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Why Lennon VanderDoes' “Tour De Force" Voice Was Dubbed “One of the Best” of the Season
Lennon VanderDoes got an almost instant double-turn from Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani.
Lennon VanderDoes' Blind Audition on The Voice Season 24, in which he sang “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron, earned him a memorable Three-Chair Turn.
Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani raced to their buttons, turning at almost the exact same moment. A few lines later, John Legend followed suit. Only Reba McEntire refrained, having already filled her team, earning Lennon the maximum possible Three-Chair Turn.
Lennon VanderDoes sings “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron for The Voice Season 24 Blind Auditions
“Lennon, I couldn’t have turned quicker if I tried, honestly. The first note to come out of your mouth, I was like, ‘Oh my lord; this is so good.’ That is honestly one of my favorite voices I’ve heard in the show this season,” Horan said. “As you can imagine, there’s a lot of people who come out here and play guitar and sing singer-songwriter stuff, but not many people come out with a unique tone. It’s something that’s so pure and clean, and even your little raspy bits in the lower register add so much character."
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“I’m a songwriter, that’s my main thing,” VanderDoes responded. “I would say, above all, I’m a storyteller, and you’re my hero as far as that goes [speaking to Niall] I mean, for real. I can’t believe this is my real life right now because for the longest time I thought, because my voice is different, I didn’t think it was good. I didn’t think I had a place on this show.”
Despite Horan and VanderDoes' clear mutual admiration, there were still two Coaches with a slot on their teams to fill. “Lennon, I was waving my hands like I was at church. I was up on my feet. It was just a tour de force of a performance,” Legend said. “Honestly, you’re one of the best vocalists I’ve heard, and we need voices that are interesting, that are distinctive, and it felt like you have a real point of view. You belong out there making records, you belong out there touring, and this is my eighth season now. I have so much experience helping Artists realize their vision, and I believe I could do that with you.”
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Last but certainly not least, Stefani came in swinging. “Your voice does not sound like how you look and that is just so cool and so amazing," she said. "...The lyrics were guiding your whole vocal performance, that’s the songwriter in you. I’m also a songwriter. It’s the greatest thing in the world to be able to write a song and capture a moment and then share it with people. I really would like to Coach you; I feel like I’m the underdog between these two rock stars on either side of me. I have the most experience between all three of us, I’ve been around longer. In all seriousness, just pick me, I would love to Coach you.”
With all three Coaches having made their pitch, McEntire popped the question, but there was probably never really a question. A chance to work with your hero doesn’t come around very often, so, naturally, VanderDoes chose Team Niall.
“What a voice. So unique, authentic, needed in the competition and in our industry,” Horan said. “Lennon is the perfect way to complete Team Niall.”
