‘The Voice’: Gwen Stefani Tears Up Over Jay Allen’s Emotional Performance

Gwen Stefani is back on The Voice this season after a break, and she faced off against her husband Blake Shelton during the premiere last week. Jay Allen performed impressively to prompts both Stefani and Shelton to turn their chairs for him, resulting in the face-off.

“Blake, he’s taught me so much about country music, and I got to be on two No. 1 country hits with Blake Shelton, which was just the most incredible experience of my life,” Stefani said during the show, responding to Allen’s selection of Cody Johnson’s “Till You Can’t.” “It made me so joyful to recognize that song when it came in, and to hear your voice on it, it was so beautiful.”

Stefani gave a great audition, but the judges were really impressed when Allen shared his story. A few years ago, Allen’s mom passed away from early-onset Alzheimer’s. This motivated him to not only compete on The Voice and pursue musical success, but also to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research. He even performed a bit of his original song “Blank Stares,” which he’d used to raise money for the cause before coming on the show.

Stefani’s performance not only moved the other judges, but it also left her in tears. The impactful display helped seal Stefani’s decision to pick the young singer as her coach for the season.

Stefani was overjoyed after beating Shelton and exclaimed, “People like that, music swims inside of them. It’s gonna be fun to get to know him.” Although Allen did give Shelton the courtesy “big fan” comment while choosing his wife, he still managed to insult him.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Stefani and Shelton will have a lot of fun putting some competition into their relationship on the show. Shelton told the outlet that he is more competitive than Stefani, but Legend chimed in and said that Stefani was kryptonite for the country star.

“She takes the edge off him just a little bit,” Legend said about Shelton. “She is his weakness.” Will it be the quality Stefani needs to win this season? We’ll have to keep tuning in to see.