The Voice determined nine more "battle" round survivors during Monday night's broadcast of the NBC reality singing competition's sixth season.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Voice coaches Shakira, Usher, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton each continued whittling down their sixth-season teams from 12 to eight artists with the season's ongoing initial "battle" rounds.
Josh Kaufman, Dawn & Hawkes, Audra McLaughlin, Deja Hall, Bria Kelly, Madilyn Paige advanced to The Voice's next phase after winning their first respective "battle" round face-offs against fellow contestants Austin Ellis, Josh Murley, Alaska & Madi, Music Box, Tess Boyer, and Tanner James.
The artists squared off in the "battle" rounds after The Voice coaches each selected two members of his or her individual singing team to perform a duet performance that would end with the coach eliminating one of the singers from the competition.
However, similar to previous seasons, each coach is allowed two "steals" all season in which two losing face-off contestants may be added to a different coach's original six-member team of "battle" round winners.
ADVERTISEMENT
During Monday night's broadcast, three contestants were stolen: Josh M., Music Box and Tess Boyer.
Josh M. started on Adam's team but was stolen by Shakira. Music Box was on Shakira's team but was stolen by Usher. Tess began on "Team Usher" but was stolen by Blake.
Adam paired up Austin and Josh K. to sing "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. He also partnered Dawn & Hawkes with Josh M. and had them perform "Stuck in the Middle" by Stealers Wheel.
Blake paired up Alaska & Madi with Audra and asked them to sing "When Will I Be Loved" by Linda Ronstadt.
Shakira partnered Deja with Music Box and required them to perform "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Usher paired up Bria and Tess, instructing them to sing "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. Usher also had Tanner and Madilyn face off in a battle, singing "Everything Has Changed."
The contestants who survived their "battle" will now move on to a new "Battles: Round Two" phase of the competition.
In "Battles: Round Two," the remaining contestants will be paired off to perform the same agreed-upon song in a sudden-death match, beginning March 31.
Like prior editions, each coach will be allowed one "steal." Coldplay's frontman Chris Martin will also serve as a universal advisor to all four coaches and their artists in the new round, which will also take place on the show's April 1 and April 7 episodes.
Following "Battles: Round Two" the winning contestants will advance to The Voice's "Playoff Rounds," which will further narrow down each coach's team to three members in preparation for the live shows, which will begin airing on April 21 and continue through until the show's May 20 finale. The "Instant Save" format will also return during the live shows.
ADVERTISEMENT
Below are NBC-supplied descriptions of the artists who survived last night's elimination rounds.
"Team Adam"
- Josh Kaufman
Josh has been singing on-and-off his entire life. He supports his wife and three kids by playing local gigs and working as a SAT prep tutor. Josh is hoping The Voice will allow him to stop tutoring and be a full-time musician to support his family.
- Dawn & Hawkes
Miranda Dawn and Chris Hawkes met dancing at a blues bar in Austin, Texas. They began writing and playing music together, and eventually fell in love. The indie-folk duo is hoping to win the hearts of America during their time on The Voice.
"Team Blake"
- Audra McLaughlin
Audra is a hard-working college student who's overcome a learning disability to earn a 3.5 GPA. A former victim of bullying, Audra is very involved with anti-bullying campaigns and has performed at several charity events. Through her music, she hopes to inspire others who have been victims of bullying.
- Tess Boyer (Stolen from "Team Usher")
Tess grew up dancing, cheerleading and competing in pageants. She was a cheerleader for the St. Louis Rams football team and currently works with special needs children while studying pre-law. Tess' true love is singing, and she auditioned for The Voice to prove she has what it takes.
"Team Shakira"
- Josh Murley (Stolen from "Team Adam")
Music has always been a part of Josh's life; he grew up singing in a choir in high school, and then became a full-time musician. He has been playing shows around Texas with his band ever since. Money has always been a struggle for Josh, and now that he's a father, he wants to offer a better future for his family. He is hoping that auditioning for The Voice will be his chance to provide for his family.
- Deja Hall
Deja is the child of two military parents. Because she moved around a lot, her only constant growing up was music. She's a varsity basketball player who's very competitive, despite having only one kidney. She gets told that she should take it easy but refuses to slow down, and that's why Deja's determined to be The Voice.
"Team Usher"
- Bria Kelly
Despite her young age, Bria has performed the national anthem more than 40 times and has opened for Miranda Lambert. She's currently the front woman for her own band and now that her mother has recovered from a nearly fatal illness, Bria is ready to take her career to the next level.
- Music Box (Stolen from "Team Shakira")
Music Box is a single mother trying to make it as a full-time singer. She dealt with stage fright until she was 18, when she adopted the name Music Box. She wants to grow as an artist and to be an inspiration to her son.
- Madilyn Paige
Madilyn lived in Japan as a young child and has taken up singing since moving back to the U.S. She loves making music videos and short films with her friends and has performed in various local competitions. The Voice will be the biggest audience she's performed forever.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski