Photo by: Greg Gayne - NBC
Tonight, the battle rounds kick off on The Voice 2018 and each of the four judges’ teams have been chosen. During the battle rounds, contestants are put up against each other within their respective teams, leaving just one singer, out of each duet, to move forward in the competition. The coaches also have the ability to steal cast-offs from the battles and add them to their teams. Alicia Keys has 12 contestants, just like the other coaches, who have joined her in the battle rounds. Get to know each of them below.
Johnny Bliss
Growing up gay, Johnny Bliss felt a lot of pressure from his conservative family and friends. Today, Bliss is dedicating his love of music to his biggest cheerleader, his grandmother, whose breast cancer recently returned.
Britton Buchanan
Singer Buchanan joined a class rock band when he was just 13 years old and he hopes to become a success in music, like all the other contestants on the show. He has a mature voice and can also play the guitar. He is sure to win the hearts of teens across the country.
Sharane Calister
Calister hails from Des Moines, Iowa and she had a tough childhood. According to her NBC bio, “At 10, Sharane was adopted by an older cousin while her twin sister was adopted by an outside family member. Sharane’s adoptive mom was soon diagnosed with breast cancer – a battle she continues to fight today. The violin became an escape for Sharane during these difficult times. It wasn’t until high school gospel choir that Sharane and her sister were finally reunited.” Currently, Calister travels around, performing at private functions and parties.
Terrence Cunningham
Terrence Cunningham is the nephew of the legendary blues guitarist Etta Baker. Cunningham was a teen father, but was still able to follow his music dreams, playing the piano and singing all over the world.
Christiana Danielle
Singer Christiana Danielle actually was told she would never sing again when she was diagnosed with a mysterious throat virus, that resulted in emergency surgery. Fortunately, she proved the doctors wrong.
Livia Faith
It has been a dream of Faith’s to audition for The Voice and now her dream has come true. She has an oldie kind of tone to her voice and performed the song “Dream a Little Dream of Me” for her blind audition on the show. As a kid, health issues sometimes got in the way, being diagnosed with “a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which often left her fatigued and in pain.” She hopes to break away from her hometown of Stanton, Kentucky.
Shana Halligan
Halligan is one of the contestants this season, who comes from a musical background. Her father Dick Halligan, was actually a founding member of the Grammy-winning jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears, so music is in her blood. For a few years, Halligan found success in the band Bitter:Sweet.
Jamai
Jamai started his own singing telegram business at just 16 years old and now he’s hoping to become a big music artist. He has already released several songs and music videos.
Kelsea Johnson
When it comes to Kelsea Johnson, her big inspiration is her grandfather, as her NBC bio states that, “Kelsea gets her love of music from her Puerto Rican grandfather. He was in a band, sang mariachi and even wrote a book of songs. Her grandfather was diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away before seeing Kelsea on The Voice stage.” Fortunately, she has finally made it onto the show.
Megan Lee
Child star Megan Lee had a successful career as an actress at a young age and she went on to have online popularity as a singer, after she posted herself singing “Lazy” by Bruno Mars. This video garnered 3.7 million views on YouTube and helped to get her a K-pop record deal.
Jaclyn Lovey
Homeschooler Jaclyn Lovey is a contestant on the show, who simply dreams of becoming a music artist. Lovey actually recorded her first original song in Nashville, at the age of 11. Fortunately, Lovey has had the financial backing of her community to be able to take her aspirations to the next level.
Jordyn Simone
Highschooler Jordyn Simone joins the show and is inspired by her family, who also are musical. Over the years, Simone has always pursued music, attending schools that specialized in the arts.