The Voice has long been a launching pad for several aspiring musicians — but some of the industry’s biggest names were rejected from the show.
Since the NBC competition series first aired in April 2011, artists have performed in “blind auditions,” hoping for one of the four coaches on the panel to turn their chair around and recruit them as part of their team. Twenty-seven seasons later, several contestants have gone on to have successful careers, including country singer Morgan Wallen.
But while some stars got their start on the show, some of the biggest names in music today — including Chappell Roan and Luke Combs — didn’t even make it in front of the panel of judges.
From one artist who tried seven times to another who left on her own terms to chase another dream, here are eight stars you may have forgotten auditioned for The Voice.
Luke Combs
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With eight Grammy nominations and six CMA awards, Combs is an acclaimed artist in country music. But during a June 2022 episode of the Shots Podcast Network, the “Fast Car” singer revealed that he “didn’t even make it to the show” when he auditioned for The Voice years ago.
“I remember getting there, and I didn’t understand how much of a whole thing it was going to be,” he said, adding that there were “thousands of people” at the audition. “It was a clown show.”
The “Beautiful Crazy” singer went on to say that he waited in line for “hours and hours,” and got to audition in a group of 10, who all stood next to each other and sang in front of producers.
The rest of his group was sent home, but Combs was asked to stay and sing one more song. Although he then made it to another round of auditions, he got cut from the competition shortly after.
“Essentially, I got a letter back after the next audition, which I made it through,” he said. “And then they told me, essentially, I was too boring to be on television.”
Chappell Roan
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Long before Roan won the Grammy for Best New Artist, she auditioned for The Voice — but didn’t exactly have the best experience.
During an April 2025 interview with W Magazine, the “Pink Pony Club” singer shared that she auditioned for the NBC competition show when she was 15 years old, singing Rihanna‘s 2012 hit “Stay.”
“That was when the Bruno Mars song ‘When I Was Your Man’ was really big, and I thought I was so unique in switching it around and singing ‘When you were my man’ and making it about gender,” she said. “But every girl was like, ‘I’m switching it around.’ ”
The pop star went on to say that one of the producers didn’t pay attention to her audition.
“By the way, when I did the Voice audition, the producer or whoever the f— was watching did not even look up from his phone,” Roan said. “He was like, ‘Okay, next.’ And I went up there and sang a cappella, the scariest thing ever. He never really looked at me.”
Morgan Wallen
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Before becoming one of the biggest names in country music, Wallen got his start on season 6 of The Voice. After his 2014 audition, the “Whiskey Glasses” singer was on Usher‘s team before being stolen by Adam Levine — but was eliminated during the playoffs.
Despite not winning the competition, Wallen reflected on the experience during an October 2019 conversation with PEOPLE, saying, “I’m thankful for that time. I’m thankful for how it all turned out.”
“I didn’t even know what The Voice was,” he said. “That whole experience kind of kick-started me a little bit.”
“It was a big first step — I guess that’s the first time in my life where I realized that maybe I actually have a shot at this,” the country singer continued. “Honestly, I’m thankful that I didn’t win because it gave me a chance to take a couple years after that show and really figure out who I was as an artist and get the right team around me. When I got there, I had no clue what I was doing.”
Maren Morris
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In 2017, Maren Morris won her first Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance. But earlier in her career, she was rejected from several music competition shows, including The Voice and American Idol.
“That’s not even it,” she said during a March 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “There were a ton that I didn’t make it to, thank god.”
“Now people cover my songs for their auditions on those shows,” the “My Church” singer said. “Not only is it really nice to have my songs on a national television show, I get to collect the check and have some sweet revenge.”
Lainey Wilson
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Long before Lainey Wilson was a mentor on the show, she auditioned for The Voice — not just once, but seven times.
During a May 2024 conversation with Entertainment Tonight, the country singer-songwriter said she “didn’t even make it to the part where they turn the chairs around.”
“But hey, it just kind of lit a fire under me, and I said, ‘You gotta keep on going,’ ” she said.
Camila Cabello
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It’s no secret that Camila Cabello rose to fame with Fifth Harmony on The X Factor. But, she actually auditioned for The Voice first.
During a November 2022 conversation with Access Hollywood, the “Havana” singer shared that although she made it through the producer round after singing Aretha Franklin‘s “Respect,” she ultimately left to chase bigger dreams: meeting One Direction.
“I don’t even know if I can say the rest of the story,” she shared. “I did make it in the producer round, not the TV round. I never auditioned for the coaches.”
“I really wanted to meet One Direction, and I knew that they were gonna perform for X Factor,” Cabello continued. “So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna risk it and not do The Voice and then audition for X Factor.’ And then I did end up meeting One Direction.”
However, it was only a matter of time until Cabello found her way back to The Voice. In 2022, she made her debut as a coach for the NBC show’s 22nd season.
Anthony Ramos
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Hamilton‘s Anthony Ramos is no stranger to the Broadway stage, but he was turned away from The Voice‘s.
“I got cut in the first round. I didn’t even make it to the TV round,” he said during a July 2024 appearance on LIVE with Kelly and Mark. “I’ll never forget it.”
Ramos explained that when the producer asked him to stay back after his initial audition, he thought he was getting “through to the next round.” Instead, the producer told him to “work on your breathing and come back next year.”
Ramos returned to the show as a mentor in 2023, helping Reba McEntire‘s team.
Melanie Martinez
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Melanie Martinez has performed at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Outside Lands — but her career all started with a blind audition during season 3 of The Voice.
In 2012, the “Play Date” singer got a three-chair turn from coaches Levine, Blake Shelton and CeeLo Green — and joined the Maroon 5 singer’s team.
Martinez made it to the top six but was eliminated after singing covers of Gnarls Barkley‘s “Crazy” and Lenka’s “The Show.”
During an October 2016 conversation with Teen Vogue, the singer reflected on her experience on The Voice, saying, “I learned a lot about what I wanted.”
“I was too scared to sing in front of my parents and I didn’t really watch The Voice. I just went out on a limb and went for it,” she said, adding that she nearly missed the open call audition because her car broke down.
“I didn’t expect to get as far as I did,” Martinez continued. “I was really in love with songwriting and I think the hardest part about being on that show was that I had to sing other people’s songs; I didn’t feel comfortable doing that so I’m just happy I get to write my own music now.”
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