TEAM KELLY CLARKSON: ‘THE VOICE’ SEASON 23 PHOTOS, BIOS, ARTIST RANKINGS
Three-time Grammy winner and four-time Daytime Emmy champ Kelly Clarkson joined “The Voice” full-time as a coach in Season 14, after previously serving as an advisor. She immediately proved her worth as a coach, winning four times with artists Brynn Cartelli (Season 14), Chevel Shepherd (Season 15), Jake Hoot (Season 17) and Girl Named Tom (Season 21). She took off last season, but returned this year to send off rival coach Blake Shelton in style, as he’s leaving after 23 cycles. Now that the Season 23 blind auditions, battles, knockouts and playoffs are over, Kelly is itching to win her fifth championship on NBC’s reality TV show. Can she do it?
Tour our gallery above (or click here for direct access) for a closer look at Team Kelly Clarkson on “The Voice” Season 23, including photos, bios and artist rankings. Also see our features for Team Chance the Rapper, Team Niall Horan and Team Blake Shelton.
SEE All 16 ‘The Voice’ coaches ranked worst to best
D. Smooth (2-chair turn) — PLAYOFF PASS RECIPIENT
Age: 25
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Resident: Montgomery, AL
D.Smooth was about to take the stage at the Season 21 Blind Auditions when the teams filled up. Looking back, he’s grateful he didn’t get a chance to perform at a time when he wasn’t giving 100% to music. D.Smooth grew up in the rural countryside and his entire extended family all lived on the same street. He feels blessed that his family was close by to keep him grounded. In high school, D.Smooth was a singer in the jazz band, but even though he loved music, his main focus was sports. Now that he’s back at “The Voice,” he’s ready to give music his all.
Holly Brand (3-chair turn)
Age: 22
Hometown: Meridian, MS
Resident: Meridian, MS
Holly opened for Blake Shelton after winning a local competition at the age of 10. She started singing in public at church and then began participating in beauty pageants, which led her to being crowned Miss Mississippi 2021. She traveled the state amassing 32,000 miles doing speaking engagements and singing for various organizations. She now spends a lot of her time working at her family’s boutique, which she opened with her mom in 2018. Although Holly works there full-time, she tries to sing and perform as much as she can in the community.
Cait Martin (4-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN PLAYOFFS
Age: 22
Hometown: Norcross, GA
Resident: Atlanta, GA
Cait has spent years performing and traveling as a theatrical vocalist on tours and cruise ships. In 2019, Cait got a call that her sister Jaimie collapsed at work from a pulmonary embolism. She rushed home to be by her side, but Jaimie died a few days later at the age of 32. Cait lost her lust for life and spent more than a year living at home with her parents and turned inward. Slowly, she came out of her sadness when she realized singing was her gift that brings joy to others. Cait is currently doing voiceover work and musicals and creates original music on the side. Cait had a four chair turn during her audition.
Neil Salsich (4-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN PLAYOFFS
Age: 34
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Resident: St. Louis, MO
Neil’s first memory around music was when his father made a mixtape for him. He listened to it relentlessly to the point of wearing it out, but growing up, Neil never saw music as a career. During high school, he gigged in coffee shops around St. Louis for fun when he wasn’t playing sports or in class. In college, he majored in English with a minor in music and ended up failing his minor. Thankfully, he didn’t let that stop him from pursuing something about which he was passionate. In 2014, Neil quit his day job to pursue music full-time with his band, the Mighty Pines, and is still with his band today. Now, he wants to use “The Voice” to see if he can make it as a solo artist.
ALI (2-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN PLAYOFFS
Age: 24
Hometown: Walnut, CA
Resident: Anaheim, CA
ALI was born completely deaf and her doctors said that she likely wouldn’t be able to talk, much less sing. ALI always loved a challenge and wasn’t going to let her disability get in the way of her love for music. Rather than rely on hearing to sing, she would feel the way the notes felt, replicating it physically. With that technique, along with the help of many operations and good hearing aids, she was able to get to a level where she was comfortable performing. She loved the feeling it gave her, especially inspiring others. Recently, her friend encouraged her to start gigging again, which has given her the confidence to audition for “The Voice.”
Marcos Covos (2-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN KNOCKOUTS
Age: 30
Hometown: Odessa, TX
Resident: Dallas, TX
At a young age, Marcos discovered his love for mariachi music through his family. By the time he was in middle school, he had already won multiple mariachi competitions as a lead vocalist and was gigging professionally around town with a mariachi band. Come high school, Marcos expanded his musical skills in choir to learn how to sing in English. In Marcus’ senior year of high school, his family learned he was gay. They went through a difficult time, but eventually reconciled and they all eventually learned to accept him. Today Marcos and his family have rebuilt their relationship and are now closer than ever. Marcos now realizes that he doesn’t want to have any regrets and is excited to make his family proud.
Katie Beth Forakis (2-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Age: 25
Hometown: Savannah, TN
Resident: Counce, TN
Katie Beth started singing from a young age in her church where her mom played piano. When Katie Beth was only 15, she lost her mom unexpectedly. After her mom died, Katie Beth had to step up in her role as a big sister to her three younger sisters. Her family encouraged and shaped her as a singer. When Katie Beth first met her now-husband, Demetri, their shared love of music was the thing that brought them together. The two now lead worship, write, perform and record music as a couple. Both Katie Beth and Demetri teach instrumental and voice lessons and share their passion for music with members of their small community. She was the last pick for Kelly Clarkson as Team Kelly is now filled.
Allie Keck (2-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Age: 28
Hometown: Neoga, IL
Resident: Nashville, TN
Allie picked up music from a young age, but soon realized musical opportunities were limited in her small town and dreamed of more. After college, she moved to Nashville, becoming the first member of her family to leave Neoga. Allie gigs five nights a week and is writing as much as possible. She also loves her weekly gig at a Taco Bell, the only one in the world that has live music. She released her Tori Kelly-inspired EP “Kiss and Tell” and signed to a record label in 2018. Now, she works as a real estate agent but is ready to put it to the side while she pursues her career in music.
Sheer Element (3-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Ages: 24, 24, 26
Hometown: Bowie, MD; Sandpoint, ID; Davao, Philippines
Resident: Los Angeles, CA
One of the members of this trio will look familiar on “The Voice” stage, because Jej auditioned in Season 16, landed a spot on Team Kelly, and made it all the way to the Top 13. Jej, Izzy and Tabon met almost six years ago at the University of Southern California. During a late night in 2020, they posted a video of them singing “Only 1” by Ariana Grande on Jej’s TikTok page, and to their surprise it went viral overnight. After that online success, the trio decided to take themselves seriously as artists, changing their name to Sheer Element and posting elevated covers and performances online. The group now gigs at least two times a month and continues to impress with their innovative style.
JB Somers (2-chair turn) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Age: 31
Hometown: Montgomery, AL
Resident: Nashville, TN
By day, JB works for Sarah Cannon Research Institute activating clinical trials for cancer research. Though he doesn’t work directly with patients, JB loves that he’s able to help people in this way. JB’s desire to make a difference intensified after the death of his sister, Somer, from whom JB derives his stage name. Since Somer’s death in 2016, JB has dedicated himself to living a life that’s worth living, especially concerning his music career. The loss of his sister showed him that pursuing a career in music was paramount and it brings him to “The Voice” stage now – a long-time dream fulfilled.
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