Suvechha Sarkar
NBC’s ‘The Voice’ always serves the audience with the magic of chair turns, melodious voices, and life-changing moments. Season 29 is no different as the three coaches sit with their backs to the stage, judging contestants solely on vocal ability. If only one of them turns, that individual becomes the coach of the singer, and if more than one chair turns, it is up to the artist to decide which team they want to join. Episode 1 of the season, titled ‘The Blind Auditions Premiere,’ brings together the coaches and former champions: Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend. The longtime host, Carson Daly, also returns to guide hopeful competitors.
Incredible Vocals and Bold Song Choices Set the Tone For the Competition
As the episode commences, comedian and actor Druski and the NBA legend Derek Fisher reveal that they are breaking down a triple-turn competition. The coach who wins the most will receive a big advantage in the battles. Wasting no time, the competition moves on to the first contestant, who is 20-year-old Lucas West from Fairport, New York. He reveals that he is quite excited about the coaches, especially John, because the competitor has been listening to his tunes for years. Lucas continues that, just like the coach, he is also a good pianist, and his biggest musical influences are singers, including Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder. For his blind audition, the artist sings “Bennie & The Jets” by Elton John. As Lucas begins singing, both Adam and John turn their chairs, impressed by his voice.
Once Lucas finishes singing, Adam says there hasn’t been a contestant like Lucas on the show before him, while John notes that not only is he the best new artist, but also a good pianist and a soulful singer. When the time finally comes for Lucas to pick his coach, he chooses John. In his confessional, John states that he is excited to work with Lucas because he will be a star this season on the show. Shortly after, it is revealed that this season’s gifts are sports-themed, including basketball and football jerseys. It is further disclosed that the last time Adam, John, and Kelly were together was 12 seasons prior. The competition moves on to the second singer of the night, 31-year-old Alexia Jayy from Mobile, Alabama. She opens up that she had been a single mother for several years before she finally found the love of her life, David.
Alexia and David have blended their families, bringing together her son, Matthew, and his child, and they have a child together. Alexia continues that it means a lot to her that her son gets to see her competing on this show. Her son is quite proud of her and often brags about his mother to others. With her son and mother cheering her on from the sidelines, Alexia finally sings “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. Within seconds, Kelly turns her chair, and she is soon followed by John and Adam, making it the first triple turn of the season. When the judges ask her, Alexia discloses that she actually sings for a living. The coach also states that the competitor has made a bold statement by singing an Aretha Franklin song.
Standout Performances Force the Coaches to Fight Harder For Their Favorites
When the time comes for John to judge Alexia’s singing, he compliments her, noting her raw ability. Matthew is eventually called on stage, where he opens up that his favorite singer is Maroon 5. Adam further notes that the contestant can use her voice to do anything she wants, adding that it is the best voice he has ever heard. When the decision to select a coach finally arrives, Alexia chooses Adam. In his confessional, the judge remarks that even after so many seasons, he is still crushing it. Next up is the turn for 19-year-old Julia Golden from Carthage, North Carolina, who has been watching ‘The Voice’ since she was really young and used to perform on her bed. She considers this an amazing opportunity, adding that 9-year-old Julia would be really proud of her.
With her parents cheering for her, Julia amazes the judges by singing, “Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter. She first gets a chair turn from John, which is followed by Kelly. During the judgment, John points out that she has a beautiful texture to her voice and can go far on the show. Kelly soon follows with a compliment, calling the singer a Texas queen and noting that her voice was quite authentic. Before Julia makes her choice, John plays a video message from the previous judge, Reba McEntire, in which she says John can coach a country singer. To verify if the video is real, Kelly calls Reba on the spot and jokingly expresses her disappointment. In the end, Julia picks Kelly as her coach, and Kelly reveals that this season she wants to gather the country artists on her team.
The fourth artist introduced this night is 25-year-old Abigayle Oakley from Las Vegas, Nevada. With her parents supporting her, the contestant beautifully sings “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn and earns three chair turns. After she finishes singing, Adam tells her she is quite special, and it shines through. He adds that he wants someone who can do something different while being authentic, and hence, she is a good choice. By Kelly’s turn, the coach observes that Abigayle’s unique voice truly differentiates her from everyone else. When John states that she cannot be so flawless in music without a musical family, the singer reveals that both her parents are actually musicians. Her mother does parody songs and impersonations, and during one of her duet performances, Abigayle made her debut. John quickly adds that he and the competitor have similar families and compliments her for flipping her voice.
Landon Exits the Show With Praise From the Judges Despite Zero Chair Turns
To persuade Abigayle, John remarks that she can do well with coaching, while Adam points out that he will focus on preparing her. After hearing everyone, the artist decides to make Kelly her coach. Since both Adam and Kelly have a triple turn contestant on their teams, John also wants someone with a triple turn. The contest proceeds to the next singer, who is 17-year-old Landon Price from Jackson, Mississippi. In his confessional, he divulges that he has come from singing in church and playing marching band symbols on the drum line at school to competing on this show. For his blind audition, Landon sings “Glory” by John Legend. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he gets no chair turns from any of the judges. After Landon finishes singing, all of the judges point out that his voice is more mature than they expected.
Landon receives praise from Kelly and Adam, followed by John, who compliments his bold choice of song. John further states that the competitor has a bright future ahead of him upon his return to the show. As Landon bids goodbye to the contest, it makes way for the next artist of the night, who is 31-year-old Jonah Mayor from the Bronx, New York. He opens up that he currently works for a boy band named Boy Band Project, which sings all the ’90s boy band songs. Jonah discloses that today, he is taking a risk by flexing his bilingual skills because he wants to show the coaches that he can be what they need him to be. During his performance of an Italian song, “Il Mondo,” he gets a chair turn from Kelly and Adam. As soon as he finishes singing, Kelly goes up to the stage to hug him, and is soon followed by the other two judges.
While Adam remarks that Jonah is a complete package, John compliments the song, calling it truly gorgeous and noting that the singer has the ability to move people. Shortly after, Kelly says she thinks he has a beautiful tone and asks him if he would be willing to showcase his talent differently. As the time to pick the coach approaches, Jonah deliberates his options before selecting Kelly. Right after is the turn for the next contestant, 26-year-old Bay Simpson from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Before competing, the contestant reveals that he is related to Elvis Presley. It turns out that his mother’s dad’s great aunt, Minnie May, was actually Elvis’ grandmother. Bay is quite passionate about the rock & roll genre, leading him to perform “The Waiting” by Tom Petty with his parents’ immense support.
Competition Intensifies With Last-Minute Save For Bay and Comeback For Liv
By the time Bay finishes his melodious song, he manages to only make Adam turn his chair, which means that Adam consequently becomes his coach. When the judges ask him to explain how music was for him growing up, Bay discloses that his mother is a singer, his stepfather a songwriter, and his father a drummer, which means rock & roll has always been in his blood. Adam wastes no time in complimenting the tone in which the contestant delivered the song. He further expresses his happiness at turning his chair at the last minute. The eighth singer of the night is 16-year-old Liv Ciara from St. Peters, Missouri. It is soon revealed that she has previously competed on season 28 of ‘The Voice,’ but unfortunately, she didn’t get a chair turn. Liv continues that although she initially lost hope, she soon regained it after receiving advice from the judges.
Since her last audition, Liv has been performing relentlessly with her father in a cover band. She continues that, besides trying to get a chair turn, she is also doing her best to obtain a driver’s license. Tonight, in the competition, she sings “We Can’t be Friends (wait for your love)” by Ariana Grande. She is ready to go up on the stage and let the coaches hear the real emotion behind her voice. Fortunately, this time around, Liv manages to gain chair turns from Kelly and Adam. The latter judge first notes that she truly has a mature voice, while Kelly divulges that she also started her journey as a teenager. She asks Liv if she can hold R&B and pop songs, and upon learning that the contestant is willing to do so, the judge tells her she is ready to do anything to support Liv. Ultimately, after much deliberation, the singer decides to select Kelly as her coach.
Soon after, John observes that although he is falling behind Kelly, what matters is how he moves forward because he is looking for something bigger. The next artist to take the stage is 43-year-old Aaron LaVigne from Cincinnati, Ohio. He shares with viewers that at 19, he watched a show that prompted him to move to New York, and within the first couple of months, he was booked for a tour. Gradually, he made his way to Broadway and played Jesus in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’ Aaron reveals that he has been doing this for three years straight, which has paved the path for him to explore his identity as a solo artist. The competitor takes the opportunity to sing “Feels Like the First Time” by Foreigner on stage, prompting both Kelly and John to turn their chairs.
The Premiere Night Concludes With a Triple Chair Turn For Jeremy
Kelly doesn’t take much time to compliment Aaron’s boldness and unique voice. On the other hand, John admits that he initially thought his voice was gentle, but it truly cut through in the end. Over the next few minutes, the coach and Aaron bond over their musical show and hometown. Despite the bond, Aaron chooses Kelly as his coach because a reaction she had previously given was identical to his. As the show moves on, it is announced that the next singer is 14-year-old AJ Robinson from Cataula, Georgia. He discloses that he has been counting down the days he would be old enough to audition on the show. AJ’s mother, Shannon, chimes in that when he was just 4, he wanted to do hip-hop dance, but by 5, when he started playing piano, he realized his calling is in music.
In his confessional, AJ states that he eventually taught himself to play guitar, drums, and harmonica, among other instruments. He finally gets to live his dream as he sings “Watermelon Moonshine” by Lainey Wilson. By the end of his performance, he successfully gets a chair turn from just John. Kelly suggests to him that he should work on his breath control to stay on key, but she is excited because she believes he will do well in the contest. John confesses that he has been trying to get a country artist on his team for a long time, but what really helped him push the button was the richness of AJ’s voice. John further adds that he is ready to help AJ do much better on ‘The Voice.’ Lastly, the night’s final performance is by 40-year-old Jeremy Keith from Washington, DC.
Jeremy currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and in the past year has begun working as a background singer for After Seven. He discloses that the recent departure of an original member made him the third member, and he now feels this competition is an opportunity to explore himself as a solo artist. As Jeremy sings “You Are My Lady” by Freddie Jackson, he earns a triple chair turn from John, followed by Adam and Kelly. While John praises his silky smooth tone, Adam assures Jeremy that it sure doesn’t feel like he is a background singer anymore. When it’s Kelly’s turn, she declares that background singers are among the best, able to work with anything handed to them. She also adds that she feels he has the potential to win the show. To keep the momentum, John goes up on stage with Jeremy to sing “Ordinary People” together. Ultimately, Jeremy picks Adam because he feels the coach will bring out something different in him.
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