Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers.”
She earned a four-chair turn. “We’re just stunned right now. Your voice was just dazzling, it was so creative it was so musical,” John Legend remarked at the time, her future coach. “You know you could win The Voice, right,” he added. “You have so much confidence delivering these impossible notes.”
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Then, in the Knockouts, more knockout stuff with a performance of Aretha Frankin’s “Ain’t No Way,” lifted from the late legend’s Lady Soul album from 1968.
Nothing would stand in Shimizu’s way of competing in the Playoffs, which she launched into with a cover of master producer Quincy Jones’ “You Put a Move On My Heart” featuring Tamia, from 1999.
Shimizu breathes blues, and jazz, into the song, punctuated with her trademark dynamite runs and big, showy high notes.
“It really is phenomenal that you are the age that you are, and your voice has this much control and depth and range. Your low voice is really gorgeous. I love the warmth in it,” Legend enthused. “The fact that you can do that and then go to those notes in the stratosphere that almost no one on the planet can hit, you’re ready for this. You are ready to be a big star. You’re so special Kaylee.”
Special, however, doesn’t always win talent shows. Luck can play a part in it. Bad luck, too, as Kaylee Shimizu found out. The teen was eliminated, as were Kristen Brown and Taylor Deneen.
Team Legend singers Azán, Lila Forde and Mac Royals advance to The Voice season 24 Live Round, where they’ll be joined by Huntley, Nini Iris and Mara Justine (Team Niall); Jordan Rainer, Jacquie Roar and Ruby Leigh (Team Reba); and BIAS, Tanner Massey and Kara Tenae (Team Gwen).
Watch Shimizu’s performance on NBC‘s The Voice below.
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If you tuned in to Monday night’s (Nov. 27) playoff round episode of The Voice there was a prominent member of Team Reba who was nowhere to be seen. Season 24 country singer Tom Nitti was missing, forcing Reba McEntire to move her group along with just three performers for the upcoming live shows.
On the episode, McEntire said, “I have wonderfully talented people, but Tom had to leave for personal reasons, so I only have five artists tonight.” Nitti explained his absence in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday morning (Nov. 28), in which he shared a carousel of pics of his children and girlfriend cued to Cody Johnson’s “Leather.”
“Well, I’ve been dreading this day ever since the blind audition so here goes nothin’. …First and foremost I’m blessed beyond belief and I can’t say enough how much I love and appreciate the constant support from my fans, my friends and my family,” wrote Nitti. “As much as it absolutely stings to say, I had to make probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever and ultimately at the end of the day, my kids will always come first and if I had to make the same decision again I’d do it over and over.”
McEntire supported Nitti from the get-go, as the only judge to turn her chair when he performed Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” at the blind auditions. He proved he’d earned his spot on the team with subsequent impressive performances of Johnson’s “Til You Can’t” during the battle round and again during the knockout round with the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You.”
“This past summer was filled to the max with everything I love and could’ve only dreamed of and Thanks to @nbcthevoice I was able to live my wildest dreams and do what I’ve always hoped. I made friends that’ll last a life time, experiences that I can hold on to forever and even found REAL and TRUE love,” Nitti continued in his post, tagging girlfriend singer Ashley Bryant.
Nitti also shouted out the many people he said had his back “going through the tough times” he said he endured during his time in California on the show, including McEntire and his fellow team members.
“But nonetheless I hope everyone knows how happy and grateful i am for them. This isn’t the end of me and I’ll do what I do best for everyone to see which is keep my head down and move forward playing music and raising/creating new memories with a family I will continue to grow,” he added. “I never believed in the whole, things happen for a reason statement but in this case I think God has it all figured out. He knows I don’t break easily. For everyone asking, I’m alright and still standing. Thank you so much and as always, I’m super pumped to keep on keepin’ on with music, my kids Rayleigh and Brently my whole family to include my smokin’ girlfriend that keeps my head held high… Im more than ready to continue to live life now happier than ever before.”
The post ended with a series of hashtags, including: #familyfirst, #itsnotoveryet, #imstillstanding and #kentuckygotme.
With Nitti’s leave-taking, McEntire sent home Noah Spencer and Ms. Monet, with Ruby Leigh, Jordan Ranier and Jacquie Roar moving on to the live shows. The Voice airs on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Check out Nitti’s post and one of his performances below.
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She’s not old enough to vote, or drink booze, though Ruby Leigh can sing like a seasoned pro.
The 16-year-old closed out the Playoffs Monday night (Nov. 27) on The Voice with a performance that was mature beyond her years.
Leigh, a native of Foley, Missouri, was recruited to Team Reba following an impressive Blind Audition, when she covered Patsy Montana’s 1935 “I Want To Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.”
The youngster has mastered the art of yodeling, a talent that earned her a four-chair turn.
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Then, in the knockout rounds, Leigh punched her ticket with her own take on LeAnn Rimes’s 1996 breakthrough cover of Bill Mack’s “Blue.”
On the latest episode of this current, 24th season, Leigh shone with a version of Linda Ronstadt’s 1970 classic “Long Long Time.”
Dressed in an all-black ensemble, complete with white tassels, Leigh looks the part. And she sure sounds it. The yodel was a part of the mix, but never overused.
“I think that if there was just a young girl that’s 16 years old that can sing like you and could make a record like that, the world would be saved,” Gwen Stefani later enthused.
John Legend, like his fellow judges, has been a fan since day nought. “It’s quite stunning that, at your age, you can sound like you’ve been through so much. I know you haven’t been through that much,” Legend explained. “The power of your voice is really stunning.”
Niall Horan chimed in, “that was so beautiful. I’m really, really emotional.”
Coach Reba McEntire was proud as punch. “I would watch mama when I would be on stage, and she would be drawn up in a knot watching me,” she remarked. “Nobody wanted to sit by mama because she was squeezing their hand so tight. I know how she feels now. You just got it all together. I’m just so proud of you, and your performance today was stellar.”
With that performance, Leigh progresses into the Live round, alongside Team Reba’s Jordan Rainer and Jacquie Roar.
The Voice’s Live shows kick off next Monday, Dec. 4 on NBC.
Watch below.
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Kara Tenae proved she’s a force to be reckoned with during The Voice playoffs, and Billboard is exclusively revealing her powerful cover of SWV‘s 1997 classic “Rain” ahead of Monday night’s new episode. “Rain down on me/ Let your love just shower me/ Just rain on me,” the 34-year-old Atlanta native sang, as she effortlessly […]
The Voice has reached the Playoffs phase and Huntley is, well, very much in the hunt.
The Fredericksburg, Virginia-native impressed when he stepped onto The Voice last month for the Blind Auditions, showcasing a voice with depth and character, a rare blend that could power its way through country, blues, rock and grunge.
From the opening notes of that audition, when he sang “She Talks To Angels,” Huntley caught a four-chair turn. Niall Horan went on to secure his services.
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Heading into Tuesday night’s episode, Huntley had a lot to live up to. Pressure, no pressure.
Huntley put on his game voice, and hit a full-throated rendition of David Kushner’s “Daylight”.
The coaches loved it. “I just can’t believe how amazing you are, every single time,” was Gwen Stefani’s immediate response. “Your actual vocal ability, especially in the lane of music that you do, your style of singing, it is masterful.” If she had a label, she’d sign him up. “You’re so amazing.”
John Legend was also blown away. “What you’re giving us on stage is well beyond a competition,” he enthuses. “You’re already a star. You carry yourself that way with confidence, with that distinctive voice.” The execution, flawless. Huntley could go on to be a Grammy winner someday, he reckons.
The performance was “just insane,” Horan remarks. The rocker’s coach challenged him with the song, something he felt Huntley wouldn’t pick, and the result was “the best you’ve ever sung here.”
“You’re one of the people that’s got something to say to the world, and you’ve got a voice like that, it’ll be one hell of and album, and I’d buy it.” So would Reba McEntire. So would many others.
The Irishman had the challenge of cutting three of his six artists. Ultimately, he selected Huntley, Nini Iris and Mara Justine to progress in the competition.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC and streaming next day on Peacock.
Watch Huntley’s performance below.
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The Voice is finally beginning to whittle down the competition, with the Tuesday (Nov. 14) episode featuring the remaining contestants participating in the knockout rounds. Alexa Wildish stepped up to the plate to deliver an impressive take on Cher‘s hit single “Believe” for her chance to advance to the next rounds of the competition. Wildish […]
