Christina Aguilera is the only Voice coach without a four-chair turn singer after two episodes of the blind auditions. (NBC Photo)
In case you’ve lost track, five singers have turned all four chairs on The Voice Season 8 so far.
Two have landed on Team Blake. That would be Cody Wickline and Sarah Potenza.
Two have landed on Team Pharrell. That would be Sawyer Fredericks and Anthony Riley.
And one has landed on Team Adam. That would returning contestant DeAnna Johnson.
Want to learn more than the show told you about those contestants? Just follow the links. I’ve posted meet-the-singer blogs on all 16 singers we’ve met so far.
That means you’ll also find profiles of Mia Z, Meghan Linsey and Lowell Oakley of Team Pharrell, Brooke Adee and Joshua Davis of Team Blake; Gabriel Wolfchild, Rob Taylor, Joe Tolo and Treeva Gibson of Team Christina; and Blaze Johnson and Tonya Boyd-Cannon of Team Adam.
Time to meet more singers …
Kelsie May, 15, Louisa, Kent.: She’s just a sophomore in high school and says her passion all her life has been signing, but she never really believed in herself. Her dad, Roy, says the family had a hard time getting her to come out of her shell and perform for others. The alternative: Kelsie started posting YouTube. videos. The response was “overwhelming,” Kelsie said, and in the past year, she’s started performing live as well. She performs to help raise funds for Make-a-Wish, partly on behalf of a good friend who died of cancer. Kelsie will audition with “You’re Looking at Country” by Loretta Lynn. Dad says folks back home are starting to call Kelsie “Little Loretta.” Kelsie is turning in a solid performance, but she’s well into it before Blake turns around. Near the end of the song, he’s joined by Pharrell and Christina. Pharrell says she’s special and it will be “awesome” to watch her on the show. Blake reminds her of all country singers he’s coached who you can now hear on country radio. Kelsie chooses Team Blake.
Kimberly Nichole, 32, New York, N.Y.: People call her the rock ballerina because she wears custom-made tutus on stage. She performs at an exclusive club in New York called “The Box” and sings there five nights a week. After high school, she says she put music on the back-burner so she could become the first college-educated member of her family. She pursued a degree in economics and worked in human resources in the fashion industry. She knew that wasn’t her calling, so she started performing at open mikes. Kimberly describes herself as having a very edgy blues, rock and roll. She’s going to audition with “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike and Tina Turner. The tutu certainly gives her a unique look, but of course, the coaches can’t see that. That said, the vocals are certainly good enough to turn some chairs. OK, Blake’s in. A big ending gets Pharrell to turn his chair, too. Pharrell says he feels her soul and her blues and calls her voice “amazing.” Kimberly lands on Team Pharrell.
Michael Leier, 20, Fargo, N.D.: When he was 12, he taught himself to play guitar by listening to music and trying to get it as close to the recordings as he possibly could. At 16, he started a band with a couple of buddies. A couple weeks later, they were playing in downtown Fargo. Pretty soon, they were playing rock and roll in area bars, too. After high school, the group split up, going their separate ways, and Michael became a pre-med student. A year later, he realizes he’s not nearly as passionate about that as music. Oh, and he notes there aren’t a ton of musical opportunities in a place like Fargo. He launches into a performance of “Last Kiss” and immediately displays a really nice voice, though he sounds just a tad nervous. Adam turns around. Blake joins him near the end of the songs. So it’s Adam vs. Blake again. Adam likes the fact that Michael did his own version of the song and compliments him on the power in his voice. Blake calls him a phenomenal singer. Michael joins Team Adam.
Hannah Ellis, 24, Campbellsville, Ky.: Her parents were both wedding singers. Her mom says they’d pull Hannah on stage and she loved performing, anytime, anywhere. When she was just 11, Hannah entered a Colgate Country Showcase competition. “I said, ‘I just love this,” Hannah recalls. In 2013, she moved to Nashville and interned with a record label in town and that helped her understand the business. She does a lot of small shows, but says she also works odd jobs. She also works as a nanny and a substitute teacher. She’s also a part-time window and door salesman, working for her dad. “It would be nice to make music actually a career,” she says. She’s singing “This is for the Girls.” The opening is actually a little rough. And she failed to turn a chair.
Travis Ewing, 23, Lafayette, La.: He’s a full-time musician who plays all over town as a one-man band. He can play drums, beat box and play rhythm using a loop pedal. He’s attended college at LSU, doing gigs a couple times a week. The largest show he’s played is in front of about 350 people. He says his love of music began in seventh grade when a teacher starting giving him solos. At first, he wasn’t exactly enthused by the idea. But his teacher continued pushing him, pulling him out of his shell, and he eventually came to enjoy it. He’s going to do a slowed down version of “Say My Name.” He’s barely begun when Christina turns around. Travis is turning in a solid performance. He nails one heck of a glory note midway through and enticed Blake and Pharrell to spin their chairs as well. Pharrell calls him a really good singer not afraid to mix things up. And Travis opts to join Team Pharrell.
Not, we meet some singers via montage …
Noelle Bybee sings “Unbelievers” and lands a spot on Team Pharrell.
Bren’nae DeBarge sings “Golden” and lands a spot on Team Adam.
James McNeiece sings “Lay Me Down” and lands a spot on Team Adam.
Sonic, 23, San Francisco, Calif.: She says living in San Fran has opened her up to different types of muisc. When she was 14, she was signed to a label and did a few mini-tours. She calls the experience “a little overwhelming” and says the image created for her was “diva-like.” After four years, a album never came out. She says that experience put her in a low place and it took her a while to get back into music. For the past five years, she’s been playing in a band. She also does makeup and designs jewelry. Sonic says she’s been singing since age 10, even though she was deaf in one year since age 6. She’s going to sing “Money on My Mind,” and immediately displays great range and gets Adam and Christina to turn around. Adam says “you knew this girl could sing from the first note.” And Sonic joins Team Christina.
Ella Khorov, 17, New Orleans, La.: Ella says she’s been going to jazz festivals “since I came out of my mother’s stomach.” She started off with classical training, and has branched out into other areas. She’s also been a competitive swimmer. Her mom’s bout with breast cancer taught her how to be brave in the face of adversity. Ella says she doesn’t perform a lot, so The Voice audition ranks as her biggest performance so far. Ella is auditioning with “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” and she immediately displays a unique tone. But Ella gets derailed midway through the performance and can’t get a chair to turn.
Jacob Rummell, 18, Hartville, Ohio: Jacob and one of his sisters are adopted. His parents had a biological daughter who was born with a genetic disease, so they decided to adopt rather than have more children. Jacob has been with the family since birth. He’s been in show choirs, and is fresh out of high school. “I want to pursue music, but I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admits, saying The Voice is a good alternative to college. He predicts the coaches will be surprised by his voice. He’s going to sing “Count on Me.” Oh, and I can see what he means about his voice; it’s very high. It’s also very good. Adam and Blake turn around for his unique performance. Pharrell says he has “a sick voice.” Adam compares Jacob to a young Michael Jackson. And Jacob pulls a shocker and picks Team Blake.
Barry Minniefield, 52, Fort Wayne, Indiana: He used to be the executive chef at the Hollywood Improv. When he was 12, he loved to sing, but became a chef. In 1996, he took the job at the Improv, but said he would sing while he worked. He eventually started a catering business, too. Then he retired and headed to Palm Springs where he performs. The former chef will audition with “Me and Mrs. Jones.” At the very last second, Adam turns around. It was a well-deserved turn, given the glory notes Barry was belting out. And so Barry joins Team Adam.
Now, another montage sequence during which we meet, very briefly …
Nicolette Mare, who lands on Team Adam
Matt Snook, who lands on Team Blake
and Clinton Washington, who lands on Team Christina
India Carney, 21, Brooklyn, N.Y.: She’s in the music department at UCLA. Her mom works in finance and her dad is a teacher, so they aren’t necessarily musical, but India says she’s spent most of her life pursuing musical education. At age 11, she started looking for middle schools with musical programs. She attended the Fame School in New York. She’s been trained classically, but says she’s always wanted a “pop coach.” She plans to sing “New York State of Mind,” which she says will make her feel at home on The Voice stage. Christina turns around on the second line of the song. She’s followed by Blake as it becomes obvious that this is the best singer we’ve heard tonight. Near the end of the song, they’re joined by Pharrell and Adam. And India delivers her best vocals once all four coaches have already turned. Christina calls her “a vocal beast.” Blake says he fell in love with her voice as soon as she started singing. Adam says India was so good, he had to turn his chair. India joins Team Christina, becoming her first four-chair turn recipient.
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