The Voice returns to NBC Monday night (8 p.m.) for Season 23, which has been announced as Blake Shelton’s last as a coach on the show.
He’ll be joined in the big red chairs by Kelly Clarkson, back after taking Season 22 off, and two brand new coaches, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan.
I already posted profiles of 30 singers rumored to have earn spots on the show, where each coach will have a team of 10 singers this spring.
Here are mini profiles of the other 10 rumored chair-turners.
Ali from The Voice Season 23
Ali: Ali is short for Alyssa and she’s a 24-year-old Los Angeles based singer clearly ecstatic over her chance to appear on The Voice. “It’s been a dream of mine to sing for people. It’s all coming true, on #THEVOICE,” she writes. “I thank God every day for this opportunity. Here’s to a new chapter in my life—the best chapter so far!” She writes about hearing aides in at least two social media posts, which might explain her social media handle: alicanyouhearme.
D. Smooth of The Voice Season 23
D. Smooth: That’s the stage name for David Mitchell, an R&B artist from Birmingham, Alabama. You can find a wide range of covers on D.’s Instagram. Last year this time he was preparing for a role in his first touring musical theater production, “Grown Man Issues.” He’s posted an impressive performance from that show as well. And he’s since appeared in a production called “Soul Food.”
Katie Beth Forakis from The Voice Season 23
Katie Beth Forakis: A graduate of Lee University, she shows of a really nice tone on a song called “Rejected Heart,” a collaboration with Joseph Crook released in April of 2020. Living in Savannah, Tenn., she’s also married to musician and worship leader Demetri Forakis and held an album release party in his honor last summer.
Kylee Dayne from The Voice Season 23
Kylee Dayne: On Instagram, she writes: “I have dreamed of being a part of something like @nbcthevoice since I was a little girl.” On Instagram and TikTok, she shows off a lovely singing voice. And while she doesn’t appear to have released music, she’s posted impressive originals. She also has more than 18,000 followers on TikTok.
Laura Littleton from The Voice Season 23
Laura Littleton: From Dickson, Tenn., she’s a worship leader and a professional photographer. And, judging from her social media, spends a lot of time searching for her car keys. She does not appear to have released music.
Mariah Kalia from The Voice Season 23
Mariah Kalia: She’s a young music artist and dancer from Orlando, Fla. In fact, she has more dance videos than music performances on her Instagram. But she also serves up an impressive rendition of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” and shows some versatility by covering Adele and billie eilish as well. Oh, and judging from a Voice promo, she definitely turns a couple of chairs in the blinds.
Mary Kate Connor from The Voice Season 23
Mary Kate Connor: She’s a high school student in Ashburn, Va., and works with Young Life, a Christian organization for adolescents. And she’s got a great cover of “She Used to Be Mine” on her Instagram. As for The Voice, she writes: “3 years. That’s how long it’s taken me to get to this point. 3 years of triumphs and battles. To be able to make this post with The Voice across the page is a dream come true.”
Ray Uriel from The Voice Season 23
Ray Uriel: He’s 25 and, based on his Instagram, was involved in the University of Indianapolis musical theater program back in 2018. He has three singles out, but the most recent — “Novacane” and “Without Me” — were released in 2019.
Talia Smith from The Voice Season 23
Talia Smith: She’s Sgt. Smith, a U.S. Army recruiter based in Hyattsville, Md. And she seems to have posted very little music on social media. One exception is lovely cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” from last April on Instagram.
Tasha Jessen from The Voice Season 23
Tasha Jessen: She’s Sitaaish Jessen, attended school in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and is a former volunteer with Youth With A Mission, a missionary service out of Chula Vista, Calif. She hasn’t posted much music. But Tashat shows off impressive tone and power on a cover of “House of the Rising Sun,” accompanied by her husband Meverek on guita, that you can find on YouTube.
Ali D. Smooth Katie Beth Forakis Kylee Dayne Laura Littleton Mariah Kalia Mary Kate Connor Ray Uriel Talia Smith Tasha Jessen The Voice
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There’s another unfair twist coming this season on “The Voice.”
The new season will unveil changes to the competition, with the introduction of an all-new Playoff Pass, which allows both contenders in a battle to advance and gives the winner a major advantage of being able to skip the Knockout Rounds, inching them one step closer to the live shows.
Each coach will have one Playoff Pass and one Steal. Seven contestants per team will advance, with six competing in the Knockouts and one using the Playoff Pass.