Two months in and “The Voice” has finally reached the Top 12 stage of the competition for season 14. A dozen artists are still in the hunt to win this reality competition series hosted by Carson Daly.
Each of the four coaches — Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton — saw their teams of six cut in half in three live playoffs that aired the week of April. 16.
Take a tour of our gallery of the Top 12 finalists on Season 14 of “The Voice.”
Did you ever think a man in 2018 would make a Bob Seger or Eric Clapton song sexy? Yeah, we didn’t either, but Pryor Baird did just that in season 14 and now we’ve been listening to 70s rock ever since. We’d love for him to sing at our wedding, but he’ll be too busy being our husband!
Age: 25
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Resident: Boerne, Texas
Spensha grew up on military bases and knew very little outside of her church world. The first time she sang secular music was in 2004 on a singing competition show in which she came in second place and was signed to Interscope Records. At 12, Spensha released Interscope’s first gospel record and toured the world. After her deal ended, Spensha moved to Nashville with her mother, where country music sparked her interest, but the pressure of the industry caused Spensha to move back to Texas. She now has her real estate license and is learning to love music again.
Age: 18
Hometown: Sanford, North Carolina
Resident: Sanford, North Carolina
Growing up, Britton preferred picking flowers in the outfield to actually playing the game. He left sports behind and followed his intuition toward guitar and musical theater. Britton’s parents introduced him to ’70s and ’80s rock and folk music, and he joined a classic rock band when he was 13. A year later, he won a songwriting contest that gave him the opportunity to record with renowned engineer John Davenport, whose credits include Robert Palmer’s album “Riptide” and Bruce Springsteen’s album “Born in the U.S.A.” Britton is now embarking on his solo career as a musical artist.
Age: 24
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Resident: Des Moines, Iowa
Music has served as the only constant in Sharane’s turbulent upbringing. 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. After graduation, Sharane began traveling with bands that perform at weddings, corporate events and private parties all over the country.
Age: 14
Hometown: Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Resident: Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Brynn can be seen singing in home videos as early as age four. At six, Brynn joined a local theater program and established herself as a singer through school talent and variety shows. She balances her musical pursuits with a busy school schedule and playing lacrosse. Currently, Brynn plays at local coffee shops and small venues, but she is looking for bigger audiences.
Age: 22
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Resident: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Christiana engaged in many musical opportunities within her community, including singing in church, hospitals, youth centers and facilities for the elderly. Music was an integral part of her life, but all that came to a halt when a mysterious throat virus resulted in emergency surgery. Christiana was told she would never sing again. Vowing to recover, Christiana miraculously regained her voice and devoted her life to giving back through music. Recently earning a degree in social work, Christiana strives to bring awareness to mental health issues and the power of music to underserved communities.
Age: 22
Hometown: Poway, California
Resident: Boston, Massachusetts
Jackie grew up surrounded by singing siblings and a guitar-playing dad. In high school, Jackie enrolled in Berklee College of Music’s summer program, where she studied a variety of different genres but fell in love with rock. Berklee offered her a four-year scholarship, and Jackie knew she wanted to be a professional musician. At school she became the lead singer of an alternative rock band called Self Portraits. They write, release and perform original music around New England.
Age: 33
Hometown: Topeka, Kansas
Resident: Nashville, Tennessee
Kyla’s voice was born in church and developed its power through performing in gospel choirs. After college, Kyla got her first big break when she joined the Nashville Super Choir on “Bobby Jones Gospel,” the longest running gospel show on BET. After nine years of traveling with the show, Kyla took some time off to care for family. Kyla feared it would be difficult to get back into the music scene until a friend asked her to audition as a background vocalist for Jennifer Hudson. Today, Hudson supports Kyla, pushes her and has been a huge motivator for Kyla to audition for “The Voice.”
Age: 34
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Resident: Harlem, New York
D.R.’s dad was his first musical influence, providing memories of singing together in church. However, when D.R.’s parents separated, he lost contact with his dad but continued to pursue music. Initially he took some jobs teaching in elementary schools, but in 2012, D.R. took the opportunity of a six-month residency at a Motown bar in Nagoya, Japan. Upon his return, D.R. booked a gig in an off-Broadway production of “Dreamgirls.” Now in Harlem, D.R. works on his own music and has a singing residency at the popular Red Roost
With one of the biggest voices of his season, Rayshun LaMarr took us to church each and every time he took the stage. Between his mind-boggling vocal runs and his passionate ad libs we’re just waiting for the day he takes us to church for our wedding.
Age: 32
Hometown: Benton, Kentucky
Resident: Ormond Beach, Florida
Kaleb has always turned to music as a hobby and an emotional outlet as his biological father left before he could remember. His mom and dad got him a guitar when he was eight, and throughout high school and college, he sang for local shows and events. After graduating, Kaleb and wife, Meagan, moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, where he led worship for a church and began traveling to Nashville where he connected with a music producer and began pursuing a career as a songwriter and recording artist. When his record deal opportunity went south, Kaleb moved to Florida to focus on his family. He now shares his love for music with his wife, two daughters and adopted son from Nicaragua.
Age: 23
Hometown: Sicklerville, New Jersey
Resident: West Chester, Pennsylvania
In 2012, Jackie was T-boned by a car that ran a red light. The accident left Jackie with severe physical injuries and a loss of confidence in her future. Her dreams of moving to Alabama and cheering in college came to a halt. Jackie spent the first few months after the accident indoors, not ready to face the outside world. She quickly turned to the keyboard her aunt gave her, and music became the key to her recovery. Country music allowed Jackie to infuse her emotions and story into its narrative style. She went on to attend Penn State, and as her confidence grew, Jackie began performing at local open mics. This is her first big performance.
