One now-successful artist tried out for NBC’s ‘The Voice’ seven times without making it to the panel of judges
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NEED TO KNOW
- Some of the world’s biggest stars were rejected from The Voice
- Artists like Chappell Roan and Luke Combs never ended up performing in front of the judges
- Some singers, like Morgan Wallen, were eliminated later on in the competition
The Voice has launched many successful musical careers — but a handful of today’s greatest singers were actually dismissed from the show.
The NBC competition series — which premieres its milestone season 30 on Sept. 21 — first debuted in April 2011. Since then, aspiring artists have performed in “blind auditions” with the goal of being recruited by at least one of the four celebrity coaches, which currently includes Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah and Riley Green.
Many contestants, including country singer Morgan Wallen, rose to stardom after participating on the show. However, some now-famous artists — 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 seven stars you may have forgotten auditioned for The Voice.
01 of 07
Luke Combs
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With eight Grammy nominations and nine 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.”
02 of 07
Chappell Roan
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Long before Roan won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2025, 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.”
03 of 07
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 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.”
04 of 07
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.”
05 of 07
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.
06 of 07
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.
07 of 07
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.
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