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"Triple Threat" Mark Shiiba Gets Last Coach Replay: "Most Unique Artist We’ve Seen"
Mark Shiiba joins The Voice thanks to a last-minute Coach Replay.
The Blind Auditions for Season 26 of The Voice are nearing their end, and the Coaches are searching for one or two more Artists to fill out their Teams. There are only a few slots left, and the competition is getting fierce. Often, the Coaches are looking for something specific to round out their respective lineups, which is why even great Artists can get passed over.
Like so many of the Artists who audition on The Voice, Mark Shiiba grew up immersed in music. His entire family is musically inclined, thanks in no small part to his dad, a lifetime karaoke enthusiast. Shiiba started playing guitar during middle school, influenced by performers like Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson.
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At 18, Shiiba joined the United States Navy and was stationed on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He described the experience as like living in a city on the water, accompanied by the perpetual music of jets, helicopters, and other aircraft taking off and landing. Now, 29, Shiiba’s a year out of the Navy and focused on music. He made the journey from his home in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, accompanied by his dad and grandma, to the Blind Auditions on The Voice.
Watch Mark Shiiba Perform Bob Dylan's “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” During The Voice Season 26 Blind Auditions
Shiiba came out wielding a guitar and harmonica while singing Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” The song perfectly captured the unique warbling tone of Shiiba’s voice. While Shiiba’s performance was objectively good and unlike anything else we’ve seen so far this season (or in recent memory), the Coaches let him sweat it out through the entire song without turning. Fortunately, on Season 26 of The Voice, that’s not necessarily the end of the story.
“So, Mark. I have to say I was so on the fence the entire time. Your voice is such a character voice, which is what we love,” said Coach Gwen Stefani. “I don’t want you to be discouraged, I thought it was really, really good.”
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Those sentiments were mirrored and magnified by Michael Bublé, who was seemingly too enamored with Shiiba’s performance to press his button. “From the second you entered my ear hole I was loving every second of that. I was thinking to myself, ‘This guy might be a star; this could be one of those unique Americana stars.’ I’m listening to you and I’m back there thinking, ‘How cool is it, on this season of The Voice, that we have something called the Coach Replay?’ so that I can do this.”
The Coach Replay was introduced for the first time during Season 26. It allows the Coaches to snatch up an Artist at the last minute, even if they didn’t turn during the Blind Audition. Each Coach only has one Replay and Bublé used the last one on Shiiba. From here on out, every Artist is going to have to impress during their Blind Audition if they hope to make the cut.
“The Coach Replay is one of the greatest ideas that this show has ever had. I knew that I had made a mistake before the chair ever turned around, because I think this guy is a star,” Bublé said. “He is literally the most unique Artist we’ve seen so far.”
Where can you watch The Voice?
Catch new episodes of The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Every episode also arrives on Peacock the next day, so if you missed it the night before, you can always catch up.
