Wednesday, 16 December 2015

'The Voice' season finale: Jordan Smith crowned winner

From his very first blind audition, Jordan Smith candidly preached the importance of being yourself. And on Tuesday night, many months after delivering that poignant message for the first time, he was the winner of "The Voice."watch below


After hoisting the trophy, Jordan reprised his version of "Climb Every Mountain." Though he was a favorite from the moment he opened his mouth during his blind audition, Jordan still managed to do just that - climb every mountain, bound over every hurdle, whatever obstacle-shattering clichés exist out there. He's proven that image shouldn't matter in this business. That sometimes a voice can defy all expectations.

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The Weeknd made an appearance during the finale.
There have been eight other winners of "The Voice" before him, but so far none of them have really broken into the music business with vigor. Jordan has the realistic opportunity to change that.
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Contestants (from left) Shelby Brown, Riley Biederer, Emily Ann Roberts, Nadjah Nicole, Yvonne Acero and Morgan Frazier perform during the finale.
This celebrity-filled finale kicked off with the Top 24 contestants reuniting onstage to perform "Lean On" by Major Lazer, though the final 12 were heavily featured in the song.

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Emily Ann Roberts performs with Ricky Skaggs.
There were quite a few oddball moments throughout the two-hour show - a group of gorillas graced the stage during Coldplay's performance of "Adventure of a Lifetime," and a particularly strange segment likened Blake Shelton to The Don of the "Country Mafia," trying to bully Adam's artists into singing country songs. Gwen grilled Blake on whether the fake group existed, Dolly Parton returned as the "Godmother of Country" and it was all a little awkward and forced.

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Contestants (from left) Regina Love, Nadjah Nicole, Mark Hood, Celeste Betton and Darius Scott take the stage for the season finale.
So it was truly a breath of fresh air when contestants Nadjah Nicole, Regina Love, Celeste Betton, Mark Hood and Darius Scott all teamed up to nail the O'Jays' "Love Train." Love, Nicole and Betton were three powerhouse female vocalists who were snubbed early on in the live shows and easily could have been a part of tonight's final four. They were, quite honestly, the vocal highlight of the night.

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Coldplay performed during the star-studded finale.
Coming in hot on their heels was a raucous performance of "Any Way You Want It" from Jordan, Mark, Korin Bukowski, Amy Vachal, Regina and Evan McKeel. We were reminded of that soul-crushing battle between Jordan and Regina when the two of them belted the chorus of this song together. All six vocalists improvised on the final note and it came out with a vibrant sound.

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Madi Davis and Jeffery Austin take "The Voice" stage for the show's finale.
Continuing the trend of uncomfortable Blake Shelton moments, the country mogul wore an orange jumpsuit with the name tag "Short Shrift Shelton" to a go-kart race organized by Pharrell. At least, for seemingly obvious reasons, Blake did admit that maybe it wasn't the most flattering nickname. Oh, and Adam won the race.

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Contestants (from leftA) Darius Scott, Evan McKeel, Celeste Betton, Viktor Karaly, Jeffery Austin, Korin Bukowsky, Regina Love, Emily Ann Roberts, Madi Davis, Mark Hood, Jordan Smith, Chance Pena, Riley Biederer and Barrett Baber do a group performance during the show's finale.
We also learned through a blurry-eyed montage that Gwen Stefani - who touted four different outfits throughout the two hour finale - has cried a whole lot on this show. In a deceptively sweet moment, her new boyfriend Blake said, "Gwen cries because she has a big heart."

If Blake's mafia ties weren't enough to leave you nonplussed Tuesday night, look no further than Missy Elliot's trippy performance with Pharrell. Featuring neon-glowing subway turnstiles, break dancers and marionette versions of both artists, it was nothing short of a spectacle.

Closing out the star-studded night was boy wonder Justin Bieber, who didn't walk off this stage. He started off slowly singing "Sorry" on the piano before getting off to his usual shenanigans, bouncing around the stage and wooing his devoted fans.

After three months bursting with brilliance, heartbreak and moments of vulnerability, only Jordan Smith remained standing at the end of it all. But by transforming the finale into a two-hour exhibition of vocalists from well-established to burgeoning, "The Voice" boasted one last time the stunning array of talent it offered from top to bottom.nydailynews

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