Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
“Extraordinary” 16-Year-Old Mikaela Ayira Blew Snoop Away: “I Felt Your Passion”
The Voice Season 26 Blind Auditions are heating up!
Sixteen-year-old Mikaela Ayira keeps a busy schedule. On top of an ordinary load of high school classes, Ayira works with special education students, incorporating music education into the school curriculum. After hours, she sings wherever she can find an audience, hitting up coffee shops and open mic nights around town. She’s been performing most of her life, including writing and performing her first song, “Smoothie,” for the neighborhood.
Along the way, Ayira watched The Voice and dreamed of a day when she might stand on that stage, in front of the Coaches and the world. Now that day has come. “Being on The Voice is so special to me because I’ve been watching it ever since I was a kid,” Ayira said. “I just can’t believe I’m here.”
RELATED: A Full Breakdown of How The Voice Works
Watch Mikaela Ayira's Performance of Christina Perri's “Human” During Blind Auditions for The Voice Season 26
Ayira performed “Human” by Christina Perri, a song which holds a special personal meaning for her. She has a self-reported tendency for perfectionism and the song reminds her that we don’t have to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes, regroup, and try again. It’s a lesson Ayira incorporated during her performance, and it paid off.
Despite a few issues with vocal control at the beginning of the song, Ayira found a groove, locked in, and delivered a performance filled with emotion. Snoop Dogg hit his buzzer early, noting the potential in Ayira’s clear, clean tone. Reba McEntire followed suit a moment later, earning Ayira a Two-Chair Turn.
“I was your age when I started working in the nightclubs. My grandpa used to do free plumbing so that I could go and work and sing,” said Michael Bublé. “If I knew that you were 16, I probably would have turned the chair because I would have realized there’s obviously so much potential there. I can’t wait to see what you do.”
RELATED: Michael Bublé Keeps Lying on The Voice, and the Coaches Are Calling Him Out
Hoping to convince Ayira to join her team, McEntire explained her hesitation in turning. “I was a little bit iffy about turning, but the more you were singing, the more you settled into it and you got comfortable. You’ve got great range and a very pretty voice. I’d love to have you on Team Reba.”
Like Bublé, Gwen Stefani didn’t turn and wasn’t in the running to snatch up Ayira, but she was visibly excited to see Ayira on the show. “Now that I know you’re 16, I’m so hyped,” Stefani said, before passing the baton to Snoop.
“Did you notice that Snoop was the first person to turn around? I recognized the beauty in your voice the moment you grabbed the microphone,” Snoop said, in a not-so-subtle dig at Reba’s turning tardiness. “I felt your passion, I felt your expression, and that’s why I feel like you should be with me. I can help you get to where you’re trying to get to, and I can also allow you to be you at the same time while I give you a few pieces to the puzzle to help you get to the mountaintop.”
It must have been a compelling sales pitch, because Ayira joined up with Team Snoop, earning a Death Row chain and a spot on Season 26 of The Voice. “I pushed my button for Mikaela because she sounded extraordinary. I want to see this young flower blossom into a rose.”
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.
