Season 26 of The Voice is underway, bringing viewers a brand-new twist: the Coach’s Replay. The latest addition to the show’s rulebook allows coaches Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani to snatch up an artist even if they initially didn’t turn their chair. Gwen Stefani deployed her Replay button during Monday’s (Oct. 8) Blind Auditions episode, giving 14-year-old Jaylen Dunham new life on The Voice. However, the “Hollaback Girl” singer isn’t the first pop star to notice Jaylen’s budding talent.
Olivia Rodrigo Praises ‘The Voice’ Star’s “Stunning” Cover
Now 14 years old, The Voice hopeful Jaylen Dunham started singing nearly as soon as he learned to speak. The young artist—who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina—has amassed more than 100,000 followers on TikTok. There, his covers of artists like Adele and Whitney Houston have garnered over 3 million likes.
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In July 2023—a whole year before The Voice coaches learned his name—Jaylen shared his cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire.” Watch below as he belts the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit with a passion and confidence that belied his age.
As of Tuesday (Oct. 8) the video had received 2.2 million likes and 20,000 comments. And one of those 20,000 came from Olivia Rodrigo herself.
“so stunning,” wrote the “get him back!” singer, adding four crying emojis.
No higher compliment.
[RELATED: ‘The Voice’ Undergoes Major Schedule Change Starting Tonight: Everything You Need To Know]
Why Gwen Stefani Took a Chance on Jaylen Dunham
Jaylen Dunham had The Voice audience on their feet during his Blind Audition cover of Beyoncé’s “Listen.” Unfortunately, it appeared his dreams had come crashing down when none of the four coaches turned their chair for him. “Poor baby didn’t get no chair,” Jaylen’s mom said after his performance.
After the coaches turned their chairs to meet Jaylen, Gwen Stefani erupted into high-pitched emissions of shock. “They switched out a person, right?” said the former No Doubt frontwoman as she strode toward the teen for a hug. “Was that you singing?”
Recognizing her mistake immediately, Stefani couldn’t let Jaylen get away. “We have this new thing on The Voice,” she said. “Basically, if you’re like ‘Dang, I should have pressed my button, but I didn’t press my button,’ you can press your button.” And then she did.
Featured image via Instagram
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