The The Voice Season 30 Premiere is officially underway, and it didn’t take long for the coaches to start battling over some impressive new singers.
The Blind Auditions kicked off with Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine returning to those famous red chairs alongside newcomers Queen Latifah and Riley Green. The new coaching lineup immediately gave the competition a different feel, and the first night included big voices, a four-chair turn and the first use of the show’s new First-In button.
Here is our The Voice Season 30 recap from Night 1 of the Blind Auditions.
The Voice Season 30 Premiere begins with BigCountry
The first singer of The Voice Season 30 Premiere was BigCountry, a 37-year-old Army veteran from Washington whose stage name doesn’t necessarily tell you what kind of music he performs.
His version of “I Put a Spell on You” quickly earned turns from Queen Latifah and Adam Levine, with Riley Green joining them soon afterward.
That left three coaches fighting for the chance to work with him.
Kelly Clarkson, who didn’t turn, admitted afterward that she may have waited too long for another vocal level that never came.
The real battle, though, belonged to the three coaches whose chairs did turn.
When it was finally time to choose, BigCountry gave the newest coach her first victory and joined Queen Latifah.
The Voice Blind Auditions continue with Joe Henley
Sometimes you can almost tell where an audition is heading before the coaches finish making their pitches.
That certainly seemed to be the case with 19-year-old Joe Henley.
The country singer performed Travis Tritt’s “Anymore” in what was essentially his first major performance outside of church.
Both Clarkson and Green turned quickly.
Clarkson tried to make the case that a country performer didn’t automatically need to choose the country coach. Then Green walked onto the stage and sang with Joe.
At that point, the outcome wasn’t much of a surprise.
Joe Henley chose Riley Green.
Hazel Gerson gives Team Kelly its first singer
Hazel Gerson took on Alex Clare’s “Too Close” and earned chair turns from Kelly Clarkson and Riley Green.
Green acknowledged that the performance wasn’t country, but said there was still something about Hazel’s voice that connected with him.
Clarkson, meanwhile, heard even more potential and talked about helping Hazel reach another level vocally.
The connection between them became obvious pretty quickly.
Hazel called choosing Kelly Clarkson the easiest decision, giving Team Kelly its first artist of the season.
Marcus Ladden Jr. joins Queen Latifah
Marcus Ladden Jr. brought plenty of personality to “Cry Me a River,” earning turns from Clarkson and Queen Latifah.
Clarkson praised him as more than simply a great singer and pointed to the entertainment side of his performance.
Latifah made things more personal.
She talked about immediately connecting with his artistry, and their shared musical theater backgrounds gave her another reason to believe they would work well together.
Marcus ultimately chose Queen Latifah, giving the first-year coach another early win.
Destinee Monroe brings rock to Team Adam
Some viewers may already be familiar with Destinee Monroe.
Before arriving on The Voice as a solo performer, she was part of Destinee & Paris with her sister, and the duo previously opened for Britney Spears.
For her Blind Audition, Destinee performed Mötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet Home.”
Adam Levine eventually turned, followed by Queen Latifah and Riley Green.
Levine leaned into his own rock background while making his pitch and made it very clear he wanted her on his team.
It worked.
Destinee Monroe became the first member of Team Adam.
The Voice Season 30 auditions deliver a four-chair turn
Sisters Ferryn and Brinkley delivered the first four-chair turn of The Voice Season 30 Premiere.
The Tennessee duo, who work at Dollywood and have even performed with Dolly Parton, sang “When Will I Be Loved.”
Once the harmonies kicked in, the chairs started moving.
Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah turned first before Riley Green and Adam Levine joined them.
That gave the sisters four very different sales pitches.
Green connected their sound to traditional country music and their Tennessee roots, while Clarkson reminded them that she also knows her way around country music.
In the end, Ferryn and Brinkley chose Riley Green.
Forté leaves without a chair turn
Not every Blind Audition can end with a coach celebrating.
Forté performed “Before I Let Go,” but none of the four chairs turned.
Kelly Clarkson felt there were some strong moments but also heard pitch issues and thought the song didn’t leave him enough room to breathe.
Queen Latifah made it clear that she’s looking for singers who immediately give her a reason to hit her button.
That brought Forté’s run on the competition to an end.
Caroline Alexis lands on Team Riley
Caroline Alexis brought the Blind Auditions back to country music with Rascal Flatts’ “Take Me There.”
This time there wasn’t much of a battle.
Riley Green turned during the performance, while the other three coaches stayed put.
That meant Caroline automatically became part of his team.
Green praised her tone, song choice and performance, giving him another country singer as his Season 30 team continued taking shape.
The Voice Season 30 Premiere introduces the First-In button
One of the biggest moments in The Voice Season 30 Premiere belonged to 16-year-old Mia Knight.
Her performance of “You Stole the Show” earned turns from Queen Latifah, Riley Green and Kelly Clarkson.
All three wanted her.
Green was impressed enough to suggest that someone with Mia’s ability barely needed conventional coaching. Clarkson pointed to her previous success working with young artists on the show.
But Latifah had something neither of them could counter.
She used the new First-In button, automatically securing Mia for her team because she had been the first coach to turn.
Just like that, Mia Knight was officially part of Team Queen Latifah.
Owen Uffens chooses Adam Levine
Eighteen-year-old Owen Uffens performed “Everybody’s Talkin'” and turned the chairs of the two veteran coaches.
Kelly Clarkson praised his distinctive tone and falsetto.
Adam Levine believed Owen’s voice had a quality that didn’t require him to overdo anything and argued that the two of them simply made sense together musically.
Owen agreed.
He chose Adam Levine, giving Team Adam its second singer.
Brianna Cameron closes The Voice Season 30 recap
The final Blind Audition of the night belonged to the youngest singer of the premiere.
Brianna Cameron is only 13, but her performance of “River Deep – Mountain High” earned turns from both Kelly Clarkson and Riley Green.
Green was blown away by the size of her voice and even brought out his dog as part of his effort to convince her to join his team.
Clarkson had a pretty strong argument of her own.
She reminded Brianna that she had turned first, praised the runs and rasp in her voice and pointed to her previous victories on The Voice.
That sales pitch worked.
Brianna Cameron chose Kelly Clarkson, giving Team Kelly its second singer of the night.
The Voice Season 30 teams after Night 1
After Night 1 of the Blind Auditions, Queen Latifah and Riley Green each finished the evening with three artists.
BigCountry, Marcus Ladden Jr. and Mia Knight make up Team Queen Latifah.
Over on Team Riley Green are Joe Henley, Ferryn and Brinkley and Caroline Alexis.
Team Kelly Clarkson features Hazel Gerson and Brianna Cameron.
Meanwhile, Team Adam Levine includes Destinee Monroe and Owen Uffens.
The The Voice Season 30 Premiere already has a different energy with Queen Latifah and Riley Green joining Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine, while the new First-In button adds another wrinkle to the Blind Auditions.
And we’re only getting started.
Night 2 of the three-night The Voice Season 30 premiere continues tomorrow at 8/7c on NBC and streams on Peacock.
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