The VoiceGwen Stefani saves 14-year-old singer with
Published on January 15, 2026 EDT

There’s nothing like a Voice Blind Audition where the coaches seem genuinely surprised to see who is up on stage when they turn their chairs. Such is the situation when 14-year-old Jaylen Durham takes the mic during night 3 of the season 26 Blinds and performs Beyoncé’s “Listen.” Based on voice alone, coach Gwen Stefani thought it was “a 35-year-old woman” and Snoop Dogg agrees.

Jaylen is no stranger to big reactions to his performances. He started singing at just two years old, went viral around age 12, and wound up winning Amateur Night at Showtime at the Apollo not long after. He is a pro on stage, even if his vocals get shakier as the song progresses. Unfortunately, none of the coaches press their button for him. He looks like he'll be okay with the rejection, but mom Jessica seems truly upset about the whole thing.

Tyler Golden/NBC

Never fear, Jessica! This is The Voice season 26, and in the new season, we have a little thing called a Coach Replay button. All four coaches are legitimately shocked to turn around and find a teenage kid on stage, but Gwen Stefani most of all.

Trae Patton/NBC

“They switched out a person. Was that you singing?” she asks Jaylen as she immediately runs up to him to give him a hug. Michael Bublé remarks that Jaylen is a great singer now, but imagine how great he’ll be in a few years. And yet, Gwen can’t get over how good he is at 14. She sensed his nerves as the song went on, but is especially blown away by the control he has in his lower register and that he can pull it off on a massive live stage. It doesn’t take her very long: She explains the replay button to Jaylen and then she uses that thing to put him on her team. The room erupts.

Tyler Golden/NBC

Will a coach using the replay ever not make me cry? I’m three for three (what you got, Bublé?), and I’m not ashamed of it. Host Carson Daly understands: After the audition, he comes over to thank Gwen for using her replay on Jaylen; It was an incredible thing to watch standing next to his parents. “One minute, they’re in a funeral and then all of a sudden it’s a wedding,” he tells Gwen. “I mean, you’ve never seen emotions turn like that.”

The Voice season 26 airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

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