Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Adam Levine poses with his final five singers on The Voice, Nathan Hermida, DeAnna Johnson, Brian Johnson, Tonya Boyd-Cannon and Joshua Davis. (NBC Photo)

The Voice goes live this week.

And voters will get a say in the outcome for the first time.

In fact, they’ll pick two members of each team to advance to the Season 8 finals. Then each coach will select one of his remaining three singers to advance as well.

Below is a look at how each singer got to the live playoffs, followed by my prediction on who will advance.

Follow the link attached to each singer’s name and you’ll find a bio blog, complete with pre-Voice videos.

And check back Monday and Tuesday for a live blog with song-by-song grades.

Brian Johnson: He’s the guy who said he was bullied in school for his weight and his singing and had little confidence. Later, in college, he formed a group called The Rescued and has been performing ever since. Brian, 24, of Cleveland, Ohio, sang Rod Stewart’s “Reason to Believe” in the blind audition, turned two chairs and joined Team Blake. Brian was pitted against Joshua Davis in the battle round. They sang “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Blake declared Brian the winner; Joshua was stolen by Adam. In the knockout round, he was matched against four-chair turn recipient Sarah Potenza. Brian performed James Morrison’s “Nothing Ever Hurt Like You.” Sarah was declared the winner, but Brian escaped elimination when he was stolen by Adam Levine.

DeAnna Johnson: She’s The Voice’s comeback kid of Season 8. She failed to turn a chair when she tried out in Season 5. This year, the 18-year-old from Hazlehurst, Ga., auditioned with Kodaline’s “All I Want” and got all four coaches to turn around. She was pitted against Nicolette Mare in the battle round. They sang “Love Me Like You Do” in a performance that was part of a montage. Adam declared DeAnna the winner; Nicolette was eliminated. In the knockout round, she was matched against Blaze Johnson. DeAnna performed a slowed-down, acoustic version of Roxette’s “Listen to My Heart.” She was declared the winner again, earning a spot in the live playoffs.

Joshua Davis: He’s now the oldest contestant remaining on the show and has been making a living playing music for about 15 years, releasing three solo albums in the process. Joshua, 37, of Traverse City, Mich., performed Bob Dylan’s “I Shall be Released” in the blind auditions, turned two chairs and joined Team Blake. He was pitted against Brian Johnson in the battle round. They sang “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Blake declared Brian the winner; Joshua was stolen by Adam. In the knockout round, he went up against Lexi Davila. He sang “In the Arms of the Woman” and was declared the winner. Joshua’s cover of the Amos Lee tune wound up being the only single from the third night of the knockout round to crack the Top 200 on iTunes’ singles chart.

Nathan Hermida: He’s an R&B, pop and soul singer who attends the prestigious Boston Latin School, where he’s a member of the choir and an a cappella group. Nathan, 17, of Boston, Mass., auditioned with Miquel’s “Sure Thing.” He turned two chairs and joined Team Adam. We saw just a snippet of his battle round victory over Josh Batstone; they sang “Thinking Out Loud.” In the knockout round, he was pitted against Clinton Washington. Nathan performed Sam Smith’s “Leave Your Lover” and made the live playoffs when Adam declared him the winner.

Tonya Boyd-Cannon: She’s the director of a prison choir in New Orleans, but says she’s been doing plenty of singing on her own around that city since she was 16. Tonya, 35, sang Pharrell’s own “Happy” in the blind auditions. Three coaches turned around, including Pharrell, but she joined Team Adam. Tonya was pitted against James McNeiese in the battle round. They sang Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing.” Adam declared Tonya the winner; James was eliminated. In the knockout round, she was matched up against Barry Minniefield. She sang “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder and was again declared the winner.

Prediction: Joshua Davis might have been the most astute steal of Season 8. The guy’s a consummate professional with a knack for performing songs that will register with viewers at home. DeAnna Johnson has a wonderfully unique tone and a good-sized fan base that could sweep her into the finals. My guess is likable Brian Johnson gets the third spot, which would give Adam two former Team Blake members in the finals. Wouldn’t Adam love to beat Blake with someone stolen from his team?