The Voice: 6 celebrities who auditioned for the NBC show

While The Voice has been discovering singing talent since 2011, it turns out their talent scouts might need their spinning chairs for a vision check. The show, famous for its blind auditions, where coaches choose artists purely based on their voice, has accidentally passed on some pretty big names, who went on to dominate the music industry.

In an ironic twist of fate, some of these rejected contestants even returned to the show – not as hopeful participants, but as coaches or mentors. From Grammy winners to chart-topping country artists, these celebrities prove that sometimes rejection is just a detour on the road to success.

Who are the celebrities who have auditioned for The Voice before?

1. Camila Cabello

Talk about a full-circle moment! Before Camila Cabello was turning chairs as a coach in The Voice Season 22, she was trying to get those same chairs to turn for her.

"I did make it in the producer round, not the TV round. I never auditioned for the coaches," she revealed to Access in 2022.

While The Voice may have missed out, The X Factor didn't as the show led her to join the band Fifth Harmony, and eventually launch a successful solo career.

2. Luke Combs

In what might be the most ironic rejection story, country music superstar, Luke Combs, was deemed "too boring for television" by the show's producers. During a 2022 appearance on the Full Send podcast, Combs shared that he never even made it to the coach auditions, owing to the producers not finding him interesting enough, despite the singer having cleared all the auditions. Luke Combs revealed:

“Essentially, I got a letter back after the next audition, which I made through. Then they told me essentially I was ‘too boring’ to be on television.”

3. Maren Morris

Maren Morris achieved what we might call the reality TV rejection trifecta – getting turned down by The Voice, American Idol, and America's Got Talent. The I Could Use a Love Song singer revealed on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen that contestants are now regularly auditioning by singing her songs on these very shows.

4. Anthony Ramos

Before winning a Grammy award for Hamilton, Anthony Ramos stood "in the cold in New York for hours" to audition with John Legend's 'Green Light.' The producers advised him to "work on his breath for a year and come back." Instead, he worked his way to Broadway and later returned to The Voice as a Playoff Mentor for Reba McEntire's team in Season 25. The singer mentioned that his experiences are “something that [he] can say that’s helpful.”

5. Maddie Poppe

Before winning at American Idol Season 16, none of the judges turned their chairs during Maddie Poppe's audition at The Voice.

"I was totally rejected on national TV and it was really embarrassing," she told the Deseret News. It was so discouraging, and I thought, ‘Man, if these people don’t like me, then no one will,’" she added.

However, she proved that sometimes you just need to find the right stage to shine on.

6. James Arthur

Before becoming The X Factor champion in 2012, Arthur couldn't even make it to the coach auditions at The Voice as the singer was rejected during the producer rounds. However, things turned out rather well for the ‘Say You Won’t Let Go’ singer under Nicole Scherizinger’s mentorship, as he took home The X Factor trophy.