6 Performers Who Didn’t Get a Single Chair Turn on ‘The Voice’ but Really Should Have
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It’s no secret that blind auditions on The Voice can be down right brutal. Even some of the best singers can be turned away because of one aspect of their performance. The Voice created a system where the coaches focus mainly on all of the technical points of singing, taking appearance out of the competition entirely. You could have a great stage presence, but if you hit one bad note, no one will turn for you.
The coaches on The Voice are extremely picky. Even something as small as struggling to hold pitch through nerves could cause you to not make it through to the next round. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great people who come on to the show who are able to have a great blind audition. Equally so, there are some people who are great, but got overwhelmed by their nerves. Here are some acts I think deserved at least one chair turn.
1. Serenity Arce
Serenity sang “I See Red” by Everyone Loves an Outlaw. Although her vocals weren’t bad, the coaches knew she was young by how her voice went off key easily. She is only 14 years-old so they suggested she come back once she a bit older.
Her voice had a lot of grit to it so I seriously couldn’t agree with Ariana Grande more when she said that Serenity will be a rockstar someday. But, Blake Shelton had a good point in saying a year could increase her longevity on the show itself. Hopefully we’ll see her audition again on season 22 of The Voice. Although there’s a strong possibility that Shelton was right, she had what it took to make it to the next round of the competition.
2. Alter Ego‘s Jay Miah
In his 2019 The Voice audition Jay Miah sang “Never Enough” from the film, The Greatest Showman. They performed a beautiful rendition of this song but none of the coaches turned their seats. Instead, the coaches told them that their voice is great. I really hope that this was just near the end of the audition episodes and that’s why they didn’t pick them. This performance did not lack talent in the slightest, so it’s disappointing that they didn’t make it on to a team.
3. Marco Salvador
This 15 year-old came to the stage to sing “Bailamos” by Enrique Iglesias. This young singer put on a heck of a show on the stage, if only the coaches could’ve seen it. When they eventually turned around they were amazed at his age but he had a hard time holding the correct pitch. For such a young artist, it’s clear that he just needs some mentoring related to his pitch issues. Generally speaking though, I thought he had a great stage presence so I could see him auditioning for American Idol next time instead.
4. American Idol‘s Maddie Poppe
Although Maddie originally began on The Voice, she didn’t stop there. She auditioned for The Voice in season 10 singing “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine. She took the rejection of a no chair turn and turned it into motivation to audition elsewhere. She showed America that she was worth more than The Voice was willing to give her when she got a golden ticket, then went on to win season 16 of American Idol in 2018.
5. Jasmine Mills
I was absolutely shocked when the coaches didn’t turn for Jasmine. I really think that they got caught up on her first note that lost pitch quickly (probably due to nerves). She showcased a beautiful low register in this performance, I was yelling “Kelly turn your chair!!” repeatedly at the tv. All of the coaches complimented her talent, but Shelton gave her a wholehearted apology. I think if anything, Legend gave her the best advice. Although this song worked well for her voice, a different one would have suited her better.
6. Kayla Lily
She came to The Voice singing “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman. This is such a big song for an audition, but she performed it with ease. Other than her initially singing the song a bit quick, I didn’t think she did bad at all. She took a risk to sing this song for her blind audition and hit all of the notes. After she finished singing, Kelly Clarkson commented on how she would’ve rather had Kayla introduce her own style than focus on hitting the correct notes. Clarkson begged her to come back because her voice really was quite stunning.
