John Legend really wanted Jeremy Keith on his team. During the season 29 premiere of The Voice, the 40-year-old backup singer earned a coveted three-chair turn with his performance of Freddie Jackson’s “You Are My Lady.”
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With Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Adam Levine all vying to get Keith on their team, it’s no surprise the competition was fierce.
Legend started things off by praising Keith’s “silky smooth” tone. Meanwhile, Levine told him that he’s “no longer a background singer” because he’s “so beyond special.” Clarkson took it even one step further by telling Keith, “I think you could win this show.”
The coaches then inquired as to Keith’s musical taste, and the singer revealed that he often listened to Legend’s Get Lifted album with his mom.
Legend lit up at the news that he may have an edge, and even offered to sing “Ordinary People” with Keith. The contestant of course accepted, and Legend made his way up to the stage, offering Keith’s mom a wave as he did so.
John Legend and Jeremy Keith Perform on The Voice
The men’s voices blended beautifully as they performed, so much so that both Clarkson and Levine were feeling the pressure.
“That is not fair,” Clarkson complained, before Levine questioned, “You got all that out of your system?”
“Don’t try to derail what Jeremy and I have!” Legend chimed in.
It turns out that the spontaneous duet was not enough to get Keith onto Team Legend, as the singer wound up selecting Levine as his coach.
The Maroon 5 frontman was so shocked by the development that he literally fell to the floor.
“Jeremy’s a bad, bad man,” Levine told the cameras. “One of the best singers in this competition. Just incredible.”
As for why Keith made the surprising pick, he explained, “Choosing Adam, it wasn’t the obvious choice, especially after that duet, but I love his music and I feel like he would bring something different out of me as an artist.”
After the shock, Legend had just one thing to say—”It just broke my heart.”
The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.
Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC
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