A winner will be announced this week on The Voice, as Season 29’s “Battle of Champions” will be decided in back-to-back slots on the 2026 TV schedule. The end of the Knockouts last week solidified the final nine contestants who will compete for the audience’s vote (not America’s vote) in Monday’s Semifinals, and I’m surprised that both Kelly Clarkson and John Legend made the same candid confession about their final three.
This season’s three coaches — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine — are each taking a trio of artists into the April 13 episode, and if you’re surprised to see KJ Willis, Syd Millevoi and Lucas West leading the way for Team Legend, well, that makes one of you. The EGOT winner admitted his Top 3 hasn’t changed since the Blind Auditions, telling People:
I just looked at my notes, and these three were my top three after the blinds, just so you know. That's major. That doesn't always stay the case. Some people, they show me something different later in the competition. But I could just tell from these three artists' performances in the blinds that they were all special, and it makes sense that they're in this place that they are now.
Strangely enough, Kelly Clarkson said the same thing about JW Griffin, Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown, as she said to People:
Article continues belowIf I'm being honest, these were the three from the jump. I had a weird season. I did the blinds and then I wasn't able to be there for the rehearsal of the Battles. But these were the three from the blinds that definitely stood out for me.
My feelings about these candid confessions are mixed. While this definitely speaks to the strength of the semifinalists, I also feel a bit disheartened for the singers who lost in the Battle and Knockout rounds. How much of a chance did they have to change their coaches’ minds — particularly since, as she pointed out, Kelly Clarkson missed some rehearsal days?
The Voice coaches have discussed in the past how they try not to play favorites and let the performances determine who wins each dual. But, when you’ve got two of three coaches of The Voice saying that their favorites on Day 1 are still their favorites going into the penultimate episode, it just gives me a moment of pause.
That’s not to take away from the semifinalists, though, because they are phenomenal. I really don’t begrudge Kelly Clarkson or John Legend for sticking with these artists. As Legend said about his trio:
Each of them is such a talented artist. They're all so gifted as vocalists, as performers, and they bring something distinct to the competition. I couldn't have picked three better representatives for Team Legend going into the top nine.
Kelly Clarkson spoke to the “raw soul” that she hears in each of her team members. When you’re listening to their music, she said:
It means something and it comes from a place of purpose and they're highly motivated to be a vessel for a storyteller.
I’m excited for the two nights of musical storytelling that are coming our way. The Top 9 will compete at 9 p.m. ET Monday, April 13 in the Semifinals, with the Top 4 (one each from Adam Levine and John Legend’s teams and two from Kelly Clarkson’s as she won the All-Star Showdown) competing in the Season 29 Finale at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 14.
For the first time in The Voice’s history, there will be no live episodes. The Semifinals and Finale were pre-recorded, with the winner decided by a studio audience of alumni and superfans. The results will be announced at the end of Tuesday’s episode.
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