Jan Dan’s Wife Was in Labor During His Battle on The Voice
Oh, baby! Talk about grace under some serious new-parent pressure.
Coach Gwen Stefani couldn’t have known she was picking such a perfect song for her first Battle round on The Voice Season 26. But when she chose Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” — complete with the meaning-laden lyric “I have someone who needs me” — it was an unbelievable case of timeless art meeting a real-life moment for Team Gwen singer and dad-to-be, Jan Dan.
Taking the stage alongside Season 26 Artist Jaylen Dunham, Jan Dan poured his heart and soul into his Battles round performance right at the very same moment that his pregnant wife was giving birth to their first child. “She’s due today,” he informed the panel of amazed Coaches only moments after acing his Battles duet. “She’s 2.5 centimeters dilated right now!”
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The Voice Season 26 Team Gwen Battle: Jan Dan vs. Jaylen Dunham
Both Artists gave the Coaches plenty to ponder after serving up a strong duet performance that gave each a strong case for remaining in the competition. “I’ve already worn out three Kleenexes!” said an emotional Reba McEntire when it was all over, confessing she was equally impressed by both Dunham and Dan. “Because when y’all got finished and you were just so thrilled — it was like Christmas Day!”
But it was Dan who perhaps had something just a little bit extra to sing for on this night. “The words in the song — it’s literally what I’m living right now,” he explained during rehearsals. “My wife is pregnant — and with our first child!”
All the Coaches were blown away after learning that the powerful performance they’d just heard came amid such stressfully exciting circumstances.
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“Get the scissors — he gonna have to cut that umbilical cord!” shouted Snoop Dogg, who was only half-joking when he later admitted he could totally understand Dan’s new-parent grace under pressure. “I remember them [dilation] numbers!” said Snoop, urging Dan away to be by his wife’s side — since, after all, her in-progress labor meant the happy couple’s firstborn child was “getting close to the head coming out!”
In the end, the Battles round proved a double win for Dan — not only for being a proud papa in waiting, but for coming out on top in the contest. “I’m excited to get deeper into his confidence and getting him a little bit more stage presence,” said Stefani after declaring him the winner. “I don’t really think he needs much help with singing — he’s a really good singer!”
But, she teased — all while remaining in awe at Jan Dan’s cool composure — “he should definitely name his baby 'Gwen.' It has to happen!”
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.
