Season 26 of The Voice released its latest episode, The Blind Auditions, Part 2, on Monday, September 30, 2024. Coaches Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé returned for another round of auditions, hoping to discover the next musical sensation.

In the latest episode, singers from various walks of life took to the stage, vying to impress the coaches. Some contestants wowed them, making all four chairs turn, while others failed to leave a lasting impression. Nonetheless, the singers presented a variety of genres, ranging from country to pop and beyond.

One country artist mesmerized the audience, leaving two coaches fighting to get him on their team. Rowdy Shea auditioned with Toby Keith’s song You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This, making Gwen Stefani and Michael Bublé press their buttons. However, after much deliberation, Rowdy joined Team Gwen.

The Voice fans took to X to compliment the country singer’s performance.

“That was an amazing performance by rowdy shea,” a fan wrote.
“Rowdy Shea was great on #thevoice,” another fan commented.
“Austyns, Gwen is gonna drop you in the battle rounds for rowdy,” a netizen tweeted.

Many fans of The Voice praised Rowdy Shea’s vocal capabilities.

“Rowdy Shea with serious confidence, pleasing tone with that little nasal twang on the top notes but so clear in his mid-range. Not a lot of bells and whistles but a solid vocal performance,” a user tweeted.
“Rowdy Shea nothing but country he has a beautiful voice,” a person commented.
“Rowdy Shea has a nice sound and a warm tone, picked Coach Gwen! I hope she nudges him to add a little pop sound to his songlist,” another fan wrote.

At the same time, many were pleased Rowdy picked Gwen as his coach on The Voice. One fan claimed he was the “upcoming country star.”

“Team Gwen it is!! Way to go Rowdy’s wife,” another user tweeted.
“Rowdy is ready to say “Howdy!” to his upcoming country star fame,” a person reacted.
“OK TEAMGWEN is on fire!!! So happy for you, Gwen!!” another netizen commented.

The Voice contestant Rowdy Shea let his wife pick his coach

While introducing himself before his audition, Rowdy said that he worked on a ranch, covering some 85,000 acres of land, where he had to look after 500 horses. At 20 years old, Rowdy began singing while working on the ranch.

“Growing up I wanted to be a horse trainer but being on the ranch I was alone a lot, so I kind of found music,” he said.

After spending his time playing rodeos, Rowdy decided it was time he auditioned for The Voice. For his Blind Auditions performance, he chose Toby Keith’s You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This from the 1999 album titled How Do You Like Me Now?!

Seconds into his performance, Gwen pressed her button as she wanted to scout Rowdy for her team. Soon, Michael turned his chair and was the only coach to press their button after Gwen. Although country legend Reba did not turn her chair, she looked forward to stealing him in the following rounds of The Voice.

Gwen was relieved that Reba did not turn her chair and said:

“I am so grateful that Reba did not push. You almost feel so defeated even before you try to pick a fight for somebody that’s country, rightfully, because she is the queen.”
With that said Gwen began campaigning to have Rowdy on her team. She said he was the “perfect cowboy” she was looking for. She added that his voice was warm and smooth, complimenting his “adorable stage presence.”

Meanwhile, Michael asked if Rowdy was open to exploring other genres besides country, to which he replied that he wanted to “stay in the country realm,” but could take on different styles, considering the changes country music has made over the years.

Lastly, Rowdy brought out his wife, Jaci, to choose between the two coaches. Jaci, who got married to Rowdy only a week before his audition, went with Team Gwen.

“Rowdy is a real genuine, authentic country singer. He sounds believable when he’s singing. He is exactly what I was looking for,” Gwen said.