'The Voice' Season 24: John Legend's 'twin' Talakai shares heartfelt note after losing to Caleb Sasser in montaged battle
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA: Caleb Sasser defeated Talakai in a staged battle performance of R&B singers on 'The Voice' Season 24. Caleb's winning tone—which John Legend called "mysterious" and "ethereal"—was what kept him in the game this time.
Talakai said, “I see so much potential in Caleb. I see his artistry and his uniqueness in everything he does. I am excited to see what he does next.”
Talakai soon took to the comments section of the YouTube video uploaded by 'The Voice' and wrote about his final performance, "Thank you so much for this opportunity and Experience ! This song was a Challenge for me and I gave it my all"
He added, "This is where Growth comes in and I’m so Proud of myself for facing my fears and getting on that stage! This Experience is a Win to me !"
Who is Talakai on 'The Voice' Season 24?
Talakai was raised by his grandparents. Talakai was abused regularly when his grandfather died when he was 10, so he fled and sought shelter in Sacramento with the support of other homeless people, per NBC.
The shelter alerted child protective services, beginning a lengthy path into foster care. Talakai's friend's mom ultimately adopted him after many years of prospective forever homes.
Talakai was navigating his sexuality at the same time, dating a woman. The woman and he had a son, Demani, while together, but the two split after Talakai discovered he was gay.
He later met his spouse, Alejandro, who had children from a previous marriage. They married and combined their families.
Talakai currently works as a waiter during the day and sings and writes songs at night, focusing on gratitude and healing. Talakai, who has struggled with confidence for many years, has always wanted to perform on a huge platform and was honored to be a part of 'The Voice'.
Who is Caleb Sasser on 'The Voice' Season 24?
Caleb is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter and voice teacher who has already released music. The only original music he has online right now is a tune called 'With You', which was released this summer and is classified as pop on Apple Music.
However, Caleb reportedly released a 12-song CD called 'The Reflection of Her' in 2017 that does not appear to be accessible anymore. Caleb stated at the time that he didn't believe his music could be classified as one genre because it combines R&B, jazz, soul, and pop, per Idol Chattery.
Caleb received his BS in music business in 2018 from the University of North Carolina. When he was younger, he auditioned for 'American Idol' and 'The Voice' twice each without securing a seat on the program.
While the rejections were upsetting, Caleb said he was determined to keep singing and to look for other methods to get his name out there.
It appears to have worked. His participation with Alicia Keys' backing choir at a concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in September 2022 is one of his career highlights.
He's also done at least two gigs with Sofar Sounds. And one of his earlier social media collaborations this year was with 'The Voice' and 'American Idol' star We Ani.
'The Voice' Season 24 airs on Mondays at 8 pm ET and Tuesdays at 9 pm ET on NBC.
