After serving as the unofficial mascot of the Paris Olympics, Snoop Dogg is now on to his next adventure as a first-time coach on “The Voice.”
The rapper made his “Voice” coaching debut during the Season 26 premiere and has already snagged three singers for his team.
Here’s a look at the singers Snoop Dogg has recruited for Season 26.
Note: This story will be updated throughout the season.
‘The Voice’: Who is on Team Snoop?
Gail Bliss
Looking to fulfill a bucket list she created when she turned 60, Gail Bliss took her shot and tried out for “The Voice.”
While all four “Voice” coaches seemed intrigued by Bliss’ country-blues style, none of them turned around for a chance to get the 61-year-old singer from Little River, South Carolina, on their team, as the Deseret News reported.
By the time Bliss finished singing, Snoop Dogg — who had seemed on the brink of turning around several times throughout the performance — was visibly upset.
“If nothing else, I want to inspire the older folks to keep dreaming, keep living, keep having fun,” Bliss, a professional singer and flight attendant, told the “Voice” coaches following her performance. “That’s where I’m coming from.”
Gwen Stefani praised the performance and said she could tell Bliss was a professional singer. Reba McEntire said she was glad Bliss tried out because it is “very important for people to dream big and go for it.”
But Snoop Dogg wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Bliss just yet. Noting that his late mother had a sister named Gail — who was his favorite aunt — the rapper was emotional as he decided to take advantage of the Coach Replay button, a new feature on the show this season that gives “Voice” coaches a second chance to snag a singer for their team.
“Snoop might be the most unlikely choice for me,” Bliss said. “But right now, he is my angel.”
Dreion
Dreion, a 27-year-old singer from Omaha, Nebraska, had the “Voice” coaches clapping and dancing with his rendition of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Shining Star.” By the end of the performance, the singer had a standing ovation and all four coaches fighting over him.
The coaches were delighted to learn that Dreion has previously toured as the opening act for Earth, Wind & Fire.
“It’s very rare that you can get somebody that can sing and have a stage aura like you have — that takes years,” Stefani said. “And that’s not an easy song to do. I would love to work with you.”
Coach Michael Buble called it a “pleasure” to hear the performance, while Reba McEntire reminded the contestant that she won the most recent season of “The Voice” as a coach.
But it was Snoop Dogg who connected most with Dreion, telling the singer that he believed he could help him get over the top with his skills. When Dreion chose to join his team, Snoop Dogg called it a “Super Bowl” win.
Jake Tankersley
Jake Tankersley’s performance of Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” had all four “Voice” coaches fighting over him. While country music legend Reba McEntire was the most obvious choice for Tankersley, Gwen Stefani opted to use her block to prevent the “Fancy” singer from snagging the “Voice” contestant.
So it was up to the other coaches to make their case. Stefani noted that she has become more involved in country music due to her marriage to country star Blake Shelton. Buble mentioned how he has sung with Dolly Parton and was one of the songwriters behind Shelton’s No. 1 hit “Home.”
But in the end, the singer from Oklahoma chose to go with Snoop Dogg.
“I love country music,” Snoop Dogg said. “And I’ve done records with Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Hank Williams Jr. If you were on my team, this would shake up the world!”
ChrisDeo
One of the most heartwarming auditions of the night came from 16-year-old ChrisDeo, who performed Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up.”
Following her performance, which got the attention of Buble and Snoop Dogg, the 16-year-old began to cry. With some prompting from the coaches, she then explained how she is a street singer from Queens, New York, and isn’t used to receiving much praise.
“People laugh at me when I sing,” she told the four coaches, who were smiling at her. “Everybody was just so happy to see me and I’d never felt that before.”
Buble noted how he was 16 or 17 years old when he started playing in clubs. People didn’t pay to hear him sing, either, he said. Instead, his grandfather, who was a plumber, would trade free plumbing with club owners and musicians to let him in so he could perform.
While ChrisDeo was visibly touched by all of the coaches’ kind words, she ultimately selected to join Snoop Dogg’s team.
“When I heard your first note, I knew to turn and hit that button,” Snoop Dogg said. “And then to hear your story — ‘cause you had the confidence to come up here and sing after saying that they laughed at you, but we couldn’t hear that. You are strong. You have a gift.”
Torre Blake
Torre Blake comes from an athletic family — her father, Jeff Blake, was a quarterback in the NFL for 14 years. But Torre Blake is carving out a path as a musician and has made her next step by making it onto “The Voice.”
Following Blake’s performance of Erykah Badu’s “On & On,” the singer from Austin, Texas, had her pick of Stefani and Snoop Dogg. All of the coaches praised her artistry and style, but with some assistance from her father, who joined her on stage, Blake decided to go with Snoop Dogg.