State Champ Radio The Voice
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Sixteen-year-old Ruby Leigh punched her ticket out of part two of the knockout rounds on The Voice on Monday night (Nov. 13) thanks to a perfect song choice by her coach Reba McEntire. The country legend suggested the 1996 breakthrough LeAnn Rimes cover of Bill Mack’s “Blue” for her charge and the Missouri native crushed […]
If anyone is on the good side of the “Karma Police,” it’s Nini Iris. On the Tuesday (Nov. 7) episode of The Voice, the Team Niall contestant delivered a show-stopping rendition of Radiohead’s 1997 classic to clinch the victory in The Knockouts round. Going into the episode, Iris was on a hot streak. After securing […]
Aretha Franklin owned the title “Queen of Soul,” for good reason.
The Detroit native was electric, with power, substance, and the versality to sing anything from pop through to “Nessun Dorma,” famously stepping in for the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 Grammy Awards.
Franklin commanded respect. You don’t just go and cover one of her great R&B songs on national TV.
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Kaylee Shimizu didn’t get the memo. And she sure didn’t need it.
When the Knockouts kicked off Monday night (Nov. 6) on NBC’s The Voice, Shimizu did no harm to her chances of progressing all the way in the competition with an explosive performance of “Ain’t No Way,” lifted from Franklin’s Lady Soul album from 1968.
The Team Legend singer hit all her runs, high notes, low notes, the lot. She was so good, and so audacious, rival coach Niall Horan spent a good chunk of the performance belly-laughing.
Shimizu has been laughing through this 24th season.
Hailing from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, the teen scored a four-chair turn during the auditions with a cover of the Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers,” a minutes-long flex with elite high notes, control and all the good stuff that captures the attention.
“We’re just stunned right now. Your voice was just dazzling, it was so creative it was so musical,” remarked Legend, prior to recruiting the 17-year-old to his team. “You know you could win The Voice, right,” he added. “You have so much confidence delivering these impossible notes.”
He’s not wrong.
Shimizu went up against Team Legend singers Caleb Sasser and Mara Justine, both of whom earned perfect four-chair turns during the auditions phase. She shone under those bright, Knockout lights.
“There’s a lot of richness and warmth and body to your voice,” Legend remarked. “It’s just supernatural that it comes out of your body at the same time. That you’re hitting those high notes…it’s actually insane.”
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC and streams the following day on Peacock.
Watch below.
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Some battles end in tears, or stunned disbelief. When Eli Ward and Jason Arcilla went head-to-head Tuesday night (Oct. 31) on NBC’s The Voice, they wrapped it up with laughter, like two old buddies catching up, cracking open a few cold ones.
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The Team Gwen pair tackled Bread‘s “Make It With You,” bringing their own flair to the corny pop-rock number which led the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week in 1970.
“Gwen, what a song choice,” John Legend remarked. The performance was “so like fun and soulful” and “you got these handsome gentlemen to serenade you,” he quipped. The lads were smooth, Legend acknowledged. Arcilla had a “gentleness” of tone, he continued. And Ward, :I loved how confident and in command you felt the whole time.” If he had to choose, Legend would side with Ward.
“You guys sounded great together, you were having fun,” remarked fellow coach Reba McEntire. “I loved the little choreography moves.” If she had to pick, she’d go with Ward.
Niall Horan was impressed with Ward’s “’50s meets ‘70s” smoothness – and his biceps (the Waterloo, IL native is a Division I athlete at the University of Iowa with the cross-country track team). “Your tone is really pure and classic.” Arcilla, the 34-year-old who lives in Pukalani, Hawaii, has “an etherealness” to his voice. It’s a tough choice. If the Irishman had to make it, he would lean ever so slightly in the direction of Arcilla.
Stefani had to make the cut, and she wasn’t happy about it. “This is impossible right now,” she remarked. “I have zero, zero idea of what to do now.” After praising both singers, and remarking on their growth during the contest, she settled on a winner, someone who is “ready right right now.”
And that was Arcilla.
In the aftermath, the No Doubt singer explained her decision. “Jason has the kind of voice that has this breathy, airy, serene quality that I would actually listen to on a record. I think that he’s just really gifted.”
Watch below.
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NBC’s The Voice is getting another fiery-locked, country superstar to join its ranks.
On Tuesday (Oct. 31), NBC announced that Country Music Hall of Fame member Wynonna Judd is set to serve as a mega mentor on season 24 of the hit show. Judd will join coaches Niall Horan, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, and fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire, helping to mentor the remaining contestants heading into the show’s competitive Knockout rounds on Nov. 6.
In a video posted to Instagram, Wynonna appeared alongside McEntire to celebrate joining the latest season of the hit singing comeptition. “[You are] one of the reasons I decided to do this show, because you’re here and I wanted to work with you,” Wynonna told her in the new clip. McEntire returned the compliment in the caption, writing “Wy is the perfect person for this and I can’t wait for you to see all the great advice she gives to these talented artists.”
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Wynonna is currently headlining shows on her Back to Wy tour, where the singer-songwriter performs her first two solo albums — her 1992 self-titled album and its followup, 1993’s Tell Me Why — track-by-track.
Prior to launching her solo career in the 1990s, Judd was part of the mother-daughter duo The Judds, alongside her mother Naomi. The Judds’ enduring legacy was recently feted with the release of the multi-artist project A Tribute to The Judds, which featured McEntire, Jelly Roll, Trisha Yearwood, O.N.E. The Duo, Wendy Moten, Megan Moroney and more.
Of course, Wynonna is no stranger to television; in 2016, she appeared on Dancing With the Stars and in 2011, The Judds debuted their own six-part reality television series on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. Over the years, Judd has also appeared on television shows including Touched By An Angel, Army Wives and Kath & Kim.
Wynonna Judd will appear as a mega mentor on The Voice starting Monday, Nov. 6 at 8 pm E.T. Check out Wynonna and McEntire’s Instagram announcement below:
If you’re game to tackle Evanescence, you’d better bring the power.
That’s exactly what Joslynn Rose and Rudi did, when they went toe-to-toe Monday night (Oct. 30) on NBC’s The Voice.
The Team Gwen singers came out swinging in the Battles round with a rendition of “My Immortal.” Now 20 years old, “My Immortal” appeared on Fallen, the breakthrough 2003 album from Amy Lee and Co. which dominated sales charts across Europe, the U.K. (hitting No. 1) and the U.S. (No. 3), and gave us the epic number “Bring Me to Life.”
“What a lovely job,” remarked John Legend following the performance. The soul man praised Joslynn for her opener, in which she appeared “in control,” poised and “felt ready to seize the moment.” He’s a fan of her tone, “you really have a beautiful voice and your tone is so lovely.” Rudi, he continued, had power, clarity, and was “really impressive.” If he had to choose, he’d lean towards Rudi.
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Joslynn impressed with her low register, and the control of it, was Reba McEntire’s take. Rudi’s vocals were “wonderful, great stage presence,” she continued, “you both have very powerful voices.” If she had to choose, the country star would go with Rudi.
Rudi, added Niall Horan, “that was phenomenal. Pretty much flawless. It felt like you were climbing a mountain the whole way through the song. And it kept going, and going. And going.” Her rival, the way she started the performance, “brilliant, to have that poise, to take front and center and sing the way you did was really beautiful, especially for your age.”
Gwen Stefani had the tough choice to make. After thanking her singers, reminding the audience of their potential and talents, and pointing out just how hard a target it was to hit, the No Doubt star went into decision-making-mode.
There could be only one winner of this battle. And that was Rudi, who progresses to the knockouts. “She’s ready for what’s to come in the competition,” Stefani enthused in the washup.
But letting go a fine contestant, yeah, “that sucks.”
Watch below.
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One does not simply walk into a Bee Gees Battle. Clearly Mac Royals and Rachele Nguyen didn’t get the memo, as the Team Reba constants went toe-to-toe on NBC‘s The Voice, tackling one of the Bee Gees’ creamiest creations.
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The singers’ path to the Battles round couldn’t have been more contrasting. Royals landed a four-chair turn; Nguyen caught the attention of just one coach, the country star Reba McEntire.
On the latest episode Tuesday night (Oct. 24), Royals and Nguyen brought game to the arena, the former displaying his legit soulman skillset, Nguyen showcasing her range and soloist talents.
“Guys, that was so good,” coach Niall Horan remarked. “To take on a song of that stature is brave of itself. I thought the two of you were fantastic.” Horan admitted she was better than he remembered, and she made him remember his error by not turning during the Blind Audition. “To be your age, at 17 and to have that composure, and will to go ‘go give me the biggest song you’ve got,’” he’d go with Nguyen, if the choice was his.
Gwen Stefani remarked on the warmth of Royals’ voice. It’s “buttery,” she enthused. As for Nguyen, “the things you can do with your voice and your instincts,” at her age, it’s “pretty magical.” She won’t choose because, well, she doesn’t have to.
John Legend paid tribute to the sound of Mac’s voice, “it’s so gorgeous. It is soulful and it has richness and character.” And Nguyen, “you were doing so many exciting things, so many cool musical choices and runs and things of that nature.” If Legend had to choose, he’d go with Mac.
The battle would “come down to how they touch my heart when they’re performing,” McEntire said during rehearsals.
In the end, the choice belonged to her. And she sided with Nguyen.
But wait, there’s more. Before Mac could say some parting words to his coach, Legend came through with the steal. It’s on.
Watch the Season 24 Battle below.
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The Voice battle rounds continue! On Monday night (Oct. 23), the contestants went head to head as the show whittled down the competition. CORii and Ms. Monét went up to the plate and battled it out to Patti LaBelle‘s hit “New Attitude.”
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The pair infused the track with soul, adding soaring high notes, whistle tones and impressive vocal runs to their rendition, often boosting each other up during the larger moments of the song.
“I’m feeling good from my hat to my shoe/ Know where I am going and I know what to do/ I’ve tidied up my point of view/ I’ve got a new attitude/ I’m in control My worries are few/ ‘Cause I got love like I never knew/ Ooh oh ooo oh/ I’ve got a new attitude,” CORii and Ms. Monét soulfully sing on the chorus.
Following the pair’s performances, the coaches gave their feedback and shared moments during the showcase that stood out to them. Niall Horan went first, saying, “CORii, why did I not turn? The minute you opened your mouth, I was like, ‘So why did I face the wall for two minutes?’ To be honest, I do remember pitch issues in the blind auditions, but this was night and day, different level to where you were last time.”
Gwen Stefani complimented Monét’s stage presence and CORii’s improvement. “I’m so literally blown away by you. You are masterful, and you were being all swaggy up there,” she said of Monét. “I was like, ‘OK, she is literally slaying.’ But then CORii, you somehow started to lock into your voice. It was like, ‘Wow, she has range and power.’ You both have incredible stage presence and character.”
Ultimately, the decision was up to Reba McEntire, who had to choose between the two. The country icon praised both of the budding stars, even saying they “could go on the road as a duet right now.” After struggling to come to a conclusion, McEntire kept Monét on her team. CORii, meanwhile, was surprised by getting stolen by both Horan and Stefani, and chose the latter coach to guide her through the rest of the competition.
Watch CORii and Ms. Monét battle it out to LaBelle’s “New Attitude” below.
Kelly Clarkson needed a reboot, so she did what a lot of people do when they feel like shaking up their lives: she moved. But in her case, the Burleson, Texas-born singer and talk show host who lived and worked in Los Angeles for 20 years pulled up roots and moved as far away as possible and is rebooting her life in New York.
With a new Rockefeller Center space for her eponymous daytime talk show — which kicked off its fifth season on Monday — the divorced mother of two young children is now closer to her extended family in North Carolina and fully into living her best life in the city.
“At this point, I’m 40 years old. Mama rented something nice!” Clarkson told USA Today. “I was like, ‘I’m not living here unless it’s right by the park and really nice for the kids.’” And though Clarkson has been doing all the New York things, including cheering for her Dallas Cowboys as they stomped the N.Y. Giants last month and watching her friend Chelsea Handler do standup at the Beacon Theatre.
And as much fun as she’s having, the singer, 41, told the paper that after finalizing her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock last year she wasn’t sure the mid-life time zone refresh was a great idea. “I’ll be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision,” Clarkson said of her nerves before pulling up stakes. “I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in LA. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can’t really do a show from there quite yet. So I was like, ‘The only other option would probably be New York.’”
But after a couple of weeks, she said she realized she “genuinely” loves New York, “and I love that my kids love it,” she said of daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington, 7. She immediately leaned in on the show, spotlighting some quintessentially N.Y. apartment/hotel door people during a taping last week in her new space, which was formerly home to David Letterman’s late night talk show.
Clarkson also talked about learning how to dial back her over-busy calendar, which included leaving her spot in a red chair on The Voice last spring after exhaustedly grinning and bearing it for the first four years of her talk show. “Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” Clarkson said. “I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of handling, and also what you should not handle. That was me saying ‘bye’ to The Voice and having this big move. I love that family, but I was like, ‘I’m struggling. I can’t smile anymore. I don’t feel like smiling.’”
Now, with the move and season five of the show on the air, Clarkson said she’s in “such a great place,” with her kids, her new home, the show and in her personal life. “I feel like a weight has lifted. That move was very needed,” she said. “I think the thing I’m most excited about with Season 5, on a selfish level, is just showing up to work smiling and actually meaning it. That’s a beautiful gift that you don’t realize until you’re out of it.”
NBC’s The Voice has entered into the battle rounds. It’s a place where hopes are dashed, where dreams are kept alive, and where the coaches are made to suffer at decision time.
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Niall Horan, who is on good form having coached the winner in his debut season, paired Lennon VanderDoes and Tanner Massey for a toe-to-toe Tuesday night (Oct. 17) to Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman.”
“Wow, wow, wow, that was so incredible,” Gwen Stefani remarked at the close. “Both of you are mindblowing in your own way.” If she had to choose, she’d go with Massey.
“Really, both amazing,” John Legend said. Legend has his own connection with “She’s Always a Woman”; it’s the inspiration for “All of Me,” the “song that changed my life. And hearing you two sing it was just magical.” If he had to make the call, he’d lean “ever so slightly” toward Massey.
Reba McEntire was impressed with both contestants, especially Massey. “To be as young as you are, you’ve got great stage presence.”
There can be only one, and Horan had to wield the axe.
“I think this was always going to be a great battle with the difference in your two voices, the way Lennon can sing up there with such control and, your tone is so captivating.” Tanner, with his flares at the end of some sentences, are just “so beautiful” to hear. “This is one of those battles where I’ve been battling myself.
Horan ignored the advice of his fellow coaches and rivals, and tapped VanderDoes to progress.
The story doesn’t end there. Legend and Stefani both tried to “steal” the young talent. Another decision had to be made, this time by Massey who just minutes earlier had to cope with the bitter disappointment of rejection. He chose Team Gwen.
The popular singing competition show airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC (check your local listings for channel information). Episodes of The Voice will stream on-demand via Peacock the next day after they air on TV, but viewers can also watch live with Peacock Premium Plus.
Watch the season 24 performance below.
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