That Voice: A Decade With The Performers On NBC's The Voice

An R&B/Soul singer/songwriter powerhouse, NariYella started thinking of a career in music at 8 years old when she sang in her school's talent show. Since then, NariYella's showcased her talent anywhere she can -performing at Amateur Night at the famed Apollo Theater, alongside Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge, with her church, in school choirs, at community events and student protests, and in var...

Kylee has dreamed of being a pediatric surgeon ever since she was a young girl. In high school, she became a registered medical assistant after entering a program provided by her school. Once she got to college, Kylee put music to the side to focus on her studies. She was taking 18 hours worth of science classes during her first year and didn't think she had the time for any music lessons. She eve...

Magnus has been taking music seriously ever since he won his high school's talent show singing "All of Me" by John Legend. Two years ago, Magnus heard previous Pharrell, a previous coach on "The Voice," was looking to put together a gospel choir and holding auditions. Magnus went to an audition with 250 other people and waited all day for his chance to sing. Eventually, he got to sing in front of...

Ross didn't find music until his senior year of high school when he decided, on a whim, to audition for his school's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." After graduating college, he spent a few years starting bands and gigging all over Chicago and the Midwest. Ross briefly found an audience in Nashville after his first daughter was born in 2014, but quickly stepped back to focus on his growing...

Madi, Ana and Bella are singing sisters from a small town in Ohio. From a very young age, the moment their toes touched the floor in the morning, their synchronized voices could be heard throughout their home - pure, spontaneous, and in perfect harmony. At 10 and 12 years old, Madi and Ana gained recognition when they performed the national anthem at the Cleveland Cavaliers opening game. Soon, it...

EJ grew up learning to play classical piano with the Suzuki method, learning by ear instead of reading music. In high school, he started singing and writing songs and eventually formed a band with his brother called Foreign Figures. They toured the country together and even played in front of 20,000 at a festival headlined by Kesha. Each band member is currently pursuing different career opportuni...

The youngest of eight siblings, Jamar grew up in a household where everybody sang. He and several of his siblings banded together to create a group called Addiction, but as he got older, he knew he wanted to go solo. With his family's support, he moved to Atlanta to pursue music full-time. To date, Jamar's biggest show was performing 10,000 people in Atlanta, opening for legendary R&B singers....

Before moving to Nashville, Walker was working as a CNC machinist. It didn't pay much, but he liked the job because it allowed him to gig in the evenings and on weekends. Walker decided to move to Nashville and pursue music in 2021 and now works as a bouncer at a downtown bar. After being hired, he quickly realized he could use this job to network with other musicians. The best part of the job has...

Growing up in Canton, Mich., Grace would walk up and down the aisles at Toys "R" Us with a toy guitar, sing at church and every family holiday, and listen to Johnny Cash on fishing trips with her dad. Grace's grandfather shared his love of playing the guitar with her at a young age, leading her to write her own songs and play shows locally. Her performances caught the attention of Mucho Love publi...

D.Smooth was about to take the stage at the Season 21 Blind Auditions when the teams filled up. Looking back, he's grateful he didn't get a chance to perform at a time when he wasn't giving 100% to music. D.Smooth grew up in the rural countryside of Birmingham, Alabama and his entire extended family all lived on the same street. He feels blessed that his family was close by to keep him grounded. I...

As a first-generation American, Kala wouldn't be where she is today without her Australian roots and Filipino culture. At big family gatherings, Kala's Lola would ask her to sing for everyone, rewarding her granddaughter with $5 following each performance. That upbringing eventually led Kala to pursue music wherever she could - singing in her high school jazz band, leading worship in church and jo...

Berritt spent his early childhood playing every sport, but sadly at eight years old he was diagnosed with a heart condition. It was discovered that Berritt had HCM, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and has to beat harder to compensate for normal blood flow. Doctor's orders forced him to give up on sports, but luckily his parents enrolled him in guitar lessons and music...

Ryleigh’s childhood was filled with recitals, choir, and a lot of karaoke. She was raised by a single mom, who was very supportive of her music, and went on to compete in an a cappella group in high school. Although Ryleigh always felt at peace on stage, school was a different story. She was bullied and went through severe depression, but now has a new lease on life with the support of her loved o...

Growing up in Bothell (30 minutes from Seattle), Jaeden plays multiple gigs a week at one of the hundreds of wineries near his hometown. Playing guitar and writing songs at just 9, Jaeden wrote a song for a man that went to his family’s church who was dying of cancer. Jaeden sang the song at his funeral and knew he wanted to stay on a path that allowed him to help others with his gift. Several yea...

Thank you for being part of the conversation. This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 554 With Andrew Igbokidi From NBC’s The Voice Andrew comes from a musical family. Andrew's parents moved here from Nigeria when his mom took a physician's residency in Chicago. Andrew is a first-generation American, but fully embraces the Nigerian culture by mak...

Gymani grew up in the church where both of her parents were ministers. Her entire family is musical so singing came to her naturally and she participated in chorus and band throughout school. She decided to pursue music in college and got accepted into Berklee College of Music, but sadly, wasn’t able to attend after falling on hard times financially. Last year, Gymani welcomed her second daughter...

Sasha grew up in a multicultural military family of music lovers. Her father is Mexican and her mother, born in Florida, was the daughter of a Navy vet. Growing up, her mom loved rock 'n' roll and her dad loved classic mariachi. Sasha sang in church alongside her brother and started gigging at 14, with her first gig taking place at a pub (where they made an exception for her age). Sasha performed...

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 548 With Ian Harrison From NBC’s The Voice Ian's dad was his best friend growing up. Sadly, when Ian was 9, everything changed when his dad took his own life. Ian picked up his dad's guitar and taught himself how to play, which helped him feel close. After some time, life took a turn for the better when his...

Raised in a Mexican/American musical household, Alyssa found her love for singing at a young age thanks to her mom. Musical inspiration came from many places, and Alyssa’s passion for music evolved in high school when she became involved in musical theater, acting and dance. Alyssa’s parents divorced when she was 9 years old, and music became her rock. During that time, her father introduced her t...

Peyton grew up singing in his grandfather's church. His mom raised him by herself for years until she eventually married his stepdad. With four kids of his own, Peyton's stepdad took him in and treated him like his own son. Since he can remember, Peyton has always played gigs around town as a side hustle to get his name out there. At orientation before starting college, Peyton met his wife and hop...

This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 530 With Hailey Mia From NBC’s The Voice Hailey grew up with a love of music and has been singing since she could talk. At eight years old, she had to have surgery to correct the deteriorating vision in her right eye, but says music was the driving force that got her through it all. After a successful surge...

Bryce grew up going to his granddaddy’s farm where they would ride around together and listen to country music. Bryce couldn’t imagine life without his grandfather, who was diagnosed with lung cancer when Bryce was young but is still going strong to this day. Bryce is finishing up his final year at Georgia Southern University and is completing a degree in business in hopes of managing his music ca...

As a kid, Eva's main focus was ballet, but once she entered middle school she was diagnosed with scoliosis. When dance became too hard, Eva finally had the incentive and opportunity to focus on music. Music gave Eva a way to express herself more than dance ever did, and she realized it was what she was always meant to do. She picked up guitar and began taking vocal lessons, and by high school was...

When Morgan was 13, she began posting her singing covers on Instagram and now has over 80,000 followers. She grew up as the only musical member of her family, singing along to "The Little Mermaid" and other Disney movies before she could talk. Morgan began suffering from anxiety when she was just a kid. Her depression and anxiety often got the best of her and the only way for her to refocus her mi...

Eric started out singing gospel music in church and performing at churches all over his hometown. He went on to perform dramatically and dance in school. Once Eric turned 18, he started experimenting with posting secular music and gained TikTok success, where he has 2.7 million followers. Not only is Eric a great singer, but he also has a knack for comedy. Growing up so deeply connected to the chu...