The Voice advanced 11 artists, including Shawn Sounds and Mari, during Monday night's two-hour Season 16 episode on NBC.

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The Voice continued its sixteenth-season Blind Auditions on Monday night with Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and new coach John Legend selecting artists for their teams.

The singers who were shown making a team and advancing to the Battle Round were Shawn Sounds, Beth Griffith-Manley, Selkii, Denton Arnell, Ciera Dumas, Andrew Sevener, Mari, Abby Kasch, Mikaela Astel, Anthony Ortiz, and Oliv Blu.

Shawn, a 33-year-old from Houston, TX, belted out "All My Life" by K-Ci and JoJo for his Blind Audition.

After listening and taking it all in, all four coaches decided to turn their chairs for Shawn due to his smooth vocals and impressive range.

John said his tone is beautiful, his control is great, and he managed a difficult arrangement well.

"That was one of the best ending runs I've ever heard," John said. "It was like doing the triple-axel when you're figure skating, and you just nailed it. That's when we knew we had a star on this show."

Adam was pissed he didn't turn around first and thought he was fighting a losing battle, but he tried to remain optimistic Shawn might join his team.

"This dude is an artist and he paints with his voice and pours his soul out, yet at the same time, he's so refined... I think you're a brilliant singer," Adam said.

Blake thought Shawn's performance was incredible as well, and he thought he could make him become the best version of himself. Blake said he didn't need to have the same sound in order to coach him well.

After a few great pitches, Shawn decided to join John's team.

Mari, a 20-year-old from Clermont, FL, sang "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai for her Blind Audition and sparked the interest of Adam, John and Kelly. 

Kelly just thought Mari was "so cool" and she loved her head voice and fluid sound. John gushed about Mari's confidence and believed she's ready for the show. John thought they might have a musical connection between them.

Adam loved Mari's unique look and sound, but Blake attempted to persuade the R&B and gospel-influenced singer to pick John as her coach. However, Mari chose to join Adam's team, which came as a surprise to the panel.

Beth, a 46-year-old from Detroit, MI, sang "Until You Came Back To Me" by Aretha Franklin.

John and Kelly both turned their chairs around, and Adam admitted he "regretted deeply" not pressing his button.

John said she nailed the song and was "looking good." He was so impressed, but Kelly noted Beth sang effortlessly and the performance moved her.

Beth, who sang background vocals for Anita Baker for five years, was "torn" but picked Kelly as her coach because their voices have a similar rasp and she figured Kelly could help her develop it.

Selkii, a 31-year-old from Durban, South Africa, performed a unique rendition of "I Try" by Macy Gray, and both Adam and Blake turned their chairs around.

Adam said she's "super cool" and it was a great song choice. He absolutely loves what she does. Blake was "fascinated" by her as an artist and noted she's "the complete package."

Blake then bragged about how he's won The Voice more times than Adam despite appearing on the same number of seasons.

"My wife will kill me if I don't get you on my team!" Adam urged at the last minute.

But in the end, Selkii joined "Team Blake," and he was ecstatic.
 
Denton, a 31-year-old from Chicago, IL, belted out "Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake featuring Majid Jordan.

John was the only coach who turned around, but he welcomed the singer to his team with open arms.

John complimented his "wonderful tone" and said he was "creative with the melody" and made it his own. John didn't think the song was an exciting choice, but he clearly appreciated the way Denton executed it.

After making a team, Denton proposed marriage to his girlfriend Tiffany on the stage, and she said, "Yes!"

Ciera, a 21-year-old from Kernersville, NC, performed "Tell Me You Love Me" by Demi Lovato for her Blind Audition.

Both Adam and John pressed their buttons instantly, and once her performance was over, the two coaches even gave her a standing ovation.

Adam called her "spectacular" and said everything she does "screams what this show is about." John was also "mesmerized" by her voice and said it was "gorgeous."

John especially loved Ciera's big notes at the end and the rasp in her voice at times. John acknowledged Ciera has a story to tell and he hopes she'll tell it on his team.

"You are unstoppable. I think you can go really far and maybe even win this thing," Adam told the artist.

Ciera chose to join "Team Adam" after the coach told her that her voice filled up the entire room.

Andrew, a 22-year-old from Alvarado, TX, sang "Honky Tonk Women" by the Rolling Stones.

Blake was the only person who turned around for Andrew but he thought the other coaches were crazy. Blake was wowed by Andrew's vocals, and John also complimented his vocal range and musicianship.

Abby, a 20-year-old from Palos Park, IL, took the stage with "Here For The Party" by Gretchen Wilson.

Kelly and Blake both turned around towards the end of Abby's performance. Adam admitted he didn't think he had a shot to snag her for his team so he didn't even bother pressing his button.

Kelly said she turned around out of "respect" because she loved the song, while Blake insisted he turned around out of "excitement, passion and desperation" to have Abby on his team.

In the end, Abby picked Kelly as her coach, and she was shocked and thrilled.

Mikaela, a 14-year-old from Queens, NY, sang "Electric Love" by BORNS for the coaches and Kelly turned around immediately.

John soon followed, and the young artist had a difficult decision to make.

Kelly said Mikaela's tone cannot be taught and it's so different, which is important in this kind of competition. Kelly hoped for a magical experience for Mikaela on this show.

"Special voices are hard to find, and I think you have one. I believe in you and think you're going to be a star," John insisted.

Anthony, a 20-year-old from Tampa, FL, also became a member of Adam's team, and Oliv Blu, a 20-year-old from Flossmoor, IL, found a place on John's team.

Three artists unfortunately did not make the cut during last night's broadcast, but they will have a chance to rejoin the show later on as part of the backstage "Comeback Competition."

Kayla Seeber, an 18-year-old from Poplar Grove, IL, performed a haunting version of "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears.

Crystal Rose, a 26-year-old from Kansas City, MO, delivered a sweet-sounding rendition of "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak.
 
And finally Jae Jin, a 33-year-old from Baltimore, MD, took the stage with "Hallelujiah I Love Her So" by Ray Charles.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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