The live semi-finals of The Voice season 23 aired on NBC this Monday, May 15, at 8 pm ET. In the episode, eight reminaing contestants gave their best performance to impress the audience and secure the maximum amount of votes from viewers. Three singers were eliminated while five reached the finale, where they will fight for the trophy and $100,000 cash prize.
The five singers who reached the finale (in no particular order) are:
- NOIVAS from team Blake Shelton
- Gina Miles from team Niall Horan
- Sorelle from team Chance the Rapper
- D.Smooth from team Kelly Clarkson
- Grace West from Blake Shelton
The eliminated performers of The Voice season 23 semi-finals are:
- Ryley Tate Wilson from team Niall Horan
- Ray Uriel from team Chance the Rapper
- Holly Brand from team Kelly Clarkson
Two finalists are from team Blake Sheton, while other judges have one singer each on their team.
What happened on The Voice season 23 semi-finals?
NBC's description of the episode read:
"The top 8 artists perform live for the first time in front of coaches Chance, Kelly, Niall and Blake for their chance at a spot in the finale; viewers vote for their favourite artist in real time with the results revealed at the end of the show."
After facing intense competition in the Playoffs, eight singers performed in the semi-finals to impress the audience, who were allowed to vote for only one singer at the end of the episode. 15-year-old Ryley Tate Wilson sang Billy Joel’s Vienna and played piano along with his performance for several minutes.
Coach Niall confessed that he was “protective” of the young singer, calling Ryley a “star in the making.”
Ray Uriel from team Chance sang New Edition’s Can You Stand the Rain in a unique tone, faster in the beginning and slowing down at the end. Chance called his routine “fire” and Carson praised his cover song by saying that it was a “trip back in time.”
Holly Brand performed Reba McEntire’s Rumor Has It in The Voice semi-finals. She sang in a unique voice with a slow acoustic-sounding tone. Niall was impressed by the performance and said that he was a huge fan of Holly.
Team Blake’s NOIVAS sang Adele’s Skyfall on stage even after knowing that performing on the song was a “challenge.” He lost his voice during one high note but recovered quickly, impressing all the judges and receiving a standing ovation.
Gina Miles performed Kodaline’s All I Want and blew away the judges with her high notes and not pausing for even a second while singing. Coach Niall teased that he has “something incredible” planned for her last performance, if she reached the finals. Sorelle from team Chance sang an improvised version of Alicia Keys Fallin’ with amazing visuals and changing positions.
Team Kelly’s D. Smooth sang Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and received a standing ovation from all four judges.
Grace West from team Blake sang Tammy Wynette’s Till I Can Make It on My Own in quite an effortless way and Niall mentioned that she “needs to be in the final.”
Host Carson revealed that singer Reba will sit in Blake’s chair from the next season, as the latter is retiring from The Voice after 12 years.
The Voice two-part finale will air on NBC next week on Monday, May 22 and Tuesday, May 23, at 8 pm ET.