‘The Voice’: Get a sneak peek at Birmingham singer’s ‘awesome’ playoffs performance

D.Smooth, a singer from Alabama, is living up to his name as a contestant on “The Voice.”

That’s what Blake Shelton said, after watching the Birmingham native perform in the playoffs round of the NBC reality series. Shelton, one of four coaches on “The Voice,” lauded D.Smooth’s silky tone as he covered Khalid’s “Location,” and pointed to his creative use of the microphone.

“I don’t know that anybody’s ever lived up to their name quite like you, man,” Shelton said. “And whatever trickery that was with the microphone there, at the end, I’m going to be doing that now, just so you know. I’ll give you credit.”

Although “The Voice” won’t air D.Smooth’s playoffs performance on TV until Monday’s episode, fans can see it in advance, in a sneak-peek video released on Friday by the show. (Watch the clip below.)

All four coaches on “The Voice” lauded D.Smooth’s rendition of the song, especially his impressive vocal runs. D.Smooth’s fate on the show wasn’t revealed in the video — will he stay or go? — but his prospects look good for a spot in the top eight.

“That was insane,” Chance the Rapper said. “There’s a lot of improv in it. You started making it your own song. I could, like, picture you in front of hundreds of thousands of fans screaming while you do your little improv runs. I see the vision. This is really the first time I ever felt, like, smoke from any other team. Like, I have really not been worried at all until right now. I thought it was awesome.”

“D.Smooth always giving the people what they want,” Niall Horan said. “It was like one of those performances that I can imagine you would never do the same twice. ... Your best performance of the show so far, for sure.”

“That’s my favorite thing you’ve ever done on this show,” Kelly Clarkson said. “You sing it differently every time. It’s almost like your song, you know? And it’s a very rare thing. Congratulations, man. It was awesome.”

Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance, including the performances of 20 contestants competing in the playoffs round. Decisions for two of the teams — Team Chance and Team Blake — were made on the May 1 episode. Singers on Team Kelly and Team Niall will be showcased on the next episode, which airs on Monday, May 8.

When the playoffs are completed, eight singers will remain on the show – two from each team – and D.Smooth, on Team Kelly, appears to have a very good chance of making it through. If he secures a spot in the top eight, D.Smooth will move on to the live semifinals on May 15, performing for viewer votes that will be revealed at the end of the show.

D.Smooth (whose offstage name is David Mitchell) has been making his mark on “The Voice” throughout Season 23, acing his blind audition, sailing through the battles and earning a coveted “playoffs pass” that allowed him to skip the knockouts round and go directly to the playoffs. (Watch D.Smooth’s battle round in the video below.)

D.Smooth, 25, grew up in Birmingham and lives in Montgomery, according to his official bio for “The Voice.” It also says:

“D.Smooth was about to take the stage at the Season 21 Blind Auditions when the teams filled up. Looking back, he’s grateful he didn’t get a chance to perform at a time when he wasn’t giving 100% to music. D.Smooth grew up in the rural countryside and his entire extended family all lived on the same street. He feels blessed that his family was close by to keep him grounded. In high school, D.Smooth was a singer in the jazz band, but even though he loved music, his main focus was sports. Now that he’s back at ‘The Voice,’ he’s ready to give music his all.”

D.Smooth graduated from Minor High School and studied at Faulkner University, according to his Facebook profile. He has performed at venues such as Eighty Eight and Encore Theatre and Gallery in Birmingham, and B.B. King’s Blues Club in Montgomery. A Facebook video posted by Rickey Smiley in 2021 shows D.Smooth singing Jodeci’s “Come & Talk To Me” at the Comedy Club Stardome, during one of Smiley’s Karaoke Nights at the venue in Hoover.

D.Smooth isn’t the only contestant from Alabama competing in the “Voice” playoffs this season. Ryley Tate Wilson, a teen from Montgomery, earned his own “playoffs pass” as a member of Horan’s team. Viewers will see Wilson sing in the playoffs on Monday’s episode, as well.

Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.

If you watch: “The Voice” airs on Mondays at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.

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