Team John Legend: ‘The Voice’ Season 25 photos, bios, artist rankings

Marcus James Dixon
·9 min read
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EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) recipient John Legend officially attached himself to “The Voice” coaching panel during its 16th installment, after previously giving advice as a mentor. Magic struck on his first at-bat in Spring 2019 when he proved victorious as a coach with contemporary artist Maelyn Jarmon, but he’s never won since. Now that the Season 25 blind auditions, battles and knockouts have wrapped up, can John prevail for the second time on NBC’s reality TV show?

Tour our gallery above (or click here for direct access) for a closer look at Team John Legend on “The Voice” Season 25, including photos, bios and artist rankings. Also see our features for Team Chance the Rapper, Team Dan + Shay and Team Reba McEntire.

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1. Mafe (4-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 22
Hometown: Barquisimeto, Lara, Venezuela
Resident: Miami, FL

Mafe was born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, where she enjoyed adventurous family trips and a musical environment. Later, her family moved to Margarita Island, but limited opportunities hindered her passion for singing. In 2017, the family made the life-changing decision to relocate to Miami. The transition to a new life in the U.S. was challenging for Mafe and her family, but joining a choir class provided a sense of belonging and helped her overcome language barriers. After graduating with an AA degree in music performance and jazz, Mafe took a year off to determine her path in music. She currently works two jobs and saves money for recording her original music. She enjoys cooking authentic Venezuelan dishes with her mom in her free time.

2. Bryan Olesen (3-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 49
Hometown: Hartford, CT
Resident: Lincoln, NE

Bryan’s path to pursuing his musical dreams involved various odd jobs before receiving an unexpected call to join the rock band Newsboys as their guitarist for an international tour. He later shifted his focus to his own band, VOTA, using their music to connect with and support various causes, including school shooting victims and fighting against human trafficking. The band took action by recording albums to support the organization’s campaign and through their efforts, they helped raise over $180,000 to build border ports in Nepal and save the lives of nearly 700 women. Despite facing a challenging divorce after 24 years of marriage, Bryan embraced it as a turning point in his life. He sees it as an opportunity to make a difference at almost 50 years old with newfound freedom and determination.

3. Nathan Chester (2-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 27
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Resident: Nashville, TN

Nathan was raised by his single mother since he was 3 years old and didn’t see much of his father as he grew up. Despite the sporadic presence of his father in his life and the delayed introduction to his half-siblings on his father’s side, Nathan has worked extremely hard to maintain connections with his entire family. His interest in playing the guitar and singing was ignited by his brother, Michael, during his childhood and in high school, his best friend introduced him to musical theater as his love for performing grew. Nathan now earns a living as a professional singer on cruise ships, allowing him to travel to countries worldwide. Fate happened when Nathan met his partner, Emily, while they were both working on the same cruise. Destiny reunited them on the same cruise ship two years later, sparking a romance between them. They now aspire to expand their business by creating multiple shows tailored for cruise lines.

4. Kamalei Kawa’a (2-CHAIR TURN) — STOLEN IN KNOCKOUTS
Age: 26
Hometown: Paukūkalo, HI
Resident: Paukūkalo, HI

Kamalei is a native Hawaiian from Maui, and the island’s culture and heritage play a huge part in his everyday life. He acquired the art of hula from his mother at a young age. In high school, he and his brother started a band, “Nā Wai ʻEha, named after the four famous waters of Maui. They performed in Japan, up and down the West Coast, and around the islands of Hawaii. They even received a Grammy nomination in the regional roots category. Kamalei started performing solo in 2021 and has since released two singles. During the day, he teaches Hawaiian Studies and Hula, while he pursues his passion as a musician at night. Kamalei lives on Hawaiian Homelands in Maui with his wife and daughter. Through his voice, Kamalei strives to increase recognition of Hawaii’s talented artistry and share the spirit of aloha with the world.

5. Zoe Levert (1-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 20
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Resident: Baton Rouge, LA

Zoe grew up in a constantly moving environment due to her father’s pastoral role, and music became a solace for her. She began playing piano by ear and gained popularity on social media for her rewrites and Taylor Swift covers, with one video reaching over 5 million views. Zoe is also a prolific songwriter with more than 200 original songs, drawing inspiration from her personal life and faith. Recently, she started performing her own music at local restaurants. Her fiancé, Ryan, is a supportive partner and fellow musician. Together, they navigate their roles as full-time students and aspiring musicians, and prepare for their upcoming wedding. They enjoy exploring the vibrant music scene and savoring the culinary delights of New Orleans during their date nights.

Gene Taylor (4-CHAIR TURN) — ELIMINATED IN KNOCKOUTS
Age: 33
Hometown: Vernon, NJ
Resident: Brooklyn, NY

Gene was adopted as a young boy and raised by his hard-working single mother, who supported his dreams but ultimately pushed him to attend college. While in college, Gene couldn’t suppress his passion for music and chose to dedicate a year to pursuing it in New York despite financial difficulties. Almost a year later, he secured a leading role in the national tour of “Man of La Mancha.” The tour allowed him to travel extensively and reunite with his biological family during a tour stop. Settling in New York, Gene faced financial challenges and performed on a Carnival cruise ship. Nowadays, he regularly performs in his band and at corporate events and weddings, applying the knowledge he gained from his cruise ship experience.

Val T. Webb (4-CHAIR TURN) — ELIMINATED IN KNOCKOUTS
Age: 43
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Resident: New Braunfels, TX

Val is fulfilling a promise to her son, Joshua, by auditioning for “The Voice.” Joshua has been a passionate fan of “The Voice” and has long believed in his mother’s star quality. Val has had an impressive career, providing vocal direction and background vocals for renowned gospel and mainstream music artists. Her musical journey began in church at a young age, leading her to pursue music at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to her work as a background vocalist, Val released her first gospel single in 2011 and independently launched her album “Dream” in 2016, which reached #18 on the Gospel Albums Billboard Chart. A highlight of her career was performing at the World Games’ opening and closing ceremonies in 2022, where her rendition of “We Shall Overcome” reached millions worldwide. Val is also a devoted wife and mother of three children, with two stepdaughters.

OK3 (4-CHAIR TURN) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Ages: Kenna Fields, 22 / Sierra Sikes, 23 / Courtney Hooker, 25
Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK / Choctaw, OK / Riverside, NJ
Resident: Oklahoma City, OK

OK3 got their name from Oklahoma City and its music scene. Oklahoma has a diverse music community and Kenna, Sierra and Courtney all grew up around various genres, such as country, pop/rock and R&B. The three met 10 years ago through their vocal coach, who suggested they form a trio. When they first formed the group, the girls were 12, 14 and 16. They grew up together, experiencing their preteen and teenage years. They decided to split after four years together because they were all at different stages of their lives. When they split, each of the girls continued pursuing music individually. Life brought the three of them together two years ago at Sierra’s wedding. Alongside the success of other trios on “The Voice,” they decided to get together again and give OK3 another shot. They are currently working on original music and are loving performing together again.

Ronnie Wilson (2-CHAIR TURN) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Age: 28
Hometown: Liberty, SC
Resident: Atlanta, GA

Ronnie lives a double life as an accountant by trade and an artist at heart. After working his day job, he records covers in his home studio and posts videos to social media. Every Sunday he sings at church, which is also where he sang his first solo at a very young age. Ronnie got his love for music from his mom, who was the church choir director. Throughout his life, he has sung in various choirs and has competed in local singing competitions. He received the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship, a merit-based full-ride scholarship, and obtained a B.S. in business administration from the University of Tennessee. Ronnie moved to Atlanta in 2021 for a job and was very excited to be in a city with a vibrant music scene. He confidently leads as a Black, gay, Christian male and hopes it inspires others.

Rivers Grayson (1-CHAIR TURN) — ELIMINATED IN BATTLES
Age: 27
Hometown: Muscle Shoals, AL
Resident: Atlanta, GA

While music is Rivers’ first love, skateboarding is a close second as he started skateboarding at 6 years old and participated in competitions. Now, skateboarding provides him with musical inspiration and helps get him into the songwriting flow. His first exposure to music came from growing up in Muscle Shoals, Ala., home of the famous Muscle Shoals Sound and Fame Recording Studios. Once he became interested in guitar and singing, he joined a worship band at church and started to write and record his own music. He dreamed of living up to those legends that had once come through his hometown. After leaving the church band, Riverscontinued to perform and released a singl,e but felt a plateau in his career. Encouraged by his supportive mother, he took a chance and auditioned for “The Voice,” where he hopes to get the guidance and mentorship he needs.

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