From the beginning of his run on The Voice, Bryan Olsen has set himself apart. After a blistering Blind Audition, the 49-year-old singer became the first Artist of Season 25 to earn the coveted Playoff Pass, giving him a chance to skip the Knockouts and work instead for the following round.
This week, Olesen finally returned to The Voice stage after weeks away, and proved that he was worth the wait.
With the help of guest mentor Maluma, Coach John Legend welcomed Olesen back to rehearsals and coached him through a performance of the Toto hit “Africa.” It’s an iconic song, one that Olesen was hoping to make his own with the use of some melodic experimentation and an electric guitar.
“He’s been in the game for a while,” Maluma said of Olesen. “You can tell his vocal range is from another world, so he has to take advantage of it and do a great performance.”
For Legend, the rehearsal was a chance to reconnect with one of his best singers, a seasoned professional who has the chance to go all the way with Team Legend. For Olesen, it was all about proving he was worth the big gamble back in the Battles.
“I want for John to know that he made the right decision in giving me the Playoff Pass,” he said.
Watch Bryan Olesen Perform “Africa” on The Voice Season 25 Playoffs
From the beginning of the performance, it was clear that Olesen was out to make “Africa” his own, playing with the melody of the chorus before launching into his version of a verse, then picking up an electric guitar after the second chorus to rock out for the grand finale, which showed off his often astonishing vocal range. When the performance ended, every Coach was suitably impressed.
“You seem like you’re already a superstar,” Dan Smyers of Team Dan + Shay said. “You seem like a guest performer on the show. It’s compelling. I can’t take my eyes off you.”
Coach Reba McEntire agreed, “We missed you. You’re the perfect package, and I loved you getting the guitar. You need to be on the Lives.”
Coach Chance the Rapper, who was clearly vibing with the performance throughout, acknowledged Olesen as yet another member of Team Legend who deserved to move on to the next round of The Voice.
“You are a 100% rock star, to see somebody who can control the crowd, create a moment,” he said. “If I was John, I would definitely try and move you to Lives.”
Of course, it was up to Legend to figure out if Olesen would move on to the Lives, but even before he made his decision, he was clear about one thing: Olesen earned the bet that Legend made on him.
“You just show up here every time and make it feel like we’re at Bryan’s concert,” Legend said, adding, “I’m glad I used my Playoff Pass on you. You deserved it.”
And in the end, Coach John gave the nod to Olesen to advance onto the next round, so we can all look forward to his next “concert.”
