With a bevy of extraordinarily gifted competitors, the 24th season of The Voice got off to an amazing start. Among them, Mara Justine, the “magical gem” herself and a 21-year-old native of Galloway, New Jersey, stood out as the contender who shone the brightest.
The music selection in a Blind Audition is almost as important as the talent itself. Thoughts regarding Justine’s song selection quickly vanished after hearing her sultry performance of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
The moment the first chords began to play, it was clear that Justine had completely transformed the song into her own. The coaches were immediately drawn to the legendary song’s quick metamorphosis. When are you going to come down? are the first words in the song. When Justine was about to ask, “When are you going to land?,” Coaches John Legend and Gwen Stefani each pressed their buzzers one after the other.
Legend applauded Justine’s performance after turning around in his seat and remarked, “The thing that made me turn around so quickly was your tone in that lower portion of the song. The ability to perform those incredibly small touches came later. I’d adore having you join Team Legend.
Just one line, “I should have stayed on the farm,” was all Justine could manage to sing before Reba McEntire’s chair also swung towards the stage. Niall Horan, who had previously triumphed in Season 23 with Gina Miles, was the last contestant. He was able to resist pressing his buzzer until almost the conclusion of the first stanza, giving Justine the desired Four-Chair Turn.
“God, in Jersey they make them different. Someone who is willing to sing an Elton John song in the opening round and in that manner takes something. What can we expect from you in the future if this is the standard you’ve set? Horan praised Justine’s performance, saying, “America is going to fall in love with that voice. Please join our team.”
“I hope you noticed that I turned for you first. They simply lacked my insight in realising what a magnificent gem of a vocalist you are, Legend continued. Additionally strong arguments were put out by Stefani, Horan, and McEntire for Justine to select them.
