John Legend was so impressed with a 'Voice' contestant that he even compared him to Bono

"We are lucky to have you on The Voice," said John Legend while praising the stellar performance of Bryan Olesen

PUBLISHED APR 5, 2025

A screenshot of John Legend (L) and Bryan Olesen (R) from 'The Voice'; Bono of U2 at the Brit Awards 2009 at London, England (Inset) (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Voice (L-R); (Inset) Getty Images | Dave Hogan)

Thanks to its unique format of blind auditions, 'The Voice' also becomes the safe haven for second chances. In one such instance, a lead guitarist for a Christian rock band called 'Newsboys' stunned the coaches with his energetic performance. Not only that, John Legend was so impressed with his performance that he even compared him to the lead singer of U2, Bono.

singer and frontman Bono speaks on stage at the — Bono speaks on stage at the 'The Fabelmans' (Die Fabelmans) premiere & Honorary Golden Bear and homage for Steven Spielberg in Berlin, Germany. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Andreas Rentz)

The participant in question is Bryan Olesen, who delivered a powerful performance of One Republic's 'Love Runs Out' in 'The Voice' Season 25's blind auditions. The singer secured a three-chair turn from Legend, Reba McEntire, and Dan + Shay, as per Parade. Chance the Rapper was the only coach who didn't turn but praised Olesen by saying, "I thought it was an awesome vocal performance. I didn't get to see you. I wish I had because when I turned around, the mic stand was on the ground."

Legend quickly jumped in, teasing, "You should have seen it, Chance. You should have pushed just to watch it." Chance admitted his regret and added, "I'm glad that you're on the show, and I'm excited to watch these guys fight it out over you." McEntire, in a bid to win over Olesen, said, "I turned because that was a performance I felt without seeing anything. When I did turn around, the package was complete. You were absolutely incredible. I loved the song; I love your style, the pitch, and everything was great. The tone, your attitude. Your dance moves. Way to go." Legend followed with praise and a question, asking, "Bryan, do you know what you just did right now?" A stunned Olesen replied, "I'm still soaking it in. You guys are looking at me, and I'm freaking' out!"

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Legend made a heartfelt plea to be Olesen's coach, calling his audition the best of the season. The moment turned personal when Olesen pointed out his daughter, Jaden, in the audience. At Legend's encouragement, Olesen brought her on stage to meet the coaches. Legend then continued his pitch, saying, "Bryan, I would like to help you navigate this show. This is my ninth season, and I feel like I've gotten good at helping artists figure out what their passion is, the kinds of songs that will best help them express themselves, and then how to help them plan out their performances."

He then compared Olesen with Bono as he said, "You truly look like a superstar. One comparison I thought of was Bono. Not because you sound exactly like him but because of the way that you carry yourself and your range, and you have so many chops. Everything that you need to be a great superstar. I would love to be your coach. We are lucky to have you on 'The Voice.'" After a round of praises and playful banter among the coaches, Olesen opted to join Team Legend.

Notably, Olesen is from Lincoln, Nebraska, and was once the lead guitarist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band 'Newsboys,' which had over 20 No. 1 hits, as per NBC. After going through a difficult divorce following a 24-year marriage, Olesen shared that his daughter, Jadyn, helped him through that challenging time. His appearance on 'The Voice' is like a fresh start in this new chapter of his life. As for Olesen's 'The Voice' journey, the talented singer reached the final five and finished in third place. The season was ultimately won by Asher Havon.