Adam Levine stuns ‘The Voice’ coaches with wild wedding duet story involving a legendary singer
The March 23 episode started like any other Battles round on ‘The Voice’, with contestants stepping up, nerves tucked behind polite smiles, and coaches ready to weigh in. Then Adam Levine casually dropped a personal detail that turned a simple performance into something unexpectedly nostalgic. The song in question was ‘Leather and Lace’, a track that already carries a certain old-school weight thanks to Stevie Nicks and Don Henley. However, for Levine, it clearly means much more than just a classic hit. As contestants Drew Russell and Jared Shoemaker stood there after performing their version of the song, probably expecting feedback, Levine instead took a personal approach.
“This song to me is just a heavyweight champion of songs in my life,” he said, and then came the part that shocked the other coaches. “I sang this song with Stevie Nicks to my wife at our wedding,” he said. Kelly Clarkson did not even try to play it cool, blurting out “What?!” in pure disbelief, while John Legend clutched his chest. Levine, for his part, seemed just as amused by the memory as everyone else was stunned by it, adding, “I did. That happened. It really happened. I think it really happened. I pinch myself sometimes,” before steering the conversation back to the singers in front of him.
He admitted, “In the rehearsals, to be completely honest, the promise was there, and the vibe was there, but it just wasn’t where it needed to be yet. And I was hoping that it would really come to fruition in time for this thing, and it really did. It was so beautiful.” The backstory only made things more interesting. Levine’s wedding to model Behati Prinsloo took place on July 19, 2014, at Flora Farms in San José del Cabo, Mexico. It was not exactly a low-key affair either, with a guest list packed with familiar faces like Robert Downey Jr., Coco Rocha, and his Maroon 5 bandmates James Valentine and Jesse Carmichael, per PEOPLE. That’s when Levine shared the stage with Nicks herself. Interestingly, Nicks actually worked alongside Levine as an adviser on his team during that same era of the show.
Now, years later, he brought that same track back, handing it to Russell and Shoemaker. The coaches seemed impressed across the board. Clarkson called their version “damn good,” and even floated the idea that the two performers could work as a duo. That led to a reality check when Russell pointed to her wedding ring, reminding everyone she’s already taken. Legend noted how well they sounded together, before singling out Shoemaker as one of his favorite male voices this season. In the end, Levine had to make the final call, and after all the build-up, the song history, and the strong performance, he chose Shoemaker as the winner of the Battle. With the Battles wrapping up, the show is already gearing up for the next stage. The Knockouts are set to begin on March 30.