The Top 12 take to The Voice stage tonight as the final part of their journey to the finale begins. Song choice will play a huge role in who stays and who goes home as America votes for its favorites.
What remains to be seen is if a four-chair turn from the judges, like those that Alisan Porter and Mary Sarah received, will translate to popularity with the audience at home. It did last season with Jordan Smith, who has just released his single “Stand in the Light.”
But before the artists take to the stage, Parade.com spoke with them on the red carpet to find out their winning strategy.
Here is what they had to say:
TEAM ADAM
Owen Danoff: I really want to just keep picking songs that describe who I am as an artist and try to present the most honest and true version of myself that I can.
Shalyah Fearing: I just want to go out there and give it my best. That is my strategy. Honestly, it is all about song choice, so I am going to pick the right songs and go from there.
Laith Al-Saadi: I am just going to let Shalyah win. (laughs) For real, I think all of us just want to do the best that we can. At this point, everybody is so different and it is subjective in terms of people’s taste, so you can just be the best version of yourself that you can be.
TEAM BLAKE
Paxton Ingram: My strategy is to eat before I sing and just go out there and kill it. To leave it all the blood on the dance floor. That’s what we say.
Mary Sarah: I think the main thing I am going to focus on is hard work, but not work too hard where I overwork myself. I think there is such a fine line there. The one thing I am going to do is work very hard and hope to make Blake Shelton and my fans proud. I can’t believe they saved me. I am so grateful.
Adam Wakefield: I think I am going to try to keep doing what I’m doing. My game plan from the beginning was to try and sing the songs the way the songs are. For me it’s more about tone and trying to sound sincere. I am not the vocal ninja like Paxton.
TEAM CHRISTINA
Alisan Porter: Keep growing, keep doing research and seeing what our fans are responding to the best. Keep bringing it. We all have this opportunity but only one person can win, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t all win every single time we get to go perform on stage and do the best that we can.
Nick Hagelin: Christina told me that tenderness is my friend. She remarked on the vulnerability of my voice and when you come into a singing competition against these amazing vocalists, I feel like I need to be louder and more powerful, but Christina has always appreciated the sensitivity in my voice, so I am just going to keep being true to myself and embracing the artist that I am.
Bryan Bautista: Now that I’m in the Top 12, and I’ve been with Christina since day one, I am just going to keep being true to myself as an artist and keep working and pushing myself to do the best that I can.
TEAM PHARRELL
Emily Keener: I just try to remember to breathe and get through the song. The only thing you can do on that stage is be your best and be yourself. That in itself is a really hard thing to do.
Daniel Passino: Just sing in tune every single time. That’s all I’ve got.
Hannah Huston: I think believing in who you are. Sticking to what you believe in.
Every year, at least one or two chart-topping recording artist reaches out to a contestant on The Voice, whose performance has moved them. Following is the wish list of who this season’s Top 12 would love to hear from:
TEAM ADAM
Owen Danoff: John Mayer
Shalyah Fearing: Beyoncé
Laith Al-Saadi: Paul McCartney
TEAM BLAKE
Paxton Ingram: Beyoncé, Madonna and Lady Gaga
Mary Sarah: I am not going to lie. I am going to go with Carrie Underwood, John Legend, and I’ve got to say it, Justin Bieber.
Adam Wakefield: For me, I would say maybe Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell. He’s one of my favorite songwriters right now. Greg Allman would be pretty badass.
TEAM CHRISTINA
Alisan Porter: I really admire Sia. She’s an incredible songwriter and an unbelievable singer. She’s had a similar journey to me being open about her sobriety, so that would be really cool to hear from someone like that.
Nick Hagelin: My biggest hero is Sting.
Bryan Bautista: One artist I would love to hear from would be Kanye West. I have been following him since he first got on Twitter and he has incredible one liners. To be featured in one of them would be incredible.
TEAM PHARRELL
Emily Keener: Paul Simon, if he had a Twitter, or Paul McCartney.
Hannah Huston: I don’t know. Mine is a tossup between Stevie Wonder or Beyoncé. He’s the legend and Beyoncé’s Beyoncé.
The Voice‘s Top 12 take the stage tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
The Voice -- Season 10
Team Pharrell: Emily Keener, Daniel Passino, Pharrell Williams, Hannah Huston
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Daniel Passino
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Daniel Passino
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Daniel Passino
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Emily Keener
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Emily Keener
The Voice - Season 10
Live Playoffs: Emily Keener
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Hannah Huston
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds:Hannah Huston
The Voice - Season 10
Live Playoffs: Hannah Huston
The Voice -- Season 10
Team Adam: Shalyah Fearing, Adam Levine, Laith Al-Saadi, Owen Danoff
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Laith Al-Saadi
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Laith Al-Saadi
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Laith Al-Saadi
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Owen Danoff
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Owen Danoff
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Owen Danoff
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Shalyah Fearing
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Shalyah Fearing
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Shalyah Fearing
The Voice -- Season 10
Team Blake: Paxton Ingram, Blake Shelton, Adam Wakefield, Mary Sarah
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Adam Wakefield
The Voice -- Season 10
Battle Rounds: Adam Wakefield
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Adam Wakefield
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Paxton Ingram
The Voice -- Season 10
Battle Rounds: Paxton Ingram
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Paxton Ingram
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Mary Sarah
The Voice - Season 10
Battle Rounds: Mary Sarah
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Mary Sarah
The Voice -- Season 10
Team Christina: Nick Hagelin, Christina Aguilera, Alisan Porter, Bryan Bautista
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Alisan Porter
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Alisan Porter
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Alisan Porter
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Bryan Bautista
The Voice -- Season 10
Battle Rounds: Bryan Bautista
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Bryan Bautista
The Voice -- Season 10
Blind Auditions: Nick Hagelin
The Voice -- Season 10
Knockout Rounds: Nick Hagelin
The Voice -- Season 10
Live Playoffs: Nick Hagelin
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