The Voice Season 25 Spoilers: Contestants to Watch
The Voice is returning for a 25th Season on February 26. Season 25 marks the first duo to coach on NBC’s The Voice with Dan + Shay getting a double chair. Reba McEntire and John Legend return from Season 24. Additionally, Chance The Rapper returns after a season off.
This season also marks the first time that Country music is represented by two coaches chairs–Dan + Shay and Reba McEntire. Will the talent pool be country heavy? We’ll find out soon.
The following list is a grab bag of The Voice hopefuls, some who are rumored to go far in the competition.
The Voice season 25 premieres on NBC Monday Feb 26 and Tuesday Feb 27 at 8 pm ET/PT
AJ Harvey
AJ Harvey is a blues singer and guitarist originally from Wichita, Kansas, who now lives in Norman, Oklahoma. The year of 2023 was a big year for AJ as he appeared in the film Killers of the Flower Moon as an extra, playing Charles Whitehorn, an Osage man that was murdered. AJ also auditioned for The Voice. The film casted people from native communities, including AJ who is indigenous himself. On his Spotify biography, he notes he is influenced by Eric Clapton and John Mayer, and I totally get those vibes from him. AJ has released a number of songs, but “Hazel” is one that showcases both his singing and his talent as a guitar play. It has a bit of an 80s vibe and is a really good showcase of his style.
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“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Cover:
Ashley Bryant
Ashley is a 25 year-old country singer from Louisville, Kentucky. A talented songwriter, her first original release is a country ballad titled “Champagne.” The singer displays a powerful current country sound, in addition to covering power ballads. Fun Fact: Ashley is dating last season’s drop out Tom Nitti. They may have met during her audition process as Season 24 and 25 filmed simultaneously.
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“Independence Day” Cover:
Dani Stacy
Dani Stacy is a singer-songwriter from Hanford, California who made the move to Nashville in 2020. In 2017, she won Best Female Artist in Ventura County. She has a refreshing indie pop style that also incorporates a country sound. Style-wise her sound gives shades of Sheryl Crow and Michelle Branch (especially Michelle’s sound in The Wreckers) with her raspiness and acoustic forward style. Her emotive and storytelling songwriting is what stands out the most, however. Her song “Settled On You” is a beautiful ballad where her voice simply cuts through in the chorus.
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“Settled On You” Original:
Gene Taylor
Gene is a Brooklyn, NY based singer who sings both funk and lo-fi styles of music and brings a unique mix of jazzy vocals and a great falsetto. He is a passionate singer who is a bit raw, but the manner in which he hits high notes can be shocking. He often puts his own spins on his songs too. His latest original, “Now I Can Smile” has the sound of a classic jazz standard.
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“Roxanne” Cover:
Jackie Romeo
Jackie Romeo is a 20 year old pop singer from the Long Island, NY area. Her vocals are a bit theatrical and old school, and she reminds me a bit of Idina Menzel. Her song “Pretty Girls” is written by 80s hitmaker Debbie Gibson. She has had a long connection with Debbie, starting with being a part of her workshop titled “Electric Youth” in 2018. Jackie performed the song with Debbie in LA during her tour in 2022. She also was a semifinalist at Amateur Night at the Apollo in New York in 2022.
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Pretty Girls duet:
“Nothing Compares 2 U” Cover:
Kamalei Kawa’a
Kamalei, a singer from Maui, Hawaii, is a part of the group called N? Wai ‘Eh?. Nearly all of his covers and originals are traditional Hawaiian music, so it’ll be interesting what he does on the show where he likely needs to cover other styles. He plays the ukulele and also does hula dance. His style is very relaxed but should stand out amongst other competitors.
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Made In Maui Performance:
Karen Waldrup
Karen Waldrup is a very experienced country singer originally from New Orleans. A very twangy and fiery country rock singer, her “I Hope You Dance” cover has over 490K streams on Spotify. Additionally, her original collaboration with William Michael Morgan “Me Again” has over 590K streams. She also collaborated with Season 22 runner-up Wendy Moten on a 2023 original, which is a country number with jazz/blues sounds and horns. Karen has been featured in tons of publications like People and Rolling Stone Magazine, and she has performed at a lot of professional events including NASCAR. Much of her music incorporates a rock sound similar to singers like Gretchen Wilson and last season’s Jacquie Roar.
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“Nothing Is Impossible”:
Maddi Jane
Maddi is likely the most recognizable singer on this list. She is a 25-year-old pop and R&B singer from Chicago and was a YouTube star growing up, garnering 1.55 million subscribers on the platform to date. Her cover of Jessie J’s “Price Tag” from 12 years ago has garnered 101 million views so far. She eventually appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show at the age of 11. Her more recent releases feature more mature R&B sounds with her latest song “Rockstar” incorporating hip hop influences.
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“Price Tag” Viral Video:
“Flowers” Cover:
Ellen Show:
Madison Curbelo
Madison Curbelo is a singer originally from Westfield, Massachusetts. She auditioned three years ago in Season 20 with “Don’t Worry Be Happy” but failed to turn a chair. Since then, she has graduated from the Berklee School of Music. Her sound is playful and is reminiscent of a more soulful Ingrid Michaelson type. Her covers always have a spin on the original making them her own.
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“Hips Don’t Love” Cover:
Season 20 Audition:
Mafe
Mafe is a Venezuelan singer from Miami, Florida. She went to Miami Dade College Kendall where she was a part of the vocal jazz ensemble. Mafe has a beautiful sound with the ability to hit really soulful runs. Her voice shines on the softer moments in songs, but she also has the ability to belt. She is bilingual, sometimes singing in Spanish.
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“Maneater” Cover:
OK3
OK3 is a pop singing trio from Oklahoma City made up of Courtney Hooker, Sierra Posada, and Kenna Fields. The group started back in 2016, but took 2018-2021 off as a unit before reforming again in 2022. They have that poppy sound reminiscent of the early 2010s sound heard on Disney or Nickelodeon. They released a Christmas track this past year titled “Let’s Make Christmas Last” that showcases their ability to harmonize. It also appears that the group has great chemistry together.
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“I’m Good Cover”:
Olivia Rubini
If anyone is a front runner this season, my bets are on Olivia Rubini, a singer from Hockenssin, Delaware. She gives off the same vibes as Season 13 winner, Chloe Kohanski (now known as sweet93). Olivia has been recording music for a while with music dating back 8 years on Spotify. She released an album titled Silhouettes in 2021, and her latest release “Oh Daddy” is a alternative pop rock song with old school vibes. Her old-school rock covers are really well-done as she respects the melody while still putting spins on her song with her slightly raspy tone. Her dad also is a music producer named Ritchie Rubini, so musical talent runs in the family.
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“Yesterday” Cover:
Zeya Rae
Zeya Rae is a 23 year old R&B and soul pop singer from Los Angeles, California. She has been posting her covers for years, and her vocals are superb. Zeya quite possibly is one of the best vocalists that will grace the stage this season. She is a great emoter who can take on crowd pleasing tender ballads, but she also is able to deliver some very technically sound runs.
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“Yebba’s Heartbreak” Cover:
Zoe Levert
Swiftie alert! It appears casting producers (on both American Idol and The Voice) are working extra hard this year to cast Taylor Swift like singers, and Zoe is one of them. Zoe is a singer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She sings at church and is a part of the group, The Clay Worship Collective which also features her husband. Zoe’s “Cardigan” by Taylor Swift rewrite has 851K likes and 5.3 million views on Tik Tok. She has an indie pop and folk sound with most of her covers being Taylor Swift tunes. But she also tackles indie folk singers. She could go very far in the competition.
