‘The Voice’ Premiere Recap: An Unexpected Decision Puts Adam in the ‘Triple Turn’ Lead

Another season of The Voice is officially underway. The Season 29 Blind Auditions began during the Monday, February 23, episode. John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Adam Levine (all former champions) all returned in hopes of adding another win to their résumés as coaches.

With the addition of the Triple Turn competition, which gives the coach who gets the most three-chair turns an advantage in the Battle Rounds, the coaches were more intense than ever in their pitches to get the best singers on their teams.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out who each contestant chose as their coach.

Lucas West

Lucas West gave the first performance of the night, singing “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John. Levine turned around first, followed by Legend.

“It’s so crazy because when I heard you sing, and then I turned around, like, 20 minutes before John, I was blown away by how different you are,” Levine noted. “Seeing you be a musician there, playing keys, doing it soulful, doing it simply, I don’t see that on the show.”

Legend and Levine went back and forth trying to one-up each other. “Seeing how soulful you are, it made me want you on Team Legend even more,” Legend concluded. “I’d love to coach you.”

While Lucas’ mom pushed for Legend, Levine wanted to make sure to get another word in. “When we first got signed, it was a struggle in the beginning because no one knew where to put us. That ended up being the best thing that could ever happen. Not fitting in at the beginning really puts you at an advantage to be something different than everybody else. I am very, very passionate about being part of that. I just think you’re super special, man.”

But even after his passionate plea, Levine knew what was coming: Lucas picked Legend as his coach.

Alexia Jayy

For her Blind Audition, Alexia Jayy sang “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.” Clarkson turned right away, followed by Legend and Levine, making this the first Triple Turn of the season.

Legend gushed, “You have it all. Not only do you have the raw ability, but you know how to deploy it in the right way. You are my type of singer. I love your voice. I love your style.”

Levine noted that Clarkson or Legend might make a better choice for Alexia, but pointed out, “That song you sang, Aretha Franklin, but written by Carole King. Two very different people came together to create one of the best moments in music history because they were different. As the golden goddess unicorn with the flowers in her hair that you are, maybe the way for you to go all the way here is to do it with somebody that not everybody would expect.”

Clarkson praised Alexia for singing such a powerful song. “It’s such a big, bold statement,” she raved. “In order to win, you have to come out here and say, ‘Yeah, I know that’s the Queen of Soul, but I have something to offer, and I want to do something bold.'”

When Alexia brought her son onstage, and he revealed that Maroon 5 is his favorite artist, Levine lit up. “You have the voice that motivates me even more to say this is the best voice in the competition,” he added. In the end, Alexia picked Levine for his coach, giving him the first Triple Turn point.

Julia Golden

Julia Golden’s performance of Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” earned chair turns from Legend, then Clarkson at the very end. Legend made sure to point out that he turned first, but Clarkson insisted it’s just because she lost herself singing along with Julia.

“You have such a beautiful texture to your voice,” Legend said. “It feels like you’ve got so much heart when you sing. I think you could go far on this show.” Clarkson praised Julia for being “authentic” and “believable” in her performance.

Legend tried to one-up Clarkson by playing a video of Reba McEntire promising that he would be a good coach to any country artist, so Clarkson called McEntire up to get her endorsement, as well. It was quite a battle, but Julia ended up choosing Clarkson as her coach.

Abigayle Oakley

Legend, Clarkson, and Levine all pressed their buttons immediately when Abigayle Oakley started singing “Call Your Girlfriend” by Robyn.

Levine told Abigayle that he’s “such a fan” of her, adding, “The second you started singing, all three of us were just like, ‘Let’s go.’ You have a special thing. We all picked up on that instantaneously and turned around because when you have something special, it just shines through, no matter what.”

Clarkson raved over Abigayle’s head voice and compared her to Joni Mitchell. “You’ve got a very special thing,” she noted. “Please pick songs people wouldn’t expect. I just think it would be exciting.”

Meanwhile, Legend noted that The Voice can sometimes be known for big singers and belters, but assured Abigayle that there’s also a lane for a “more folky, more singer/songwriter” artist. “We know an artist like you can do really well on this show with great coaching, and I feel like I can really help you figure that path out,” he admitted.

In the end, Clarkson earned her first Triple Turn point when Abigayle chose her as a coach.

Landon Price

Landon Price sang John Legend and Common’s “Glory,” but did not receive any chair turns. The coaches noted afterwards that it may have been too mature of a song for him to perform.

“Thank you for performing my song,” Legend told the teenager. “I thought you were very creative with how you sang it. There were a lot of choices that weren’t in the original record that I thought were really cool and bold of you.” He also urged Landon to come back and promised him he’d have a “great future” on the show.

Levine said that Landon fooling the judges into thinking he was “at least 10 years older” than he is was “a testament to how good you are,” and Clarkson agreed, adding, “Sometimes it’s important for us to just have a little more life happen to really understand that message [of a song] and let it bleed through.”

Jonah Mayor

Jonah Mayor took a risk by performing his Blind Audition song, “Il Mondo,” completely in Italian. Clarkson was sucked in immediately and pushed her button, with Levine eventually following.

Afterwards, Clarkson got out of her seat to hug Jonah and told him that he was her “favorite performance” of the season so far. “Welcome to Team Kelly,” Levine joked. “I can’t compete with any of what just happened.” However, he gave Jonah a hug, too, to even things out.

“I think that what you do is so singular and there’s really not going to be anyone like you,” Levine admitted. “You are the absolute complete package as far as performer and singer.” Legend called Jonah “charismatic” and “super gifted,” while Clarkson raved over his “beautiful tone.”

Levine and Clarkson argued back and forth, but Clarkson came out on top in the end.

Bay Simpson

Bay Simpson, a distant relative of Elvis Presley, sang “The Waiting” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Levine pushed his button and turned around at the last second.

“Rock and roll is in your bones,” he told Bay. “I’ve never really heard anyone do a Petty song … well, the big ones, but that one said something about you that I really took to. I’m happy it happened the way it did because I don’t have to fight against them, but the tone and the way you delivered that vocal gave me an understanding that you know rock and roll music.”

Since Levine was the only coach to turn around, Bay automatically ended up on his team.

Liv Ciara

After not getting any chairs to turn when she auditioned in Season 28, 16-year-old Liv Ciara returned with a rendition of Ariana Grande‘s “We Can’t Be Friends,” which prompted Levine and Clarkson to turn their chairs.

“Your voice is so mature and developed in that way that is special enough to make us turn around, but what’s awesome is that you’re young,” Levine noted. “You are already so way ahead with your voice and the way you connected to that vocal the whole entire time.”

Clarkson said she “loved” what Liv did. “That’s one of my favorite Ariana songs,” she added. “I love that you did a completely different take on it. You flipped it and made it more sad.”

Levine recognized that it was a “waste of time” for him to fight Clarkson on this one, but he tried his best. In the end, though, Liv picked Clarkson to be her coach.

Aaron LaVigne

Aaron LaVigne, a Broadway star, performed “Feels Like the First Time,” and Clarkson and Legend both turned their chairs toward the end.

“I was turned around and looking at you for so long before John did,” Clarkson made sure to note. “I hit my button because I have no one like you on my team. It seems like you’re really bold, and you love singing, you can tell. It’s a passion for you. That’s perfect for Team Kelly.”

Legend admitted that he was worried Aaron’s voice “wasn’t going to cut through,” but said he was impressed by the end, which is why he turned around. Aaron noted that he starred in Jesus Christ Superstar on Broadway, and pointed out that Legend was in NBC’s live version of the show.

While it seemed like a shoo-in that Legend would be Aaron’s pick, he surprised everyone by going with Clarkson, noting that he related to her because of how she reacted to Celine Dion‘s comeback performance at the 2024 Olympics.

AJ Robinson

AJ Robinson, a 14-year-old country singer, got Legend to push his button when he performed Lainey Wilson‘s “Watermelon Moonshine.”

“What made me push my button was I loved your tone,” he admitted. “I love the way your voice kind of floats. It has a richness that’s way richer than it should sound when you’re only 14 years old. I’m ready to help you do really well on this show.”

Jeremy Keith

The final performance of the night was from Jeremy Keith, a former backup singer who joined the ’90s group After 7 when one of its original members left. All three coaches turned for his performance of “You Are My Lady.”

Levine admitted that Legend was probably the coach that made the most sense for Jeremy, and Legend accused him of trying to use “reverse psychology” on the contestant. “You are so incredibly good,” Levine gushed. “I understand John’s extensive understanding of R&B. I can’t fight the man when it comes to what we’re talking about. I can, however, speak to experience as a coach on The Voice, which I have a lot of.”

Clarkson made sure to interject and reiterate that she has the most wins of the coaches. “Being a background vocalist, those singers in my life are the greatest singers I will ever come in contact with,” she shared. “What that lets me know is that you can sing any song.” She told Jeremy that she believes he can win the show.

Legend then pulled out all the stops by taking the stage and singing his song “Ordinary People” with Jeremy. The coaches went back and forth a bit more, and Jeremy shocked them all when he selected Levine.

“Choosing Adam wasn’t the obvious choice, especially after that duet,” he pointed out. “But I love his music, and I feel like he will bring something different out of me as an artist.”

Here’s where the teams stand after night one of the Blind Auditions:

Team Legend
Lucas Leon
AJ Robinson

Team Adam
Alexia Jay (Triple Turn)
Bay Simpson
Jeremy Keith (Triple Turn)

Team Kelly
Julia Golden
Abigayle Oakley (Triple Turn)
Jonah Mayor
Liv Ciara
Aaron LaVigne

The show continues with more Blind Auditions on February 25 and 26 before moving to its regular weekly slot on Mondays at 9/8c.

The Voice, Season 29, Episode 2, Wednesday, February 25, 9/8c, NBC