The Voice 11 Blind Auditions Olympic Premiere (VIDEO)

THE VOICE -- "Blind Auditions" -- Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Blake Shelton -- (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Tonight after the Olympics we’ll get a first glimpse of The Voice season 11. The 30 minute preview includes a performance of Aerosmith’s “Dream On” by the coaches and TWO blind auditions.

For the first time ever, two female will sit on the panel. New coaches Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys will join veterans Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. The quartet will vie for the most talented singers to choose their teams.

Expect tonight’s auditions to show off the personalities of Miley and Alicia. There’s even a coach/contestant duet happening, according to spoilers! The Voice 11 begins officially on Monday Sept. 19 on NBC. In the meantime, enjoy the preview!

ETA: A few of my thoughts on tonight’s preview. Alicia Keys is a bit like a female Pharrell Williams. She hits hard, emphasizing the singer’s individuality, promising she’ll help them be the best they can be, without compromising themselves. Miley talks a mile a minute. I can’t decide if I’m going to like her or not. So far, I’m not seeing much depth to how she presents herself to singers, but I’ll be interested in how she eventually mentors her team. Blake and Adam are…well. Unchanged. It’ll be more of the “bro show” this season. Likely Miley and Alicia will be ganging up on them a lot. The narrative will be girl/newbie power. It’ll be interesting to see how the teams shape up. Production did everything they could last season to get an Xtina win. We’ll see how heavy handed they are during the coming weeks.

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We waste no time. It’s straight into the first Blind Audition.

Wé McDonald – Feeling Good – 17 – Harlem NY – Miley is the first coach to turn, then everyone else in short order. Well, Adam is last, actually. Wé sings with a burnished, muscular alto. She’s got a very unusual quality to her voice. But then, her speaking voice turns out to be MUCH higher pitched than her vocal! Interesting. I’m intrigued. Miley says, “You are a total star!” Alicia calls the singer beautiful and perfect. Wé reveals she was bullied in school. “You’ve got a friend in all of us!” declares Miley. Blake says he’d do anything to be her coach! The family claps at that. Heh. Adam calls her performance “remarkable.” He’ll throw her a party if he chooses her! “You came to this show to meet me! I’m not playing,” insists Alicia. “I don’t want to be like anyone else. I don’t want YOU to be like anyone else.” Wé’s family joins her onstage at this point. Alicia has game! And of course, Wé picks Alicia She picked Alicia because “everything felt honest and real.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAPWUdxdOV4

Darby Walker – “Stand By Me” – 17 – Atlanta Ga – Darby and her family moved to Los Angeles at 9 years of age so she could pursue her career. Ooohhh. A quirky girl. And she sings the quirky version of “Stand By Me.” Darby has one of those warbly voices that the kids seem to love. She got a four three chair turn. No Adam. Blake was the last to turn. Miley admires her shaky vibrato, because she’s got it too! So of course, Miley joins Darby on stage for a rendition of “Jolene.” Miley does a little jig. She really wants Darby on her team. Blake puts on a pair of headphones to block out the annoying Miley. Her mouth runs a mile a minute. I have a feeling once the live shows begin, I’ll be pushing the mute button on her. Alicia loves the power in Darby’s tone. She’ll help her refine her individuality. Darby calls herself “indie alternative” but she’s into everything! Blake noted a soulful touch to her voice. Not to be outdone, Alicia joins Darby on stage to sing a little “No One.” CLIFFHANGER. We’ll find out who Darby chooses after the break. And Darby Chooses Miley. Who didn’t see that coming! Darby agrees that she and Miley have similar voices and will be able to help her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S51ldd1Hg50

The show ends with the FOUR SUPERSTAR COACHES performing Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” Alicia is on keyboards. Blake is sans instrument. Adam plays lead guitar and sings the big high note. That must have kept post pretty busy. Heh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l2HQdPt92U

Oh. After clips of the upcoming season, the show ended with a silent memorial card in honor of the late Christina Grimmie. See American Idol, that’s how you do it. No big deal, just make note of an alum who sadly passed.

christinagrimmie-inmemorium

NEW PROMO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_tpnP_CEdM

POLLS!

Miley Cyrus Yay or Nay

Alicia Keys Yay or Nay

The Voice 11 Preview – Grade the Episode!

NBC supplied biographies for each of the singers showcased tonight. If you’d like to learn more about them:

Wé McDonald

Age: 17

Hometown: Harlem, NY

The name Wé is Kenyan for “diligence”, which is something that she has had her entire life. At nine, Wé started singing when her older sister expressed interest in performing. Her father helped her get into vocal lessons at the “Harlem School of the Arts,” which she still attends after school and on weekends. Wé has performed at The Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and most recently at the Apollo Theatre. Though Wé has always found her place with music, she struggled to fit in at school. Kids teased her for her high-pitched voice and thick glasses, but she focused on her aspirations as a singer and slowly things got better. Now she embraces her differences and is hoping her uniqueness will help her stand out on “The Voice.”

Darby Walker

Age: 17

Hometown: Lawrenceville, GA

Darby has wanted to be a singer since she could speak. She started acting lessons at six, and songwriting at 10. After her ninth birthday, her mom packed up her and her sisters’ home in Georgia and moved them to Southern California to further her career. Darby has taken part in various showcases since moving to Los Angeles and mostly performs at coffee shops and charity events. Unfortunately, her father passed away when she was 13, and while she was devastated, music helped her cope with her loss. She feels that making it on “The Voice” will be a great way to pay homage to her father. Darby spends her free time helping her mother babysit children with Autism.

About mj santilli 34841 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!