The Voice returned for its 26th season on Monday night (September 23) with the first round of Blind Auditions, and one singer in particular had the coaches up on their feet.
The premiere episode saw the return of Gwen Stefani to the iconic red chairs, making her eighth appearance as a coach alongside first-time coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé. Last season’s winning coach, Reba McEntire, was also back in the hopes of becoming a back-to-back victor.
There were many memorable moments across the two-hour premiere, but perhaps none more than the emotional performance from 16-year-old ChrisDeo from Queens, New York. Speaking before her performance, ChisDeo revealed she lives with her single mother and three sisters in the projects, where there are shootings and gang activity around her.
ChrisDeo took to the stage where she performed a stunning rendition of Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up,” which quickly earned a chair turn from Snoop Dogg. Just as the performance came to a close, Bublé also hit his button and turned his chair for the young singer.
The emotions all got to be a little too much for the 16-year-old, who started crying. Stefani and McEntire rushed to the stage to hug and offer support for the overwhelmed ChrisDeo. “Those guys are gonna take good care of you,” McEntire said.
Stefani described ChrisDeo’s voice as “angelic” and “like a diamond in the rough.” She said the coaches would guide her, noting, “Right now you have Michael Bublé, who is one of the greatest singers of all time, and Snoop Dogg, who is my idol.”
ChrisDeo explained her emotions, revealing that she’s a street singer in New York and often experiences people laughing at her. “Everybody was so happy to see me, and I’ve never felt that before,” she said.
The Voice/YouTube
“When I heard your first note, I knew to turn and hit that button,” Snoop Dogg stated. “And then to hear your story, because you had the confidence to come up here and sing after saying that they laughed at you. But we couldn’t hear that. You are strong. You have a gift, and you’re young, so you’ve still got time to grow and learn how to cry tears of happiness.”
This heartfelt pitch was enough to convince ChrisDeo to join Team Snoop.
Elsewhere in the episode, Filipino singer Sofronio Vasquez earned an almost instant four-chair turn for his incredible rendition of Mary J. Blige’s R&B classic “I’m Goin’ Down.”
Meanwhile, Team Stefani picked up Jan Dan, whose mother was R&B singer Fundisha, and Team Bublé landed Kiara Vega, who performed on stage for the very first time, singing a cover of Spanish singer Rocío Dúrcal’s “Amor Eterno.”
Stefani landed another potential superstar later in the episode with Sydney Sterlace, a 15-year-old high school student who performed a stunning version of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License.”
The episode also introduced a brand new twist for Season 26, the Coaches’ Replay. This new power allows the coaches to hit their button and turn their chair after the audition is over. However, each coach only has the option to do this once across the season.
McEntire was the first to use her Coaches’ Replay power after she regretted not turning for country singer Kendall Eugene. “I liked everything about it… I don’t understand why I did not turn around,” McEntire said before using her Coaches’ Replay button and adding Eugene to Team Reba.
What do you think of this new twist? Who impressed you the most in the premiere? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
The Voice, Season 26, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC
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