Contestant Returns to ‘The Voice’ 15 Years After His First Audition—And That’s Not His Only Connection to the Show

Brandon Diaz decided to give The Voice another go. The 29-year-old singer first auditioned for the show during season four, when he was just a teenager. At the time, he didn’t earn a single chair turn.

“I remember being so nervous,” he told the cameras. “I didn’t really know myself as an artist, so I was kind of figuring that out.”

Instead of being discouraged by the result, Diaz committed himself to music. He got accepted to Berklee College of Music, and soon began making music with his wife, Jackie Foster.

If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is to Voice fans. Foster competed on season 14 of the show, and competed on Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and Alicia Keys’ teams, before being eliminated in the semi-finals.

Now, 15 years after his first attempt, it was Diaz’s turn to step into the spotlight once again.

“A chair turn is something I’ve been dreaming of since I was 14. Being back here feels incredible, and I’m having major deja vu moments,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for this for 15 years. My redemption! Doing this, it feels like I’m living my dream all over again. Now I’m back to show them I’m meant to be here.”

Brandon Diaz’s Gets a Two-Chair Turn During His Voice Return

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Diaz earned a two-chair turn during his performance of Justin Timberlake’s “Drink You Away,” impressing both Clarkson and Queen Latifah.

“You can sing your behind off sir. Vocally you’re insane,” Clarkson praised. “I think you are so talented, man. You have that soulfulness going on.”

Diaz went on to reveal his connections to the show, prompting both Levine and Riley Green to express regret about not turning their chairs.

“I wish I would’ve known all this before,” Levine lamented, while Green admitted, “It got very difficult to not turn.”

“And yet they didn’t,” Clarkson quipped, before Queen Latifah decided to weigh in.

“He’s been here. He needs some new energy. The vibe is right coming from the Queen,” she said. “… I feel like you came with everything you needed to to win the show.”

That was apparently all Diaz needed to hear, because he wound up becoming the latest member of Team Queen.

“I loved Brandan’s confidence,” Queen Latifah told the cameras after her win. “He owned that song from beginning to end.”

The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.

Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC