John Legend Made a “Fatal Error” that Gave Adam Levine a Leg Up on The Voice

Oof, that backfired.

Well, that backfired! With three veteran Coaches in the red chairs, the competition on The Voice: Battle of Champions is fierce, and made fiercer by the Triple Turn Competition. Whichever Coach wins over the most Artists who got button presses from all three Coaches gets a Super Steal in the Battles, adding extra incentive on top of the fact that the Coaches want the best Artists on their teams, and really, really want to beat one another. Sadly, Coach John Legend is off to a rough start in that regard.

On the very first episode of Blind Auditions that aired on February 23, Legend set his sights on Alexia Jay, the 31-year-old singer from Mobile, Alabama, whose rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” earned her the first Triple-Chair Turn of the season.

“Not only do you have the raw ability; you know how to deploy it in the right way. You’re my type of singer. I absolutely love your voice, love your style. Please come to Team Legend,” the EGOT winner pleaded.

But his fellow Coaches, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson, weren’t giving up without a fight. Clarkson, who had turned her chair within seconds of hearing Jay sing, bonded with the Artist over being moms. And Levine gave Legend’s pitch a sarcastic standing ovation. “I can see how on paper, maybe these two might kind of make sense initially,” he said, referring to Jay and Legend.

Alexia Jayy appears on The Voice Season 29 Episode 1.

Photo: Griffin Nagel/NBC

“But let me tell you why that’s not true,” he added, pointing out that while the song she’d just sung was made famous by Aretha Franklin, it was written by Carole King, two singers with markedly different styles. Perhaps a stylistic mash-up could be the key to Jay’s success, too.

“Maybe the way for you to go all the way here is to do it with somebody not everybody would expect,” Levine suggested.

The Voice: Battle of Champions

The Voice Season 29 is shaking things up, premiering on Monday, February 23 at 9/8c on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.

Officially titled The Voice: Battle of Champions, Season 29 features the show’s first-ever three-Coach lineup, putting The Voice OGs Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend back in the red chairs for an epic showdown.

The Voice Season 29 will also introduce fresh format updates such as the “Triple Turn Competition” and the “Super Steal.” You also won’t want to miss the exciting return of CeeLoo Green in a totally new role.

How John Legend unwittingly doomed himself with the first Triple Turn Artist

John Legend appears on The Voice Season 29 Episode 1.

Photo: Trae Patton/NBC

Clarkson then keyed in on the way to Jay’s heart: her son, Matthew. “Your mama is, don’t say this word, but a badass…” she told the child as he joined his mother on stage. Attempting to form a bond, Legend asked Matthew, “Who do you listen to?” And that’s when his fate was sealed.

“Maroon 5,” responded Matthew. Yep, Adam Levine’s band.

“Oh no, that backfired! Oh my goodness, I never should have asked,” admitted Legend once it was too late as Jay chose to be on Team Adam.

Levine couldn’t have been happier with his new teammate, calling hers “one of the best voices I’ve ever heard on this show.”

“I made a fatal error of inviting out her son!” Legend groaned. “I was like, ‘Uh oh, I just engineered my own demise.'”

Watch new episodes of The Voice: Battle of Champions on Mondays at 9/8c on NBC, and streaming the next day on Peacock.