Two contestants with ties to Massachusetts made their way to the 24th season of “The Voice,” but their time on the show was cut short from continuing on.
Claudia B. and Taylor Deneen are both alums of Berklee College of Music. The two former Boston residents stepped in front of coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire in hopes for a shot to become the next winner of “The Voice.”
On Monday, the competition will feature the remaining competitiors’ top five live performances. Claudia B. and Deneen both passed their blind audition in front of coaches, but have since been sent home.
Here’s what their journey on the show looked like.
THE VOICE — “The Blind Auditions Part 7” Episode 2407 — Pictured: Taylor Deneen — (Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC)Greg Gayne/NBC
Deneen passed her audition of “Redbone” by Childish Gambino with heavy praise as she showed off her vocal range and soulful runs. She earned a chair turn from coaches Legend and Stefani.
Remaining coaches Niall Horan and Reba McEntire said that even though they wanted to turn for Deneen, they could not due to their team being full.
“They were so lucky that they were able to turn. Me and Reba are upset,” Horan said.
“I would have turned around in a heartbeat,” McEntire added. “Your voice is incredible. Your range is astounding.”
Ultimately, Deneen chose Legend as her coach, completing his team for season 24.
“I just know it has to be fate, you know? If he turns around, I have to go with him,” Deneen told MassLive when recalling why she chose Legend.
She then made her way to the battle rounds of the competition. In the battle rounds, coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together.
Deneen performed with fellow contestant AZÁN, singing “Do It” by Chloe x Halle.
Having to pick the winner, Legend chose Deneen to move to the knockout rounds.
“Taylor as a vocalist is just stunning,” Legend praised in an interview after the performance.
Moving on to the knockout rounds, Deneen performed alongside contestants Mac Royals and Brandon Montel. She sang “Sweet Thing” by Rufus.
The winner ended up being Royals, sending Montel home. However, Legend opted to use his save on Deneen, keeping her on his team.
She was eventually eliminated during night three of the playoffs. In the playoffs, artists select their own songs to perform against the other artists on their team. But each competitor gets the stage to themselves.
Claudia B. performs on “The Voice” on Monday, Nov. 12, 2023, on NBC during the knockout rounds.Tyler Golden/NBC
Contestant Claudia B. was the other Berklee alum on the show.
After giving an impressive blind audition performance to “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson, she received a turn from Legend, Horan and McEntire almost immediately.
After her audition ended, the coaches wanted to know more about the artist’s musical background. She shared that she not only plays the keyboard, she also studied jazz music in school, gravitating to a pop R&B sound.
Like Deneen, Claudia B. chose Legend as her coach. Her next appearance on the show was during the battle rounds.
It was a neck and neck battle as Claudia B. and fellow contestant Mara Justine performed “Son of a Preacher Man” during their battle round, receiving praise from all four coaches.
“You have a very strong identity through your voice. That’s something that you can’t really teach somebody and that makes us get to know who you are. You stand out,” Gwen Stefani told Claudia B.
Ultimately, the choice of who moves on to the next round is the two contestants’ coach Legend. He selected Justine to continue.
But when a contestant loses a battle round, it doesn’t always mean their time on the show is over.
With the ability to steal Claudia B. by another coach, Horan instantly hit his buzzer. The contestant from then on would compete under Team Niall.
“I love how pure Claudia’s voice is. There’s no way I’m letting Claudia go home. She’s going to fit right in on Team Niall,” Horan said after the show.
She then moved on to the knockouts, up against contestants Huntley and Noah Spencer. She performed “Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones.
Huntley came out on top of the knockout but Horan used his Save on Claudia B., keeping her on Team Niall.
She was eventually eliminated during the playoffs as well.
“The Voice” airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. For those without cable, it can also be streamed on platforms like Peacock and FuboTV. Both platforms offer a free trial for those interested in signing up for a membership.
The season finale will air on Tuesday, Dec. 19 as the winner is announced.
