‘The Voice’ Recap: The Top 8 Pull Out All the Stops in the Semifinals
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
The Voice Season 21 returned on Monday night for the Semifinals. The Top 8 artists each performed twice during the show — one solo performance and one duet with another artist on a classic from the ’90s.
The singers pulled out all the stops this week, as the coaches emphasized how important this round of the competition is. Their solo song choices showed off their greatest strengths, and the duets were a lot of fun. Team Blake has the most artists left with three. Team Legend and Team Kelly each have two, and Team Ariana has one.
Voting is open to viewers until 7 a.m. ET on Tuesday morning. Only five of the remaining artists will move on to next week’s finale after Tuesday night’s results show, with three artists being eliminated. Be sure to get those votes in for your favorites.
Wendy Moten Breaks the Coaches’ Brains with ‘The Voice’ Top 8 Performance
One of the most memorable performances of the night came from Team Blake’s Wendy Moten, who sang “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Wendy is still healing from her onstage fall a couple of weeks ago, but that didn’t stop her from putting on an epic show.
The Voice coaches were flabbergasted, especially Ariana Grande, who said it was “the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen” and called Wendy a “gift from God.” She ended up literally bowing down to the singer. The coaches were especially amazed by the fact that Wendy belted out the song while sitting on a stool. Blake Shelton said that “history just happened.”
Moten also teamed up with fellow Team Blake star Paris Winningham during the episode to sing “Change the World” by Eric Clapton. The performance really showed off their amazing range. “Those are my students!” Shelton screamed after they sang.
Jim and Sasha Allen Pick the Perfect Song for the Semifinals
Team Ariana’s father-son duo Jim and Sasha Allen decided to go back to the folksy style that they started off the season with by singing “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel. They sounded like they were born to sing the iconic song, showing off some great harmonies and guitar-playing.
John Legend said it was the perfect song for them, calling the performance “comforting.” Kelly Clarkson pointed out that Paul Mirkovich, the show’s musical director, was actually singing along as they performed. She said that’s the first time she’s ever seen that happen.
Jim and Sasha were up for the Instant Save a couple of weeks ago, but America saved them. They made a comeback last week, going straight through thanks to the overnight vote. Their coach Ariana Grande thinks they’ll make it to the finale. After that performance, we wouldn’t be surprised.
Jershika Maple, Joshua Vacanti Slay an Alanis Morissette Cover
For their ’90s duet, Team Legend singers Jershika Maple and Joshua Vacanti joined forces to sing “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette. The grungy song seemed like an unusual choice for the two artists, but they totally rose to the occasion.
The pair put their sweet friendship on display for the fun performance, which really showcased their vocal ability. At one point, Jershika even played the harmonica, which totally took the performance to the next level. This was definitely the coolest duet of the night.
Jershika and Joshua also delivered solid solo performances. Jershika sang an emotional cover of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” while Joshua performed Celine Dion’s “Ashes,” which was co-written by former The Voice winner Jordan Smith.
SEE ALSO: BLAKE SHELTON MAKES FUN OF ARIANA GRANDE FOR CRYING ON ‘THE VOICE’
‘The Voice’ Frontrunners Girl Named Tom Deliver Another Ethereal Performance
Team Kelly’s sibling trio Girl Named Tom returned to the stage on Monday night to prove why they’re frontrunners this season. They performed “River” by Joni Mitchell. All three singers really got their chance to shine during this performance, which was great to see.
Bekah also shared that a previous Joni Mitchell cover she posted online earned the attention of the singer herself, who sent Bekah a box set of her CDs for her 21st birthday. They did Mitchell justice once again with this beautiful performance.
Clarkson praised how much preparation the group puts into their performances, saying they “care about every moment.” She called it the “most special thing I have ever seen on this show.”
Next week is the Season 21 finale of The Voice. Five artists will move on after tonight, no matter whose team they’re on. Who had your favorite Top 8 performance?
