The Voice 26 Knockouts: Lauren-Michael Sellers Spiritual “Hold Onto Me” Carries Her Into the Playoffs
The Voice Season 26 Three-Way Knockouts wrapped up Monday night (Nov 18) with the third and final episode of the round. The show opened with Team Reba McEntire’s trio that featured a seasoned singer, based in Nashville, Special Education teacher Lauren-Michael Sellers who ended up winning her trio.
Lauren was a bit nervous in rehearsals as she sang, in front of mega mentor Jennifer Hudson and coach Reba, after blues rock standout Danny Joseph and raspy country singer Tate Renner already went. Lauren sings, “Hold Onto Me” by Lauren Daigle which follows her trend of tackling Christian Contemporary songs.
She lost her mom three years ago to an overdose, and she explained the song is about her faith holding onto her. They weren’t speaking at the time, so she didn’t get to say goodbye to her. She especially relates to the lyric of “when the best of me is barely breathing, when I’m not someone I believe in.” Jennifer said “when you make someone cry with your song, it shows you the power of music.” She added that Lauren was doing that, and that it felt like her own. Lauren’s singing in rehearsal brought Reba to tears. Reba advised her to grab the microphone stand with the lyric “hold onto me,” but lower, so audiences can still see Lauren’s face.
Lauren also showed vocal skills we haven’t necessarily seen from her yet
Lauren had the tough task of following Danny who gave an electric performance of “When It Hurt So Bad” by Susan Tedeschi. In Lauren’s performance, her tone stood out from the first note. She is one of the most composed performers every time she hits the stage. She knows how to utilize the grit in her voice perfectly as she uses it very subtly. Lauren also showed vocal skills we haven’t necessarily seen from her yet by holding out some long notes, showcasing her power. Her enunciation was also clear as a bell making it easier to resonate with the lyrics. Tate Renner followed Lauren’s performance with a storytelling country performance of Jamey Johnson’s “In Color.”
Michael Buble praises Lauren on how in sync she was with the band calling her “a leader.” Gwen Stefani is Danny’s biggest fan but called Lauren “unbelievable,” saying she “knocked this out.” Snoop Dogg had no notes for Lauren’s performance calling it “holy matrimony.” Reba told Lauren, “when you started singing, I started crying.”
Reba McEntire selected Lauren-Michael Sellers, but then saved Danny Johnson
Reba selected Lauren as the winner to move on, but then saved Danny immediately, and although Snoop said he was going to steal Danny, he ended up not pushing the button allowing Danny to stay with Reba. Tate Renner went home. Both Lauren and Danny should be top contenders for Reba’s Top 2 spots next week during her Playoffs episode.
Other performers who stood out Monday night included Team Gwen’s young pop singer Sydney Sterlace who sang with poise on Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises. Team Buble’s trio which closed out the Knockouts was one of the best trios of the entire knockouts. Of that trio, Sofronio Vasquez won with a throwback performance of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield, Jeremy Beloate wowed and earned Snoop Dogg’s steal with JVKE’s “Golden Hour. And although Kiara Vega was sent home, she also did a remarkable job with “Call Out My Name” by The Weeknd.
