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Team Michael Buble: ‘The Voice’ Season 26 photos, bios, artist rankings

Marcus James Dixon
9 min read
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Michael Buble is a five-time Grammy champion for albums like “To Be Loved,” “Crazy Love” and “Call Me Irresponsible.” Before joining “The Voice” in Season 26, the popular crooner served as a part-time advisor to Team Blake Shelton way back in Season 3, and he also performed “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” in that year’s live Semifinals. Now that the Season 26 blind auditions have begun, can Michael prevail for the first time on NBC’s reality TV show?

Tour our gallery above (or click here for direct access) for a closer look at Team Michael Buble on “The Voice” Season 26, including photos, bios and artist rankings. Also see our features for Team Gwen StefaniTeam Reba McEntire and Team Snoop Dogg.

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Sofronio Vasquez (4-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 31
Hometown: Mindanao, Philippines
Resident: Utica, NY

Sofronio grew up in the Philippines with virtually nothing, including no bed or indoor plumbing. Despite his situation, he describes his upbringing as happy, because music was always there to bring his family joy. Sofronio fondly remembers singing with his dad and considers him his coach. Sofronio never thought he was as musically inclined as his friends and family, so instead he embarked on a career in dentistry. While studying for his dental boards in the Philippines, he decided to give music a chance. Shortly after this decision, Sofronio was met with tragedy when his dad suddenly passed away. Now, with a new sense of motivation to make his late father proud, Sofronio has taken a leap of faith and moved to America to pursue music more seriously. Since moving, he’s competed at the famed Apollo Theater, his cover of “Nothing’s Going to Change My Love For You” has topped 1million views on TikTok and a performance of “That’s What Friends Are For” has surpassed 9.5 million views on Facebook. Sofronio is ready to take “The Voice” stage!

Jeremy Beloate (4-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 25
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Resident: New York, NY

Jeremy grew up quickly after losing his father to addiction, prompting him to take on adult responsibilities for his siblings, two of which struggled with the disease. He later lost both of his brothers to the same disease, motivating Jeremy to live his life to the fullest and honor their memories. He remains incredibly close to his mother and sisters, finding hope and happiness through their shared love of music. Eight years ago, Jeremy embarked on a significant physical and mental health journey. Committing to better nutrition, exercise, self-help books, and therapy, he lost 70 pounds in the first year of his transformation and hasn’t looked back since. Currently pursuing his musical dreams in New York, Jeremy has become the king of odd jobs, but he recently shifted his focus to performing more. He even recently landed a starring role in a new musical written and directed by Todrick Hall. Watching “The Voice” was a cherished family tradition in his childhood home, so this opportunity is especially meaningful for Jeremy as he honors his family.

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Shye (4-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 17
Hometown: Glen Cove, NY
Resident: Bethlehem, PA

Shye’s passion for collecting various rocks, crystals, and geodes (especially amethyst) has been a source of comfort and strength throughout her life. She even wears a Halite necklace daily to maintain balance and confidence. In 2010, Shye’s life was profoundly impacted when her mother, Sheila, suffered a severe injury at work, causing her scoliosis to worsen and leading to multiple surgeries and extended hospital stays. During her mother’s recovery, Shye was raised by her older siblings. Guided by them and dedicated mentors such as her choral teacher and music instructor, Shye refined her musical skills and built assurance. Shye’s songwriting and singing became a vital source of relief for her and her mom, allowing them to bond and find emotional support in each other. Today, Sheila, while still dealing with some mobility issues, is no longer hospitalized and lives with Shye full-time. Shye finds fulfillment in volunteering outside of music, especially for LGBTQ+ and Black student organizations.

Kiara Vega (3-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 18
Hometown: Vega Baja, PR
Resident: Tampa, FL

Kiara is a budding musician powered by the support of her big, boisterous Puerto Rican family. Growing up with six siblings, including her identical twin sister, life was a symphony of chaos and love. Music is the family’s heartbeat, with rapping uncles, singing aunts and her maestro grandfather, Efrain, a singer, guitarist and songwriter. Though born in Boston, Kiara takes musical inspiration from her Puerto Rican heritage, often singing in both English and Spanish. Kiara recently graduated from cosmetology school and hopes to use her beauty skills to help uplift others. While music is her priority, she hopes to one day open a spa with her twin sister, Kayshla. Kiara will handle hair and nails while Kayshla oversees skincare. Kiara feels lucky to have such a close-knit family supporting her as she embarks on her music career journey.

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Mor Ilderton (3-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 20
Hometown: Teays Valley, WV
Resident: Scott Depot, WV

Mor’s musical journey began five years ago when he spontaneously picked up a guitar and discovered he had a knack for playing. Playing instruments became a source of solace during his teen years, and he soon added singing to his talents. Despite his passion, Mor went to college to pursue a biology degree. Mor’s paternal uncle and grandmother raised him since he was 2 years old as his parents were unable to care for him. With his uncle being a Marine Corps veteran, living with him has provided Mor with structure and discipline for which he is eternally grateful. His grandmother, uncle and aunt are all incredibly supportive of him, whether he wants to advance a career in music or biology. In the past couple of years, Mor has started to share his songs on TikTok and even released a track, “Welcome Sign.” It recently surpassed 125,000 streams on all platforms and more than 80,000 streams on Spotify alone. Mor is balancing his path toward a career in medicine and his ultimate dream of pursuing music full-time.

Kamila Kiehne (3-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 17
Hometown: Los Lunas, NM
Resident: Los Lunas, NM

When Kamila isn’t singing, she loves making jewelry with natural gems from New Mexico, repurposing them into unique pieces. Kamila cherishes the natural beauty of her home state and takes pride in her rich cultural heritage. Kamila and her family are natives of New Mexico, immersed in the state’s vibrant art scene. Her dad is known statewide as the professional musician “El Gringo” as he sings in Spanish despite being white. Kamila’s mom is a Mexican-American former dance instructor. Witnessing her parents’ involvement in music inspired Kamila to pursue her own talents. Singing since she could talk, Kamila has performed at numerous fiestas across New Mexico, country bars and even sang the national anthem at a professional bull riding competition. Throughout middle and high school, Kamila endured teasing and mockery, which caused her to suppress her true self and even stopped singing for a while. However, in the past couple of years, Kamila has embraced self-love to overcome her insecurities. Now more confident than ever, she aims to be a role model, demonstrating that positivity from within radiates outward.

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J.Paul (3-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 37
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Resident: Washington, D.C.

With a mom who is a master pianist, J.Paul was bound to be a musician. Growing up, his mom tried to instill the importance of music in her children. J.Paul had a natural voice, but still knew he had a lot to learn. He just recently started taking piano lessons from his mom, and they meet every week for several hours. J.Paul also discovered his passion for hairstyling at a young age, and it eventually led him to go to cosmetology school and open his own salon. Later, he moved from California to Washington, D.C., with his husband, Christopher, where he focused mainly on hair. When his new friends discovered his talent for singing, they pushed him to start gigging. He was eventually introduced to Grammy Award-winning artist Stephanie Mills, who was looking for background singers. That one gig eventually led to a decade-long career, touring all over the country and performing in various arenas, festivals and events.

Jamison Puckett (2-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 34
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Resident: Los Angeles, CA

Growing up, Jamison was not the most musical one of his family; that was his older brother Eric. Jamison didn’t find his passion for music until high school, but when he started down a dangerous path, Eric pulled him out of it using church music and community. He attributes Eric to showing him a path forward. The two started to gather local musicians together and eventually built a community that became a haven of support for Jamison. He credits his folk-soul sound to his Memphis roots and also his wife, Erin. The two met in 2015 at a Christmas party and spent date nights going to support local music. Leaving his hometown of Memphis in 2017, Jamison and Erin moved to Los Angeles where Jamison took a job as a manager at a local church’s coffee shop. He was promoted to Director of Worship and is still in the position today. Now, Jamison and his wife are expecting their first child together and are excited about starting a family as well as his breakout on “The Voice.”

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Edward Preble (2-CHAIR TURN)
Age: 19
Hometown: Fernandina Beach, FL
Resident: Fernandina Beach, FL

Inspired at a young age by icons such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other great American Songbook interpreters, Edward brings a unique tone and style to the stage — not just with his jazz vocal prowess, but also with his distinctive presentation. Edward takes pride in looking his best not for anybody but himself, usually attending college classes dressed in a suit and outside with a hat. As a person with ancestry from Latin America, Edward’s multicultural background enriches his artistry. With his father’s Peruvian roots and his mother’s Panamanian heritage, Edward performs in English, Portuguese and Italian, offering a diverse and engaging experience. Edward excelled in music and writing in boarding school. His talent for writing earned him acceptance to Emerson College for creative writing, but he chose to follow his musical passion at Hofstra University where he is on track to graduate with a B.A. in music performance – jazz and contemporary music.

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