Season 26 of The Voice premiered on Monday, September 23, 2024. Singers from various backgrounds took to the stage to impress the judges, vying to walk away with the $100,000 grand prize. As attractive as the reward was, what the young talents looked forward to the most was learning under the coaches’ mentorship.

The latest season introduced two new coaches alongside veteran Gwen Stefani and country artist Reba McEntire. They were Canadian singer-songwriter Michael Buble and renowned West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg.

The four coaches embarked on a journey to scout the most talented singers for their teams, hoping to progress far into the competition and clinch the winner’s title. During the first night of the blind auditions, one singer left a lasting impression on the judges. 15-year-old Sydney Sterlace wowed them with her powerful rendition of singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo’s drivers license.

The Voice fans took to X to compliment Sydney’s musical abilities. While some congratulated the artist on advancing to the next round, others praised her talent.

“Wow! Sydney’s performance was beautiful!” a fan wrote.

“That was an incredible performance by syndey sterlace, It was one of the best performances of the night during the blind auditions this week,” another fan commented.

“Sydney is an amazing singer. I think Olivia Rodrigo should be one of the coaches,” a netizen tweeted.

Many fans of The Voice complimented Sydney for delivering such a noteworthy performance at only 15 years old.

“This 15 yr old girl Sydney on The Voice is SINGINGGG sheesh!!” a user reacted.
“Boy at 15 years old, Sydney has a sweet voice,” one person commented.
“For her to be only 15, Sydney has an amazing voice!” another fan wrote.
“Up last tonight on #VoicePremiere is #SydneySterlace singing ” Driver’s License” by #OliviaRodrigo . and it’s a 4 chair turn for this 15 year old! Welcome Sydney to #TeamGwen Congrats Sydney!!” one user tweeted.

The Voice fans continued to praise Sydney for her achievement.

“Wow Sydney!!! 4 Chair Turn….” a netizen reacted.
“Sydney Sterlace so easily accessible, relatable, easy on the ears. She built into those little wails and kept control for the smaller moments and such perfect flips into head voice. Wonderful performance,” another person wrote.

What did the coaches say about Sydney Sterlace’s Blind Audition performance on The Voice?

Seconds into her performance, Sydney received her first chair turn from Michael Bublé. Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg turned soon after. Reba McEntire took a little longer to analyze the singer’s voice, but ultimately pressed her button, giving Sydney a four-chair turn.

Mesmerized by her talent Gwen, Michael, and Snoop gave her a standing ovation. The judges were shocked when The Voice contestant revealed she was only 15. Snoop Dogg left his seat, unable to contain his shock. The judges soon started campaigning for themselves, hoping Sydney chose their team over the others.

Gwen complimented Sydney’s tone, saying it was oddly similar to Olivia’s. However, The Voice coach said she could train her to make her singing style unique and “even more saturated with Sydney.”

“I know what you need. I’m like your mom right now. Like, I’m like the cool mom though,” Gwen added.

Michael agreed with Gwen, confirming Sydney sounded “a lot like Olivia Rodrigo.” However, he stated that it was not necessarily a bad trait. He hoped she would join his team so they could embark on a journey to find one’s true voice.

Snoop confessed he had not heard anyone who sounded as good as Sydney. Although he wanted to coach her, he wondered what more he could offer when she already had everything.

Reba said she would be Sydney’s “grandmom,” challenging Gwen’s offer to be her “mom.” To trump every other coach, Gwen brought a kitten on stage and named it after Sydney, surprising everyone in the studio. After much contemplation, the 15-year-old chose Gwen as her coach.