It’s always a risk when contestants on The Voice choose to audition with a song made popular by one of the superstar coaches. Just the nerves alone of singing someone’s hit in front of them seems like added pressure they’d want to avoid, and the mentors have had mixed reactions over the years to hearing their songs covered. For Ryan Argast, it was still a risk worth taking, as the Season 25 hopeful belted “Speechless” by new coaches Dan + Shay during The Voice’s premiere on February 26. So how did the rookies react?
Lucky for the 30-year-old from Illinois, Dan + Shay looked excited when they heard their song start playing — quite a different reaction than is sometimes seen from John Legend, who famously rarely turns for his own songs. Not only did the country-pop duo get Ryan Argast on their team by being the only coaches to hit their button, they joined him on stage to sing a version of “Speechless” altogether. You can see it all go down below:
Shay Mooney had a big smile on his face as the contestant crooned the lyrics, and he appeared ready to turn before his partner was — one of the potential pitfalls of being a coaching duo — as he had to voice his opinion to Dan Smyers a couple of times before ultimately hitting the button. Mooney acknowledged that what Ryan Argast had done wasn’t easy, telling the singer:
That was risky, man, but it paid off, dude. I knew exactly what I was listening for, and you were the magic we were looking for.
Dan Smyers added that he loved when Ryan Argast made the chorus his own after staying loyal to the opening with his “super sexy, super R&B” tone. He even said he’d probably be thinking about Argast’s version when they perform “Speechless” in the future. That’s some pretty huge praise, and I’d have to agree that Argast’s rasp added a nice depth to the single. Have Dan + Shay ever considered a trio?
Ryan Argast got what he wanted out of the experience, as he secured a spot on Season 25, but not everybody has similar luck when pulling that risky move. John Legend was a coach on The Voice for six seasons before he turned his chair for Season 20 contestant Victor Solomon’s version of the Oscar-winning song “Glory.” He said he tends to scrutinize his songs more harshly because he’s so familiar with them, and while Gwen Stefani said she loved when artists covered her songs, she agreed it can be strange when the lyrics or the vocals are so personal.
It will be interesting to see if any other potential contestants go down that road with their audition songs and what the coaches’ reactions will be if they do. Time will tell, as Season 25 is just kicking off! The Voice airs at 8 p.m. ET Mondays and 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays on NBC, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription. You can keep up with all of the upcoming premieres by checking out our 2024 TV schedule.
