The Voice: Maelyn Jarmon from Team John Legend Wins Season 16 (VIDEO PHOTOS)

THE VOICE --

Maelyn Jarmon, a 26-year-old artist originally from Frisco, Texas, and currently living in New York, was crowned champion of The Voice on Tuesday (May 21). Maelyn stood out all season for both her stunning vocals and ability to master her sound as an artist deaf in one ear. The pop alternative singer earned Coach John Legend his first Voice win on the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series.

Maelyn faced competition from the other Top 4 finalists — Gyth Rigdon, Dexter Roberts and Andrew Severner, all from Team Blake Shelton.

On Monday night, Maelyn debuted her original single, “Wait for You,” which was written by Hayley Warner, Gino Barletta, and writer/producers Christopher Petrosino and Robert McCurdy of Noise Club. John joined Maelyn on stage for a duet of “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole and her final performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was a show-stopper.

On Tuesday’s finale, Jarmon performed a special duet with Sarah McLachlan. Together they sang her hit song “Angel.”

Maelyn was the only artist this season to reach #1 on the iTunes Overall Songs chart with her cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” which also reached #1 on the Alternative Genre chart. Additionally, she hit #1 on the iTunes Pop Genre chart with her original single, “Wait for You.” Throughout the season, Jarmon made it into the iTunes Top 10 a total of five times – more than any other artist this season. On Apple Music, Jarmon was the most streamed artist for three weeks in a row, taking the lead spot in the Top 13, Top 8 and Top 4.

Immediately after their big win Tuesday night, Maelyn and John sat for a press conference with reporters.

Highlights:

  • Maelyn says about Blake “I know he was really pushing Gyth so I did not know how it would work out.” John acknowledges that Blake’s fanbase is “very strong.” He thought Maelyn being the only woman and the only non-country artist helped her stand out from the crowd. 
  • John says about working with Maeylyn, “I just love her work ethic, her attention to detail, she goes into every song with an actual strategy and a plan for how to execute the song. She has the wherewithal on how to actually do it. That makes it very very easy for a coach. I can give her a few notes.”
  • Maelyn noted how her hearing impairment helps her find her pitch sometimes. 
  • Maelyn only saw advantages working with John, “I knew I wanted to work with him. He knew how to pick songs for me. Once he heard my voice he knew what would work…those song choices are everything.”
  • John says it was hard losing artists he was excited to work with.
  • About the Cross Battles: “That threw all the coaches because nobody had done it before. We put the selection process into the hands of the fans even earlier than we’ve normally done it.”
  • On choosing Hallelujah: “I feel like Maelyn is qualified to join that pantheon of artists who have sung this song…I’ve heard a billion versions of it and I know that might be taboo to try to do something like that, but…if anybody can do it right, it’s Maelyn. It was one of my favorite versions that I’ve ever heard.” He was sure it would be the most streamed song of the finale. 
  • When he and Maelyn chatted on the phone about song choices, the person in charge of clearing songs would be on the line with them.
  • Maelyn was unsure about singing “Stay.” But she says, “I love to accept challenges. I love to rise above my insecurities. That was a great moment for me as an artist.”
  • How they chose the original song “Wait for You”: “They sent me a few song and this singer/songwriter Haley Warner had a couple of songs. The two she sent out I said ‘It’s one of those.’ I connect with how she writes. I had never collaborated or written with other people. I feel like I could have written it. It was very relevant to my relationship currently. It sat really well in my voice. She is a cool chick. I got to record it with the guys who originally engineered it. It was also a little different than stuff that I had done.”

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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!