'The Voice': Meet Crystalla Gonzalez who draws inspiration from Gwen Stefani's struggles

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez delivered a powerful performance of Pat Benatar's song 'Heartbreaker'
UPDATED OCT 1, 2024
'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez is inspired by Gwen Stefani (@nbc)
'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez is inspired by Gwen Stefani (@nbc)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Singer Crystalla Gonzalez graced 'The Voice' Season 26 stage during the second night of Blind Auditions. Raised in Queens, New York City, Crystalla Gonzalez draws from a rich tapestry of Colombian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Greek cultures. With over a decade of experience, she has been passionately playing rock 'n' roll.

She describes herself as a 'rocker' and exudes confidence, drawing inspiration for her musical style from the struggles faced by coach Gwen Stefani. Crystalla has dubbed Gwen fearless as well as a legend and was thrilled to perform in front of her idol, hoping to get a chair turn from the coach. After Crystalla's rocking performance on Pat Benatar's song 'Heartbreaker', Gwen shared her struggles. The NBC show coach revealed that she started performing at 17 in her garage and received the huge opportunity of performing on the radio when she turned 26. Gwen also shared that she spent nine years performing in her garage, which inspired Crystalla to chase her musical dreams and form her own rock band.

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez auditioned for NBC show (@nbc)
'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez auditioned for NBC show (@nbc)

Crystalla Gonzalez creates a Funk band with a high school friend

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez has formed a Funk Punk Rock band called No Grudges with her high school friend, Gabriel Castellar. The duo previously performed together in a band named L Train. However, they had to ditch the band during a global pandemic, which led them to create their new group, No Grudges.

The duo are singers, songwriters as well as partners and represented their fresh start. They bonded over their love of Paramore, No Doubt, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and decided to start playing together. Crystalla and Gabriel share an apartment in New York, where they are quarantined together. TDuring this time, they wrote songs with positive messages, including 'To the Top' and 'Put It Together.'

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez (facebook/@NoGrudgesmusic)
'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez creates a Funk band with a high school friend (Facebook/@nogrudgesmusic)

Did 'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez get any chairs turned?

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez hoped for at least one chair turn; however, the coaches ultimately did not see her talent as a fit for the NBC show.. However, Crystalla's vocals were not the issue; female retro rockers often struggled to get picked in the singing competition.

Michael tried to defend his decision and claimed that he was looking for something else. Meanwhile, Crystalla's idol Gwen Stefani appreciated the contestant's efforts and joined her on the stage to sing an 'I'm Just a Girl' duet. The performance seemed like rehearsed.

'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez performed with Gwen (@nbc)
'The Voice' Season 26 contestant Crystalla Gonzalez performed with Gwen (@nbc)

'The Voice' Season 26 premieres on Mondays at 8 pm ET on NBC.

RELATED TOPICS THE VOICE (2011)

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

A hidden name, a complicated past, and a looming wedding day leave one ‘Love Is Blind’ couple on uncertain ground in Ohio.
1 day ago
TikToker Marta Stelmaszyk alleged that she was dating Chris Fusco both before and after his time on 'Love Is Blind' Season 10
1 day ago
A rock legend’s legacy takes center stage as ‘Ozzfest Night’ brings family, memories, and masked metal mayhem to FOX.
1 day ago
Three coaches return in ‘The Voice’ Season 29, but a major rule change could flip the entire competition on its head
2 days ago
According to a report, Colton Underwood reportedly walked off 'The Traitors' reunion set after a tense exchange with Lisa Rinna.
2 days ago
Rob Rausch makes it through once again ahead of the finale, which is set to premiere on Thursday, February 26
2 days ago
With the finale scheduled to air on Feb. 26, Rob Rausch and Eric Nam will face off against the faithful, and different odds will reveal their positions.
2 days ago
Things quickly went downhill for Ashley Carpenter and Alex Henderson after a tense and uncomfortable first meeting with her father
3 days ago
Not everything from 'The Traitors' reunion will be available for the audience and this is what was deleted from the much-anticipated show.
3 days ago
The singing competition series has some epic theme nights and electric performances with exciting themes in store this season.
3 days ago