Can Reba McEntire guide another Alabama singer to victory on “The Voice”? It could happen during Season 26.
Lauren-Michael Sellers, a former Birmingham resident, made an outstanding debut on the NBC reality series, earning a four-chair turn from the celebrity coaches during her Blind Audition.
It’s the biggest vote of confidence any singer can receive during this phase of “The Voice,” signaling that all the coaches want that person on their teams. Also, a four-chair turn typically inspires a goodnatured fight among the stars, as they sing their own praises and trash-talk each other, in hopes of convincing the singer they’re the right coach to lead him or her to a win.
That’s exactly what happened on the Oct. 14 episode, when Sellers, 35, covered “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail),” a 2013 hit for Hillsong United. Her powerful rendition of the contemporary Christian song thrilled coaches McEntire, Michael Bublé, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg, and all offered effusive kudos.
Sellers’ performance especially wowed Stefani, who threw up her hands in delight during the first few notes. And it seemed, for a time, that the country-folk singer from Alabama was destined for Team Gwen.
“That was so crazy,” Stefani said, describing her first encounter with “Oceans” during a “backyard run.” Hearing the tune as she ran struck her as a spiritual moment, Stefani said, and it gave the pop star an enduring appreciation for the song.
“Hearing you sing it, it just felt very real and honest,” Stefani told Sellers. “You have a beautiful, beautiful voice.” (Watch Sellers perform “Oceans” in the video below.)
Stefani did her best to coax Sellers to join her team — even touting her country music credentials by virtue of her husband, Blake Shelton — but the other coaches made strong pitches of their own.
“What a beautiful breath of unique, fresh air you are,” Bublé said. “Love your voice. Love your control. I love that you just brought this beautiful energy. The whole place just blew up, and I want you very badly to join Team Bublé.”
“I watched (Stefani); I listened you. And I thought: ‘This is magical. It’s so wonderful,’” McEntire said. “And I love your voice and the emotion. When people are singing, if you can feel it, oh my gosh, that’s the greatest gift. So thank you for sharing your great gift with us today.”
“The singer that comes out and touches my spirit, that’s the one I’m going to hit the buzzer for,” Snoop Dogg said. “I just was late. I was the last one, but I hit it. And while you were singing, I was seeing Gwen light up. I could see light, as if God was coming in the building. And I didn’t want to be left out when he came.”
The coaches continued to banter, with most of them admitting Sellers seemed to be a shoo-in for Team Gwen.
“I feel like you know that I’m your coach,” Stefani said with a wide smile. “Come on, come on.”
In the end, though, Sellers opted for McEntire, causing the country star to startle and widen her eyes in surprise.
“Before I walked on stage, I said Reba’s prayer: ‘Holy spirit, walk with me, talk with me, sing for me, speak for me,’” Sellers said. “So, I don’t know. I think I’m gonna go with Reba.”
“Lauren-Michael’s voice was incredible,” McEntire said after the audition. “A lot of great singers popped up in my head to compare her to. I thought a little bit about Wynonna. And I’m just so thrilled she came on my team.”
Alabama’s Lauren-Michael Sellers covered “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong United during Blind Auditions for Season 26 of “The Voice.” Sellers is a former Birmingham resident who now lives in Nashville.(Griffin Nagel/NBC)
Sellers is one of 14 singers on Team Reba during Season 26. She’s also the only “Voice” contestant from Alabama this season. Lest we forget, Sellers is following in the footsteps of Asher HaVon, the Selma native who won Season 25 as a member of McEntire’s team.
READ: 33 times Alabama won on reality TV shows
Before the confetti flies, Sellers must face several more challenges on “The Voice,” testing her mettle and talent. Next up is the Battle Rounds, as singers perform duets/duels with other contestants on their teams, vying to keep their spots on the show. The Battles begin on Monday, Oct. 21, and will continue for three or four more episodes. After that, the remaining contestants will move on to the Knockouts and Playoffs rounds.
If Sellers makes it past the Playoffs, she’ll advance to the live shows, where viewer votes decide weekly eliminations and determine the winner. (Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance, and the coaches decide who stays and who goes.)
On her Instagram page, Sellers describes herself as “Georgia Grown” and “Birmingham Forged,” with a pin emoji to indicate her current home in Nashville. She’s released singles as a solo artist, including “Fallin’ All In,” “Take Me Back,” “Holding Out Hope,” “The Shelf” and more. Sellers describes her music on Instagram as the “Powerhouse Sound of Heartbreak.”
She was the lead singer and primary songwriter of The Heavy Hearts, a folk-rock trio formed in Birmingham in 2013. The band’s debut album, “Keep Your Light On,” was released in May 2014. Songs on the album included “The Boy From Iris Glenn,” “Georgia Grown,” “Hearts to Bend” and the title track.
A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Sellers earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Montevallo. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as a behavior specialist and collaborative educator for Birmingham City Schools for several years.
Her official bio for “The Voice” says:
“Lauren-Michael is a special education teacher and worship director. She believes her students have exceptionalities, not disabilities, and leading worship has gifted her with both a church family and renewed faith. With both master’s and educational specialist degrees, she uses her education to give her students a voice. As the oldest of five, she grew up quickly to fill the mom role to her siblings. In ninth grade, her mother lost custody of her and her siblings, leading them all to be separated. She then started writing as an outlet for her traumatic upbringing. One day, a teacher saw her journaling and pointed out that it looked like songs. Music became her total focus, ultimately leading her to receive a full scholarship to study voice and music composition. Now living and teaching in Nashville, she performs locally and participates in songwriting collaborations every chance she gets.”
If you watch: “The Voice” airs at 7 p.m. CT on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. The series also streams on Peacock. Early episodes in the season are filmed in advance.
