Every single artist who has made it through on Season 18 of NBC’s “The Voice” will be performing tonight in the show’s first live broadcast since the coronavirus pandemic began in March.
Carson Daly will host from Universal Studios Hollywood while each of the four coaches, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson will weigh in on the performances from their respective homes. John and Nick are both in Los Angeles while Kelly is in Montana and Blake is quarantining in Oklahoma.
Also on tap, the winner of the first-ever four-way knockout amongst the saves from each of the teams will be announced.
And for the 17 remaining artists – they will be singing their hearts out from places from all across the United States.
Among them are Toneisha Harris and Todd Tilghman, both standouts who are on Team Blake. Both of whom opened up over the phone about their experiences on “The Voice.”
Anyone who watches the show can tell that Todd has personality for days. High-energy doesn’t adequately describe him, which is even more surprising when you think about the fact that he and his wife have eight kids.
He’s also the lead pastor of the church in which he grew up. When we spoke on the phone, he said he had to lock himself in a bathroom at his home in Meridian, Mississippi to get some alone time. It was a lengthy call.
At his wife’s urging, Tilghman went to an open audition in Atlanta last July and soon thereafter got the word he’d made it to the blind auditions, where he famously performed Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s ”We’ve Got Tonight.”
“During the first verse they started turning and it was a big relief,” he recalled. “Once those chairs started turning, my mind went to a whole other place. Ultimately, all of them are really talented, connected and knowledgeable. I felt like Blake would be a good fit because of his personality.”
He said Shelton’s team members feel like a family. “It’s a unique experience to go through together, and it’s an unintentionally bonding experience, especially with the original team before all the saves and steals. We have close friendships even when you go through stages like the battles and knockouts. It was a really cool experience to be part of a diverse group.”
Tilghman also enjoyed opening up about his family life on camera. He and his wife were high school sweethearts and interviews with show producers took them back to their early years together and the beginning of their marriage.
Working with mega-mentor James Taylor was on another level altogether. “I may have a different take on things than some of the younger people, but a lot of them were very knowledgeable,” he said. “Working with him was a dream come true. He’s kind and complimentary and that really struck me.”
Moving forward in the competition, Tilghman said he hopes to showcase different elements of his voice. “I’m an energetic guy, and the stuff I’ve done is ballad-y, but I don’t want to put myself in a box. I’d like to touch on my gospel roots. But I’m super open to direction and being in this process with people so knowledgeable.”
For Toneisha Harris, who was also brought up on gospel, nothing so far on the show could surpass the moment when James Taylor compared her to two of the greatest recording artists in history, Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin.
Naturally, with her blind audition rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” she had been a four-chair turn and surprised many people when she choose to jump on board Team Blake.
“When I considered the blind audition, I wanted to get all four chairs, but I was being realistic as well. Everyone wants that,” Harris said in a recent phone interview from her Atlanta-area home. “When the first chair turned, it was a sigh of relief. Chairs kept turning and I realized I had the opportunity to choose and that was crazy to have that choice. I blacked out for a moment, soaking all that energy in and listening to what the coaches had to say. They have such great things to pitch you. I was very open to listening to what they had to say.”
Shelton won her over with his pitch, and they’ve been making sweet music ever since – along with the other members of the team.
“We have definitely built a family, and we support each other’s musical journeys,” Harris said. “I’ve encountered some amazing people out of this and not just on our team. I think there will be many collaborations afterward and we are all rooting for each other and looking for ways we can support one another after this.”
As for the live shows, Harris said she is warming up her voice, staying hydrated and preparing to tackle whatever comes next. “I want to showcase more range if possible,” she said. “I want to do it in excellence, especially at home in this climate, and whatever energy I give out, it is all encouraging that we’re going to get through this together.”
Harris concluded our conversation on another positive note: “I’d like to remind everyone that the beautiful thing about music is that it transcends age and culture. I’m grateful to share music with so many and hope it continues to encourage people.”
(“The Voice” airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC at 8/7c.)
