NBC
The Voice season 17 is getting down to the wire, with just eight contestants left in the competition. This week, they’ll be singing one solo number plus one ’80s duet with another performer in the competition.
Then during the semi-finals results, the top three vote-getters will advance automatically and the bottom two will be automatically eliminated. The middle three singers will then compete on the spot for the instant save.
Here’s what we know about the solo performances for Monday (Dec. 9), which air from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. We don’t yet have any spoilers for the duets, but we’ll update this post as more information becomes available.
Will Breman
Song: “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars
Mars is a tough artist to take on because not only is he a great singer but he’s a great performer. He’s a showman. Does Breman have the chops to live up to the Mars spectacle? Maybe. But this song lacks some of the punch of some of Mars’ other hits, so it might be a bit milquetoast to let Breman make an impression. After all, half the field is going home this week, so everyone is going to have to bring their A-game.
Marybeth Byrd
Song: “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
We thought this was the best singer-song combination of the entire Top 8… until we saw what Katie Kadan was doing. But this is still a very good choice for Marybeth. This is one of Underwood’s most popular songs and it should allow Byrd to showcase some boot-stompin’, butt-kickin’ personality.
Ricky Duran
Song: “Let It Be” by The Beatles
The Beatles are usually a good choice, but Duran is kind of known for his rock songs and this is one of their quieter hits. It will either be an iconic moment or it’ll be way too slow and not flashy enough for the semi-finals.
Kat Hammock
Song: “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane
This song should perfectly showcase Kat’s smooth voice and quiet emotion, but, like Breman’s song, we wonder if it’s big enough for the semi-finals.
Hello Sunday
Song: “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder
Stevie is a hard artist to take on, but what’s nice about Hello Sunday’s Myla Finks and Chelsea Grover is that they sound so different from Stevie that it won’t really draw comparisons. The preview clip released on iTunes shows off some more of the stellar harmonies we’ve come to expect from these young singers.
Jake Hoot
Song: “Desperado” by The Eagles
This song has been covered by a lot of singers and has appeared on a lot of singing competition shows, but Jake knows his audience because this is a great choice for his country voice. The only risk here is that he is possibly playing it too safe by not thinking outside the box more, but really he will probably sail through to the finals.
Katie Kadan
Song: “Lady Marmalade” by Patti LaBelle
This is an outstanding choice for Katie. She auditioned on Aretha Franklin, so we know she can handle a diva voice like Patti, but this song also made such a resurgence because of the version released in Moulin Rouge that it is a very popular somewhat contemporary hit. Based on the preview released, Katie is going to slay this.
Rose Short
Song: “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner
This is a really interesting choice because Short’s voice is quite different from Foreigner’s frontman Mick Jones’s voice. But Short has been picking unusual songs all competition and she’s been nailing them, so we would expect her to nail this one too, especially as she builds to the song’s big ending.
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