The Voice Season 24 Preview: 20 Artists to Watch!
The Voice Season 24 is right around the corner with the season premiering on September 25th. New coach Reba McEntire (country singer and actress) joins returning coaches including reigning champion Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani fresh off of husband’s Blake Shelton’s departure, and John Legend who returns after one season off. Reba looks to bring country expertise which should lead to a good chunk of country contestants.
It appears Season 24 will have a Top 56 again like last fall, and here are 20 names to look out based on being featured promos, reported 4-chair turns, and past fame,. We also have a few singing show alums and The Voice no-chair turn returnees. It should be a season full of singing talent!
As Seen in a Promo
We’ve identified all but one of the artists featuring in this promo, the first The Voice promo to feature artists.
Nini Iris
Nini’s raspy popstar voice cuts through the track of Everybody Loves an Outlaw’s “I See Red” in the largest promo of the season, featuring what appears to be potential 4-Chair turns. 2023 may just be the year of Georgia (the Eastern European country) on American singing TV shows (Nutsa, another singer from Georgia made the top 12 on American Idol in 2023). It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t Nini’s first go-around on singing shows. She (as Nini Bregvadze) was on The Voice Georgia in 2012 as well as X Factor Georgia in 2015. On The X Factor, she made it all the way to the Top 3. That is not a surprise when you have a voice with as much power and range as Nini does.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
X Factor Performance:
“Dream On”:
Deejay Young
Deejay is another singer spotted in the promo. According to his bio on Spotify, he is a 4 time independent music winner, which includes being a ballot contender for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. He also was hand selected by the likes of Gospel greats (Yolanda Adams, the Winans, and Mary Mary) to perform at the Essence Music Festival in 2014. Recently, he has been performing in musical theater, including starring in Hamilton’s 1st National Tour as a standby for multiple lead roles. He also had a viral cover with Voiceplay of “Man In The Mirror” which has over 970K views on YouTube. His voice is both emotive and soulful with great control and a hint of jazz.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“The Room Where it Happens” Cover on Official Hamilton page :
Viral Voiceplay Cover:
Ruby Leigh
Ruby Leigh Pearson is a 16-year-old country singer from Foley, Missouri, and she is another singer from the promo where it appears Niall puts on a country accent to fight Reba to woo Ruby onto his team. She often gigs, and has a very classic country sound to her voice, incorporating yodels and big notes with impressive breath control. She has been performing since she was very young and has performed competitively as well as appeared on many Opry stages. She has won several regional and local contests, and has opened for Tracy Lawrence and Clint Black.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Heart Like a Truck” Cover:
Taylor Deneen
Taylor is from Oklahoma City and has studied at the Berklee College of Music. According to her Berklee bio, she has performed in front of Missy Elliott and Chaka Khan. She was a full scholarship recipient and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music degree in professional music and contemporary writing and production. Taylor may be one of the most gifted vocalists this year, incorporating classic soul and jazz sounds into modern R&B style music. Her style is a bit reminiscent of current great soul vocalist Jazmine Sullivan.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Rearview” Sofar Sounds:
Four-Chair Worthy Contestants
Jarae Womack
JaRae is a singer from Florida who makes music with meaning. Back in 2014, she released “Sound of a Woman” which was featured in a few publications as it was dedicated to women who had endured domestic abuse. The song was featured when she got to meet Demi Lovato in an ET appearance after turning down a 6-month nightclub gig where she auditioned with Demi’s “Sorry Not Sorry.” She was awarded studio time and got to attend Demi’s concert. Jarae’s has got talent in her blood being the great granddaughter of Sam Cooke and niece of Bobby Womack. She combines soul, jazz, and hip hop in her sound as a talented singer and rapper.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
Demi ET:
“Open My Heart” Cover:
Huntley
Michael Huntley, better known as Huntley, is a soulful country and southern rock singer from Fredericksburg, Virginia. He has the type of raspy voice that cuts through; one that is simply satisfying to the brain. His sound reminds me a bit of Darius Rucker’s voice in Hootie and the Blowfish as well as hints of Teddy Swims. Huntley has years of experience which dates back to winning Fredericksburg Idol in 2011 where Idol winner Ruben Studdard was a celebrity judge. Although never aired, it appears back in Season 14 of the actual American Idol, Huntley advanced to Hollywood week.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Fire and Flame” Original:
Lila Forde
Lila is a Los Angeles based indie jazz and folk singer-songwriter who performs local shows. She’s a USC Thornton School of Music Jazz studies graduate. During college, she was awarded the Manilow Music Scholarship which awards students across the U.S. studying music. She is very gifted as her jazzy runs and musicality are incredible; her style is reminiscent of singers like Norah Jones and Emily King as it is very loungey while remaining soulful.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Honesty” Original:
Willie Gomez
Willie is a Spanish pop singer and dancer originally from the Dominican Republic. He has performed as a professional backup dancer with Britney Spears, Kesha, and Kylie Minogue. He even appeared in Britney’s “Womanizer” music video. He also was a dancer on the first season of the U.S. version of The X Factor. Recently he has been building a music career which involves smooth latin pop sounds like his song Mojados which has 1.3 million streams. His style is very modern and involves high levels of entertainment, so I’m excited to see what he brings to a competition so heavily focused on vocals.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
Tu Lógica Original Live:
Latinx Now Appearance:
Jenna Marquis
Jenna is featured in a promo that reveals that this season has the most 4 chair turns of all time, so it appears she too may be a 4 chair turner. Jenna was on Season 20 of American Idol and made it to the top 59 where she was cut, but was never aired. Fun Fact: she was the only missing member of the top 59 that year for spoilers but was later revealed to have made it that far. Her cover of “Take Me to Church” on Tik Tok has 922.5K likes and 4.6 million views. Jenna’s voice is one of my favorites of the potential contestants. Her voice fits in modern pop music, and the low notes is where she truly shines.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Take Me to Church” Cover:
Promo:
Chechi Sarai
Chechi is a Nigerian pop and R&B singer, originally from Michigan and now based in Los Angeles. She has a breathy tone with crazy technical ability. She has a very wide range, possessing the ability to easily hit whistle notes. Based on her original music, her effortless style reminds me a bit of Kelly Rowland and Ciara, only with more range.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Lovin You” Cover:
The Voice No Chair Returnees
Sophia Hoffman
Sophia was a no-chair turn in Season 23 auditioning with a Spanish song by Rocío Dúrcal titled “Amor Eterno”, but her appearance in the promo above indicates she may have turned it around this season. The singer from Chula Vista sang a song that the judges did not appear to know, yet they were very close to turning as she displayed her range. Although the song showed off her wide register, it was a bit sleepy for a blind audition choice. Kelly Clarkson advised her to choose a song that shows off every part of her voice, so we will see if she took her advice this time around, as her tone is very delicate and pretty. A bit of a diamond in the rough, with polishing she could be great.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
Season 23 Audition:
“Back to Black” Cover:
Al Boogie
Like Sophia above, Al was a no-chair turn in Season 23. He is a country rock singer, and in his first audition he brought the energy singing “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt. Although the song was a blast and the crowd fed off his energy, it didn’t necessarily show off his voice fully. Blake and Kelly said they didn’t turn due to a lack of dynamics.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
Season 23 Audition:
American Idol Alums
Mac Royals
Mac Royals also known as Malcolm Allen, may be a familiar name. When he was 21, he auditioned for Season 13 of American Idol, and he made it all the way to the Top 20. He since has reinvented himself as Mac Royals. His cover of Snoh Aalegra’s “I Want You Around” has 622K likes and 2.8 million views on Tik Tok. His voice is smooth and his control on riffs and runs is incredible. I have a feeling he could go further than Top 20 in this season. His voice has much improved since Idol when he was already good. He also has worked with artists like Stevie Wonder and P. Diddy, and he was the featured voice of an Apple MACBOOK commercial.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
American Idol Audition:
Viral Cover:
Mara Justine
Mara is a singer from New Jersey, was a Top 14 contestant on the inaugural ABC Season 16 American Idol at the age of 15. As a child, she also made the finals on AGT Season 9 where she placed in the bottom 6 (meaning she was anywhere from 7th to 12th in overall placing). Mara on both shows was very animated on stage, and brought her powerhouse voice to the table covering a lot of pop and R&B divas. She has continued to go viral singing big soul and gospel numbers including a Tik Tok she did of “You Now Know My Name” by Tasha Cobbs Leonard which has 1.9 million views and 307.6K likes.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
American Idol Audition:
Viral song:
Jackson Snelling
Jackson is a country singer from Austin, Indiana, and he has been spotted hugging Reba on one promo, and if he ends up on Team Reba, they are a natural fit as he has a wholesome and raw country sound. He was on American Idol Season 19 in 2021. On Idol, he had an emotional backstory, as he and his brother both have autism, and the song he performed was about him explaining to his brother that their father wasn’t coming back after he passed away. The judges deemed him not ready, and he did not move on to Hollywood. It appears he has grown vocally since, and his deep crooning country voice should stand out this season.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
American Idol:
St Jude Performance:
Remember Songland?
CORii
CORii was on NBC’s short-lived Songland in Season 2. She was eliminated after the first round because her belting style seemed to be a mismatch with Luis Fonsi, although the the judges seemed to love her. She ended up releasing “What If” herself which has racked up 530K streams on Spotify. She has years of musical knowledge, as she attended Berklee starting in 2009. Over the years she has split her time between her hometown Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Her style would have been a perfect fit with Kelly had she been on the show this season, as she blends pop, rock and soul together and has a very powerful sound with skilled belts.
Songland Clip:
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
If I Ain’t Got You Cover:
Bachelor Nation has come to The Voice
Claire Heilig
Claire is a country singer and spray tanner from Virginia Beach, Virginia. She appeared on Season 26 of The Bachelor, and she was eliminated in Week 1. Her cover of “Something in The Orange” on Spotify has 1.28 Million Streams. Claire’s style is in the realm of modern country using pop and acoustic beats but making it country with a twangy tone;.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
“Something In The Orange”:
RUDI
Rudi Gutierrez, a singer originally from Texas, now based in LA, is another The Bachelor alumni. Rudi’s time on The Bachelor was much longer, but it was on a short-lived concept, appearing on the singers edition called Listen to Your Heart. She and her partner Matt quit the show, making them 3rd place for the season. In 2020, she also performed as an opener at Lollapalooza for about 20,000 attendees. RUDI is possibly my favorite voice this season. Her tone is smooth and soulful while remaining powerful, and she can sing nearly any genre. Her stage presence based on her past shows is also very engaging, and her vocals are flawless.
Instagram:
Tik Tok:
Bachelor Performance:
“Bound to You” Cover:
Seasoned Artists
Crystal Nicole
Crystal is a Grammy winning songwriter also known as Cristyle or Cri$tyle. She has multiple hit co-writes, but her most notable ones are for Rihanna’s number 1 hit, “Only Girl in the World” of which she also sang the demo, and Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body.” She won a Grammy for the Rihanna hit, plus another for her work on Beyonce’s I Am… Sasha Fierce album. As a singer she collaborated with Lecrae and Sean Garrett on “Please Forgive” for the soundtrack of Superfly.
Instagram:
“Jealous” Cover:
Only Girl In The World Performance:
Ms. Monet
Conesha Monét Owens better known as Ms. Monet is a seasoned backup vocalist. She has recently been performing alongside Gladys Knight and has also performed with Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, Kenny Loggins, and more. She prominently was the backing vocalist on Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s 2006-7 tour which was the second highest selling tour of the year. She has performed at the White House, representing the US at events like Dubai Expo 2020 and has performed at various notable venues.
