Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Maelyn Jarmon says she was about to give up on music a while back.

Rizzi Myers says she wasn’t comfortable with some of the demands of being an artist rather than a songwriter, but persevered because she’s a mother.

Both of their decisions to continue singing paid off when Monday night’s Season 16 premiere of The Voice aired.

Simply put, Maelyn and Rizzi stole the show. Then they joined Team John Legend and Team Kelly Clarkson, respectively.

Here’s a recap of what happened Monday night.

Editor’s Note: Following the links will take you to a profile of each singer with info on music they’ve already released.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Maelyn Jarmon, 25, New York, N.Y.: She’s deaf in one ear. She had an infection when she was young and her eardrum never healed. She calls it “kind of like a super power.” She’s been waitressing while trying to kick off a music career. Maelyn admits she was about to give up on music about six months ago, but credits The Voice for reigniting her passion. She auditionED with “Fields of Gold” by Sting. A brilliant opening sparked quick chair turns from Kelly, Adam and Blake. John Legend soon followed, giving Maelyn the first four-chair turn of Season 16. Maelyn displayed really nice power and range. And turned in an exceptionally strong audition. Dang. Blake praised her precision. Kelly called her “unstoppable.” John said she showed her mastery of her ability, but displayed “magic” as well. Adam liked the vulnerability in her voice. Maelyn joined Team John Legend.

RUNNER-UP

Rizzi Myers, 29, Nashville: She’s a full-time mom and a full-time songwriter. She wrote for pop, country and Christian artists and felt she had made it. But then a producer convinced her to become an artist as well. At times, she said she found that too controlling, because she had to groom her image and her look. But she’s persevered for her children. She auditioned with “Breathing” by Ariana Grande. Dang, her voice soared on the song. Rizzi shows off lots of power and range. She got chair turns from Kelly, Blake and John. But John was blocked for the second time in the opening night episode, by Kelly this time. Turns out Rizzi met Kelly backstage at one of her shows when Rizzi was 17. Rizzi joined Team Kelly.

ALSO MADE THE SHOW

Gyth Rigdon, 24, Singer, La.: He grew up on a horse farm, raised by his single father. Gyth says his dad played guitar and wrote songs all his life. His dad also booked him his first gig, at a biker’s bar when he was 16. He calls himself a country singer, but says he sings other genres as well. He auditioned with “Drift Away” by Dobie Gray. Blake turned almost immediately. Kelly and John turnED as well, but John has been blocked by Blake. Meanwhile, A nice solid audition by Gyth. Kelly calls him “fearless.” Blake compares his performance style to Garth Brooks. Gyth picked Team Blake,

Karen Galera, 19, of Dallas, Texas: She says the family moved from Mexico to Dallas when she was 5. She credits her brother, Eric, for introducing her to music and having her sing on his music go give her confidence. He’s serving in the Marines, so he couldn’t attend her audition. Karen said she performs at malls and in showcases. She auditioned with “Mi Corazoncito” by Aventura, which was one of the first songs her brother introduced her to. Kelly turned almost immediately. She wass followed by John Legend. Kelly said she loved Karen’s tone and the fact that she performed the entire song in Spanish. John called her special and said it’s time for a bi-lingual singer to win The Voice. Karen opted to join Team Kelly.

Trey Rose, 26, Hugo, Oklahoma: Trey said he’s been trying to make music work since high school. He has two children and said he’s struggling a bit to make ends meet as a single dad and musician. He credits his girlfriend for holding down the home front while he’s traveling and playing music. Though he shares a homestate with Blake, Trey says he’s not a country artist. He auditioned with “Wake Me Up” by Avicii. He got a quick chair turn from Adam. A big ending prompted a chair turn from Blake as well. Adam liked Trey’s energy. Blake encouraged him to bring his Okie power to Team Blake. Trey opted to join Team Adam.

Kim Cherry, Boston: The Voice leaked her audition. We don’t get a bio package on Kim, but she’s from Boston and perfoms with a wedding band. Kelly turned as soon as she started rapping. Blake turned at the very end of the performance. Kelly liked the way Kim “owned” the rap. Blake pretends rapping is his thing. Kim surprises, just as Blake encouraged her to do and joins Team Blake. Kim said she recalled Blake saying he wanted a rapper at one point in Season 15.

Lisa Ramey, 33, New York: She auditioned for Season 15, but failed to turn a chair. She called coming back a bit frightening, but said she felt she let people down last time and couldn’t not return. Kelly suggested she try a slower song, so this time she sings “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. Lisa sings with lots of power and has a nice growl to her voice. It took a while, but her big vocals enticed a turn from John Legend near the end of the performance.

Jimmy Mowery, 31: He says his dad was in a band and introduced him to music. His parents separated for a while, and his mother dated someone else. When his parents get back together, the ex-boyfriend killed his father. Jimmy says he got his first guitar when he was 13 and that provided the release he needed to overcome that tragedy through music. Jimmy auditioned with “Attention” by Charlie Puth. He earned a quick chair turn from Adam Levine and showed nice range and stage presence. Midway through the song, John turned too. Adam complimented him on a phenomenal voice. Jimmy joined Team Adam.

Lili Joy, 15, Chino Hills, Calif.: Says her family isn’t very musical. When she was in middle school, she says she was bullied a lot and started wearing wigs. Pink is for performance, purple is for every-day use, green is for when she’s feeling feisty. She considers her music alternative pop with a touch of jazz. She auditioned with a ukulele and “Cool” by Gwen Stefani. This is unique and Lili gets a quick chair turn from Blake. But he winds up being the only one to turn. Blake says he hit his button for Lili’s voice, not because she sang a Gwen Stefani song.

Matthew Johnson, 25, Jacksonville: He describes himself as a really happy guy, especially for the job he’s in. He’s a collections agent and admits lots of people he calls don’t want to talk to him. But his passion is in music. He started singing with a church youth group when he was 15. He credits his mom for helping him look at the bright side of life. He auditioned with “I Smile” by Kirk Franklin. He earned two chair turns almost instantaneously from Blake and Adam. He isn’t far into the song when John and Kelly turn too, making Matthew the second four-chair turn of Season 16. Clearly, Matthew picked a song well suited to his personality. With no Jennifer Hudson on the coaching panel, Adam throws a shoe at the stage. John compliments him on a big, powerful voice. Matthew joins Team John Legend.

HEADED TO THE COMEBACK STAGE

Nathan, 28, and Chesi. 27, Arnett, Paintsville, Ken.: Music is what they live for and music is what brought this married couple together, Nathan and Chesi say. They live with her parents; Nathan writes songs in the bathroom. You never run out of paper there, he jokes. They’re singing “Waymore’s Blues” by Waylon Jennings. To my ears, they sounded good, but no one turned. Kelly said she “digs” their sound, but suggested they return with a different song. John pleads confusion as a new coach. Turned out the Arnetts were picked for the Comeback Stage.

NO TURNS

AJ Ryan, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y.: He says he grew up in a rough section of the city and he credits music for keeping him out of trouble. He wound up being the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s degree. He auditioned with “Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic. It’s a rough audition and he doesn’t get a chair turn. But AJ sings a snippet of “All of Me” and sounds much better.