Younger and Stronger on THE VOICE Season 12 Premiere Recap

Nick Viall’s Regret on THE BACHELOR Season 21 Fantasy Suite Week
March 4, 2017
Unapologetic Nick on THE BACHELOR: THE WOMEN TELL ALL Recap
March 7, 2017
Nick Viall’s Regret on THE BACHELOR Season 21 Fantasy Suite Week
March 4, 2017
Unapologetic Nick on THE BACHELOR: THE WOMEN TELL ALL Recap
March 7, 2017
Show all

Younger and Stronger on THE VOICE Season 12 Premiere Recap

NBC’s semi-professional singing competition show THE VOICE returned for season 12 with a newly lowered age from 14 to 13 for contestants to try their luck on the show. The returning coaches were Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys, and Gwen Stefani. The year-long real-life relationship of Gwen and Blake came into play when competing for the same singers while trying to build the strongest teams possible.

Gwen tried to convince some of the Country talent that they could go with her and still reap from the benefits of getting Blake’s help. Well, not only did that NOT work, Blake also attested that “this is a competition. I’m not helping you!”

HOLLYWOOD JUNKET got a chance to talk to some of the contestants after their Blind Auditions during a press conference call. Keep reading to learn more about this season’s ‘VOICE contestants and a recap of their Blind Auditions.

VOICE BLIND AUDITIONS NIGHT 1:

MARK ISAIAH is 19-years-old. COACHES:Adam vs. Gwen. He picked TEAM ADAM.

BRENNLEY BROWN is 14 years old and sang “Stupid Boy”. COACHES: Blake vs. Alicia. Brennley said her inspirations are Country legends Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Faith Hill. Blake said he could help her make her mark on Country Music. Alicia argued that she started out at 14 years old and she can relate being in music as a woman. “Country and Soul music are sisters,” Alicia argued. Brennley picked TEAM BLAKE. She said she went with her “roots in Country music”.

The Voice season 12, Brennley Brown

Brennley Brown, (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Brennley’s INTERVIEW: She said when Alicia turned, it was “very unexpected”. She said in talking with Blake, there was a real connection and has been listening to Blake since she was very young. Though the decision between Alicia and Blake was tough, Brennley said when she heard her Dad backstage yelling “go with your roots”, she chose Blake.

During her audition, Brennley said she sung from her heart with passion and wasn’t focused on getting a chair turn. Except when they didn’t turn right away, it pushed Brennley to work harder to give it her all towards the end of her song.

Great news for Country music fans, Brennley plans to break-out some classic Country songs if she proceeds in the competition. “I would love to do some old-school Country music like Merle Haggard and some Willie Nelson songs.” She said “the lyrics of those songs, I think it really touches your heart. I think America would like to hear something authentic and real like those lyrics are.”

FELICIA TEMPLE (28 years). She was battling stomach cancer and had to put her music on hold. Adam said he heard a little Alicia in her. Felicia picked TEAM ALICIA after she and Alicia sang “Keep Falling in Love with You” together.

The Voice season 12, Felicia Temple

Felicia Temple (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

The other contestants who made it through their Blind Auditions on Monday were: J. Chosen (TEAM GWEN), Johnny Hayes (TEAM ADAM), Lauren Duski (TEAM BLAKE), Stephanie Rice (TEAM GWEN), Anatalia Villaranda (TEAM ALICIA).

The Voice season 12, Stephanie  Rice

Stephanie Rice (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Team Gwen’s Stephanie Rice is the daughter of a preacher. Her family disowned her when she came out of the closet as being a lesbian. During her interview she said she hasn’t heard from her family yet. But, after her Blind Audition, she received a lot of support from viewers of the show.

VOICE BLIND AUDITIONS NIGHT 2

The Voice season 12, Autumn Turner

Autumn Turner (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

AUTUMN TURNER sang “Last Dance” by Donna Summer. She said being on “The Voice” felt like her last chance. Autumn was a figure skater as a child and now coaches. Adam told her she could “easily win this show.” Autumn picked TEAM ALICIA because she said all the same stuff she says to her students.

JESSE LARSON sang “Jealous Guy” while playing the guitar. TEAM ADAM was the only one who turned. “The way you sing and the way you play is one of the coolest things I’ve ever heard” Adam said and compared Jesse to Cee Lo Green and Eddie Vedder.

ALIYAH MOULDEN sang “Hound Dog”. She is 15-years-old. COACHES: Blake, Alicia, Gwen turned. Aliyah surprisingly chose TEAM BLAKE. Blake was also shocked and reacted “no one is more surprised than I am.” He told her “you are built for this competition.” She said watching previous seasons influenced her choice in picking Blake. Her mom was rooting for Gwen.

SAVANNAH LEIGHTON – COACHES: Blake vs. Gwen. Blake said Savannah is his chance to live out his dream as a girl singer. Savannah picked Gwen. She said she can connect more with TEAM GWEN who has “girl power” and can teach her how to be more confident on stage.

LILLI PASSERO – (26 years old) is a waitress/actress in Los Angeles in Studio City. She sang “A Love of My Own” which she said was risky since it’s an old-fashioned song. COACHES: Blake, Alicia, Gwen turned. Lilli is inspired by Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye. Alicia agreed that songs from the 50’s and 60’s are emotional and said she’d like to explore that with her. Gwen said her voice has a “theatrical style.” Alicia serenaded Lily hardcore and told her she’d show her how to put her emotions out there. Lily chose TEAM ALICIA.

VOICE BLIND AUDITIONS NIGHT 3:

ASHLEY LEVIN is a country singer. Adam said she’s the physical embodiment of a “natural ray of sunshine.” COACHES: Gwen, Blake, Ailcia. Gwen promised her “a whole career afterward.”

BRANDON ROYAL who is a fire-fighter, had put music on the back burner before going onto “The Voice.” He sang Stevie Wonder. Alicia said it took “balls” to sing Stevie Wonder. COACHES: Gwen vs. Blake. Brandon picked TEAM GWEN. Gwen said her and Brandon have the same taste in music.

The Voice season 12, Brandon Royal

Brandon Royal (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Brandon’s INTERVIEW: Brandon said after he got chair turns “it was an explosion inside!” He stated that for all the contestants on the show, “we all want to be musicians and we all want to make music our main careers. We all want to be famous.” He said at that moment when a musical legend turns around, he had to do his best to try to contain himself in order to get through the rest of the audition.

JULIEN MARTINEZ teaches meditation and photography. COACHES: Adam vs. Blake. Adam said he thought Julien was gong to be a big guy on a Harley. Adam said that last note, when Julien was screaming, sounded like the birth of Satan. Blake said Julien has the best scream in the music industry and needs a really manly guy on his team. Julien picked TEAM ADAM.

The Voice season 12, Julien Martinez

Julien Martinez (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Julien’s INTERVIEW: Julien said when he got through most of his audition with having no coaches turn, he thought “I went into this audition, basically with I’m going to do the best that I can for myself.” When they weren’t turning around, he said it put more fuel to his fire. He said, “If I can just rock it out, I’ll be good!” What resulted was “the birth of Satan” (as Adam said) at the end with Julien screaming.

The typical reaction to his voice is the one that Adam had. He said most people expect a big guy with a beard. Julien said his motivation for choosing Adam was because they both have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). He wants to get some tips on how to keep pursuing music while having the impairment of ADHD. He also chose Adam because “he is very diverse in music.”

The Voice season 12, Quizz Swanigan

Quizz Swanigan (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

QUIZZ SWANIGAN is 13-years-old. He regularly performs as Michael Jackson. His family moved to L.A. in order for Quizz to go to auditions. He’s thankful that “The Voice” lowered the age to 13. COACHES: Gwen vs. Alicia. Alicia said she knew his voice was young and energetic. Quizz picked TEAM ALICIA.

CASI JOY got a four-chair-turn. COACHES: Alicia, Gwen, Blake, and Adam. Blake said he knew that song so well and it was an “instant classic.” Blake compared her to LeAnn Rimes and the fact that she yodels. Alicia encouraged her to “shock the world” and chose her. Or, shock the world and chose Gwen and get “a two for one.” She chose Blake. Blake was ecstatic and said he was getting worried for a minute. Blake reacted “Casi is an absolute breath of fresh air” and thinks she could win this season.

HOLLYWOOD HEADLINES

Fandango

Comments are closed.

Translate »