The season 26 premiere of “The Voice” was full of surprises, but for many fans, the biggest shock was witnessing first-time coach Snoop Dogg wipe away tears twice during the Blind Auditions.
“You made me cry,” he jokingly admonished fellow coach Michael Bublé, also making his “Voice” debut on September 23, 2024.
As the season kicked off with a two-hour episode, the legendary rapper and music mogul showed a level of compassion for the auditioning contestants that touched and surprised both viewers and his peers on the coaching panel which, in addition to Bublé, includes country star Reba McEntire, back for her third season, and pop sensation Gwen Stefani, appearing on her eighth season.
Spoiler Alert: If you don’t want to know what happened on the season premiere of “The Voice,” stop reading here.
Snoop Dogg Cries Watching 23-Year-Old Contestant Sing With One of His Idols
The first time Snoop Dogg was brought to tears happened during an audition by Big Band crooner Ben Fagerstedt, who counts Bublé among his idols. Before taking the stage, the 23-year-old talked about one of the highlights of his life when, as a teen, he got to sing with Bublé at a concert.
Dressed in a suit with his parents watching off-stage alongside host Carson Daly, Fagerstedt performed the Frank Sinatra classic “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
When none of the coaches turned their chairs to add him to their teams, Snoop Dogg admitted, “The reason why I didn’t turn was because Michael didn’t turn. Keep being a student, keep being a sponge, and keep growing because you’ve got a lot of room to grow. It was a pleasure to have you on ‘The Voice,’ man.”
“You have a really strong voice,” Bublé then told Fagerstedt, offering some constructive criticism. “When we sing this music, there are so many technical things that those singers used.”
“If you listen to Frank, he sung on his vowels,” he continued, demonstrating the difference between Sinatra’s delivery of a line in a song and how Fagerstedt had sung it. “The fact that you included me in those guys you’re listening to means a lot. I would love if we could sing that tune together.”
Bublé then hopped onstage and joyfully sang the same song with a beaming Fagerstedt. Snoop Dogg was seen clapping along and giving them a standing ovation, saying, “That’s cold, Mike, that’s cold!”
Stefani then noticed Snoop Dogg had a tissue out and was dabbing his eyes, and exclaimed, “Snoop’s crying!”
As Fagerstedt left the stage following the duet, Snoop Dogg told Bublé, “That was good, Mike. You made me cry!”
“That’s what this show is about,” the rapper told producers afterwards. “To make these people better at what they do, whether they make it to the show or not.”
Snoop Dogg Was Moved to Tears During First-Ever Use of the Coach Replay Button
The second time Snoop Dogg was brought to tears during the premiere came after another contestant — 37-year-old country folk singer Kendall Eugene — faced having none of the coaches turn their chairs for him.
“The journey to get here has been extremely long,” Eugene explained to producers before his Blind Audition, explaining that though he’d always loved playing music, life’s twists and turns — including his mom’s Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis and fathering a child when he was 17 — kept him from trying to go professional.
Hoping that “The Voice” would give him a shot at making his musical dreams come true, Eugene let out a heavy sigh after he performed Morgan Wallen’s “Don’t Think Jesus” and the coaches turned around to meet him.
Stefani acknowledged “this sucks” and said that when he reached the choruses, his delivery was “believable” and “heartfelt,” while Bublé told him he suspected that if he’d chosen a different song, he would have gone through.
Looking perplexed, McEntire told Eugene, “Your style is totally different than anything we’ve heard today. I liked everything about it.”
“Should’ve turned,” he quipped, and she said that was exactly what she was thinking. McEntire then informed Eugene that a new rule had been added to the coaches’ toolbox for season 26 called the “Replay Button,” which allows each coach to once chance during the Blind Auditions to change their mind about someone they didn’t initially turn around for.
“I don’t understand why I did not turn around,” McEntire said, and then hit her “Replay Button,” stunning her fellow coaches and Eugene, who crumpled into tears on the stage.
Seeing the country singer so emotional got Snoop Dogg crying again, telling McEntire, “Go give that man a hug! He needs a hug, Reba!”
As Snoop Dogg sat in his chair, wiping away tears again, Stefani said, “When she pressed and he just started bawling, I mean, that was such a cool moment.”
“You touched him, too,” Snoop Dogg told McEntire. “When I see a man cry, it makes me cry.”
Before the premiere was even over, fans were buzzing on social media about how much they loved that Snoop Dogg wore his emotions on his sleeve, including one who tweeted, “I guess @SnoopDogg is hellbent on making me cry all season watching @NBCTheVoice”
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