The Voice Season 22 Blind Auditions came to an end on Monday night as Blake Shelton, Camila Cabello, Gwen Stefani, and John Legend filled the last spots on their respective teams.. It was a night of hodgepodge with auditions, a coach’s performance, and a Battle. Interestingly, the show placed some of the strongest auditions at the end. It was one of the best audition nights of the season (Read our Recap).
One of the singers I am intrigued to hear more from is Rowan Grace. She is from Rapid City, South Dakota. Isn’t it cool to see a singer from the Dakotas? That’s not a common occurrence. From a quick google search, she is possibly the second contestant ever to list a city from either Dakota as their hometown. Season 6 semi-finalist Kat Perkins was from North Dakota.
Sixteen year old Rowan is a contestant I would have pressed my button for almost instantly. Her tone is pure, and some of her phrasing was different from Olivia Rodrigo’s original of hit single “Traitor.” The young singer is already an artist. Nerves affected her performance a little bit as there were some breath control and pitch issues after Gwen and John turned. She then showcased the power in her voice which got Camila to turn. Her belts were really strong, and knowing that she fronted her own band, the Rowan Grace Band, hopefully she takes on a power ballad or a rock song during her time on the show.
Gwen loved the emotions she brought to the song at such a young age. John asked if her family is musical, and Rowan shared that her dad played drums in a band. She also does open mics, was in a band, and performed in musicals. All the things she mentioned helps with “storytelling,” John said, and felt she “connected with the song”. Camila, excited about Rowan being a “young, aspiring singer-songwriter,” said that she reminds her of Olivia Rodrigo based on her liking pop ballads and indie pop. Gwen noted that she won The Voice with Carter Rubin who turned 15 on the show. Blake added that Rowan is much further along than most 15 or 16-year-olds.
Rowan ultimately goes with Gwen, who got a good artist with tons of potential.
Other standouts of the night included jazzy soul singer Kim Cruse who is one of the season’s best vocalists and Justin Aaron who sang John’s “Glory” and did it justice. An honorable mention goes to Jaedan Luke who showcased a lovely falsetto with a Bread cover.
