The 24th season of The Voice has already gotten off to an exciting start. Some of the greatest contestant lineups in recent memory were showcased in the two-hour season premiere, but none shone brighter than “magical gem” Mara Justine (21), of Galloway, New Jersey.
Success in a blind audition depends just as much on song selection as it does on talent. Within seconds of the first notes, any skepticism about Justine’s selection—a smokey rendition of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”—was dispelled.
The Coaches’ attention was immediately drawn to Justine because it was obvious she had made the song uniquely her own from the opening notes. When are you going to come down? is how the song starts. What time will you be landing? And that’s how far Justine made it before John Legend and Gwen Stefani, the coaches, each pressed their buzzers one after the other.
“Your tone in that lower section of the song is what caused me to turn around so quickly. The ability to perform those incredibly small touches came later. As soon as the audition was through, Legend said, “I would love to have you on Team Legend.
Before Reba McEntire’s chair also swung toward the stage, Justine was able to sing just one more line of the song, “I should have stayed on the farm.” Then there was one more: Niall Horan, who had previously triumphed in Season 23 alongside Gina Miles. He was able to resist until almost the conclusion of the first stanza, which allowed Justine to receive the coveted Four-Chair Turn.
“God, in Jersey they make them different. Someone who is willing to sing an Elton John song in the opening round and in that manner takes something. What can we expect from you in the future if this is the standard you’ve set? Horan argued for Justine to sign with him by saying of the performance, “America is going to fall in love with that voice.
“I hope you noticed that I turned for you first. They simply lacked my insight in realizing what a magnificent gem of a vocalist you are, Legend stated. Additionally, Stefani, Horan, and McEntire presented their cases for Justine’s support.
And who will she choose? Watch The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and the following day on Peacock to find out!