Written by Giavanna Foster

The Voice is an American reality TV singing competition that recognizes aspiring singers, age 13+, who have not been signed to a record label. Fans help pick the winner of each season through voting. The winner receives $100,000 and a record deal with Universal Music Group. Sundance Head won season 11, and 12.14 million viewers watched the finale.

Here are the week 1 highlights of Season 12’s premiere:

On February 27, 13.03 million viewers watched The Voice’s Season 12 premiere. Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani are this season’s coaches. The four teams are named after the coaches’ first names. Miley Cyrus will not coach this season. She is set to return on season 13. The coaches performed TLC’s “Waterfalls” together to start off season 12. This soulful group performance has over 2.7 million YouTube views.

Mark Isaiah sang a soulful rendition of Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy”. This performance featured blue lighting and raw, genuine vocals. Adam and Gwen pushed the “I Want You” button during Isaiah’s performance. A Pennsylvania native, Mark struggled with being overweight before re-building his confidence. Gwen praised Isaiah’s voice and genuine honesty. She added that his voice is “modern” and “sounds like radio”. Stefani then told him that she needed him on her team. Alicia Keys added that Mark’s voice is “so dope”. Adam said that “it’s so obvious that you belong in the current landscape of pop music”. In the end, Mark chose Team Adam.

Joshua “JChosen” Hunter sang a powerful rendition of “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye. JChosen is a 29-year-old former athlete who became a singer after a life-changing injury. A Georgia native, JChosen works with special needs kids as a teacher. All four coaches pushed the “I Want You” button during the performance. JChosen earned a standing ovation from the audience and coaches. Then, Adam hugged JChosen and thanked him.

“Four chairs! What do you feel like?” Gwen asked.

“It’s a dream come true,” JChosen replied.

The coaches agreed that JChosen’s performance was outstanding. Blake commented that every note of JChosen’s performance was pitch-perfect. Adam added that the possibilities are endless because he can do the “Marvin Gaye growl”. Alicia said that “people do not sing like this” and that “it is a blessing to be in your presence”. She also said that he expressed beautiful vulnerability that people don’t usually see. Gwen said that JChosen is a “pure talent” before adding that she would love to work with him. All four coaches fought to have JChosen on their team. In the end, JChosen chose to be on Team Gwen.

Powerhouse vocalist Anatalia Villaranda sang “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars. Anatalia’s high-energy performance featured colorful lighting and effortless vocal runs. Anatalia, a Filipina-American teen, moved the audience. They clapped and sang along throughout the performance. All four coaches pushed the “I Want You” button during her performance. She earned a standing ovation from the audience and coaches.

Even The Voice tweeted about Anatalia’s blind audition:

Alicia Keys praised Anatalia’s powerhouse vocals and said that her family is amazing. Then Blake asked Anatalia to bring her supportive family to the stage. After the coaches met Anatalia’s family, they praised her vocals before convincing her to be on their team.

“This is more than just a voice,” Keys expressed. “This is an artist who is unafraid to express yourself. I would like you to look in your heart and see how important it is for you to be on my team.”

Adam added, “The greatness that you have is something you can’t teach. […] Seriously, I do believe that you could win this entire thing.”

Alicia Keys screamed and jumped for joy after Anatalia chose to be on her team. Anatalia also expressed her excitement after choosing to be on Team Alicia. She tweeted, “OMG WHAAATTTT?!?!? I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M ON #TEAMALICIA ! #VoicePremiere”.

Casi Joy is another fan favorite, whose yodeling skills made her an instant standout. In 18 hours, Casi’s cover of LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue” received over 250k YouTube views. A Kansas native, Casi impressed the audience with her vocal techniques. All the coaches pushed the “I Want You” button during her performance. Adam commended Casi’s yodel skills. Blake said that the song Casi covered “was an instant classic”. He added that Casi’s performance had the same impact that LeAnn Rimes did. All four coaches fought to have Casi on their team. In the end, Casi chose Team Blake.

LeAnn Rimes praised Casi’s yodeling skills through a supportive tweet. “Loving that you can yodel 🙌🏼😊❤,” Rimes tweeted.

The Voice tweeted about Casi Joy’s blind audition and posted a direct link to her audition. Fans responded to The Voice’s tweet, saying that Casi is a great singer. Read some of the supportive tweets below:

https://twitter.com/ArcticMonkey698/status/837528383151992838

https://twitter.com/abzygurl/status/837529480675512320

All four teams are filled with talented singers. Here is the updated list:

  • Team Adam: Johnny Hayes, Mark Isaiah, Jesse Larson, Julien Martinez
  • Team Gwen: Joshua “JChosen” Hunter, Stephanie Rice, Savannah Leighton, Brandon Royal
  • Team Alicia: Anatalia Villaranda, Felicia Temple, Autumn Turner, Lilli Passero, Quizz Swanigan
  • Team Blake: Lauren Duski, Brennley Brown, Aliyah Moulden, Ashley Levin, Casi Joy

The list of teams are also on NBC’s official site. Click here.

The Voice’s season 12 coaches shared their own predictions. First, Alicia Keys predicted that Blake and Adam are going to go at it. Then, Adam and Gwen agreed that Blake will use every opportunity he gets to make fun of Adam. Gwen said she and Adam will fight over an artist at least twice this year. Also, Adam said that he will probably get a country artist this year. Gwen Stefani said that she would become best friends with Alicia. Blake Shelton said that Alicia Keys will continue her run as the worst coach on the Voice. Alicia Keys said that her team will win. Blake said that if his team doesn’t win, then Gwen’s team will win.

Blind auditions, or #VoiceBlinds, will resume next week. The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8/7c.

Follow @NBCTheVoice to receive the latest updates.

Which team are you rooting for this season? Comment below.

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Interested in more @NBCTheVoice news? See the following links:

NBC.com | The Voice coaches perform “Waterfalls”

Twitter | See Adam Levine’s Walk of Fame star

NBC.com | See “The Voice” season 12 contestants

ABS-CBN | Fil-Am teen wows ‘The Voice’ with Bruno Mars hit

The Voice 2017 – Adam Levine: The Fighter (Digital Exclusive)

The Voice 2017 – Alicia Keys: Girl Power (Digital Exclusive)

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