In this final, Mei Mei had the fewest supporters among the four, due to her vocal prowess and the niche appeal of country music.
Then there was Cyril. He balanced pop and rap, and his looks were quite good. It was just that his mentor, Jay-Z, lacked a bit of star power; to put it harshly, he lacked a lot.
Bruno Mars and Fruit Sister were relatively more popular. Mars Bro had demonstrated his singing and dancing abilities; although his height was a weakness, his dancing was a big plus.
Fruit Sister, on the other hand, had the strongest innate talent, captivating hearts purely with her singing.
Originally, everyone thought Mars Bro would once again perform a song-and-dance number, but unexpectedly, Eric gave him a more lyrical song, "Just the Way You Are."
He wore a small fedora, stood at the microphone, and sang earnestly. Behind him, dynamic drum accompaniment added a sense of rhythm to the lyrical piece.
Oh her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shining
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful and I tell her every day
The lyrical rhythm, sung with Mars Bro's deep and unique voice, gave the song a subtle warmth.
It was as if an old friend was sharing his love story with the audience, and he conveyed his song to everyone present.
After the verse, many audience members, especially young women, were already emotionally invested. These sweet love songs resonated most with their hearts.
Even if the man on stage was a bit short, he had talent!
When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing, just the way you are
And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while
Cause girl you're amazing, just the way you are
The beautiful melody combined with Mars Bro's excellent vocal skills made the chorus enjoyable, even without resorting to high notes.
"Wow! Bruno Mars's singing seems to have gotten even better; there's no harshness at all."
"He has indeed made significant progress since the beginning. He can now refine his high notes to be much smoother."
"Did you notice? This smoothness is actually somewhat similar to Michael's singing style. It seems he really took his role as a teacher seriously."
"I've decided. I'm going to audition for The Voice next year. I want to join Michael's team."
"Brother, many people have the same idea as you, but they can't even pass the initial screening. These contestants who make it to the stage have already gone through several rounds of elimination."
"Actually, The Voice and American Idol are essentially the same in terms of auditions. It's just that the latter puts all the dishes on the table, while the former only presents gourmet dishes."
Mars Bro's eyes were tightly closed as the long, gentle note slowly faded.
Clap!
Clap! Clap!
Clap, clap, clap.
Inside the stadium, applause gradually erupted, starting sporadically and quickly spreading like wildfire, finally becoming a thunderous ovation as everyone clapped their hands vigorously.
The three-minute voting session ended, and the stage lights suddenly became colorful, like a nightclub.
Then, over a dozen dancers in vibrant, enthusiastic attire—long legs, broad chests—came onto the stage and began to dance energetically to the dynamic background music.
Jay-Z and Cyril jumped onto the stage from both sides, rapping like laser guns, immediately drawing screams from the entire audience.
Watching the frenzied young people, Eric shook his head slightly.
He couldn't help it; he really couldn't understand rap. If he couldn't even make out the lyrics, how could he understand it?
Even the hugely popular "The Rap of China" before his transmigration hadn't piqued his interest, and he only paid attention to the show after the Li Xiaolu hair-doing incident broke out.
Unfortunately, Li Xiaolu was later crowned "King of Dissing," effectively sending rap, which had just begun to reach the mainstream, back underground.
In Eric's opinion, this stuff was only slightly better than shouting into a mic; it still lacked too much humanistic spirit and depth.
After Cyril and Jay-Z's performance ended, the last contestant, Fruit Sister Katy Perry, appeared on the big screen.
Seeing the familiar figure, both the live audience and online viewers were stunned.
Sure enough, it was Eric Cooper again!
"Britney, does he really not understand sheet music?" asked Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, unable to resist.
"At least he told me so himself, at this year's Grammy Awards."
"Is he lying to you? One song is acceptable, two songs are a burst of inspiration, but how many songs has it been now? And they're all masterpieces. I really can't believe it."
"But why would Eric lie to me? Is there a need?" Britney herself was unsure.
"With money and leisure, maybe it's just a playful trick, who knows?" Beyoncé, sitting in the front row, suddenly turned around and said.
"Jay-Z has even collaborated with him. Why don't you invite him to produce a song for you? Then you'll know if it's true or false."
"Come on, he's a super-rich billionaire. I can't even determine the fee standard to ask him to produce something. I wouldn't dare!"
"Let's see what song Eric created for Katy Perry. If it's another divine song, I don't care anymore, I'm definitely going to ask him for a song!"
As a somewhat punk girl, Avril's personality was always bold and wild. If you don't dare, I dare.
Eric chose Kelly Clarkson's famous song "Stronger" for Fruit Sister.
Originally, he wanted to use "Because of You," but after checking the copyright, he found that Kelly Clarkson had already created and registered it.
Moreover, he heard that she was recording a new album, and this was one of the songs, expected to be released in the second half of the year.
No matter how thick-skinned Eric was, he couldn't bring himself to plagiarize a song that was about to be released.
So, he could only plagiarize another one!
Anyway, Kelly Clarkson couldn't escape this fate.
However, looking at it from another perspective, wasn't this also a deep form of love?
If I didn't love you enough, why would I keep listening to your songs?
If I didn't keep listening to your songs, how could I still remember them clearly after transmigration?
But I can plagiarize, if others dare to plagiarize mine, then don't blame me for being impolite.
For example, if Zhang Jie and Qu Shicong dare to release "Against the War" later, plagiarizing so blatantly, I'll sue them to death.
On stage, Katy Perry wore a pineapple-printed outfit, her eyes full of power. She wanted to win the championship!
As the electronic music soared, a gust of air blew, lifting her hair. Her powerful voice opened the floodgates, perfectly matching "Stronger."
You know the bed feels warmer sleeping here alone
You know I dream in color and do the things I want
After just two lines, the music suddenly soared, rising two octaves. The electronic rhythm instantly quickened, and the dynamic melody suddenly crashed into everyone.
You think you got the best of me? Think you had the last laugh?
You think all the good is gone?
Baby, you don't know me, 'cause you're dead wrong.
At this moment, the BGM soared again, rising another octave, with bass, drums, and electronic music blending together to reach a climax.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller.
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter, footsteps even lighter.
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger.
Just me, myself, and I.
Rising three octaves in a row, Fruit Sister's excellent vocal abilities were fully unleashed; high notes that would be strenuous for most singers were as effortless as drinking water for her.
The surging high notes were like thousands of stags charging into everyone's hearts, full of power yet not aggressive.
This sudden burst of emotion made many audience members feel a jolt in their skulls, their eyes glued to the person on stage, unable to look away.
"Yes!"
In the celebrity section, Avril excitedly pumped her fist and shouted.
"I need to find Eric Cooper, I must find Eric Cooper to ask for a song. This is exactly the kind of song I want."
Seeing Avril's eager expression, Britney looked around but didn't see Eric.
"Where is he? Where is he sitting? Maybe he'd be willing to help me create a hit song."
Thinking that her relationship with Eric was surely better than Avril's, if Avril dared to try, why couldn't she?
On stage, Fruit Sister continued to sing, completely immersed in the emotion of the song, unconsciously making expressive facial gestures.
If someone with insufficient vocal skill made such expressions, it would come across as greasy.
But when the audience empathizes with you, when everyone is drawn in by you, people will only feel it is perfectly natural.
Another chant, gradually rising from low to high and becoming more impassioned, as the drumbeats grew faster and faster, Fruit Sister's eyes became brighter.
Just as the rhythm reached its peak, she suddenly opened her eyes, and her tone dropped precipitously.
A simple "I'm alone" ended the performance, once again demonstrating control comparable to a top-tier singer.
The live audience initially didn't realize it was over, but after a few seconds, a thunderous applause erupted, and several singers in the celebrity section even stood up and cheered.
Explosive, powerful, and uplifting—this was the feeling and impact that "Stronger" brought to people.
"Wow! That was truly an exhilarating performance! I feel like I'm about to explode!" James Corden walked onto the stage and exclaimed.
"Thank you, Katy Perry, for that wonderful performance. Now you all have three minutes to vote for her. Please begin!"
"Katy is also the last contestant to perform tonight, but the wonderful performances are not over yet."
"Starting next week, The Voice's top eight contestants will embark on a national tour. You can see them in cities like Los Angeles, Houston, Las Vegas, and Seattle."
"And there's more good news: Michael's national concert tour will also kick off. For detailed information, please check Meiyi Records' official website."
By holding The Voice, UTA signed many new artists, including not only Mei Mei and the other three but also all of the top eight, and others deemed promising were also signed as appropriate.
Once signed, they couldn't just sit idle. While the popularity was high, they were all sent out to make money!
Subsequently, Michael and Mars Bro took the stage to perform. The two sang and danced, performing Michael's "Bad."
Everyone in the venue knew this song, without exception. Not only did the audience sing and sway along, but even the three mentors and everyone in the celebrity section got hyped up.
Michael would sing, "I'm bad!"
Mars Bro would follow with, "I'm bad!"
The celebrity section and the audience below would sing in harmony, all together, "Really, really bad!"
The super party with 70,000 people brought the atmosphere to its peak; even several kilometers away, it could be heard clearly.
So now you know why the performance order had to be shuffled. If it wasn't, what would be the point of competing?
With that, the entire performance concluded, and it was time to announce the final results.
James Corden walked onto the stage holding an envelope. Mei Mei, Mars Bro, Fruit Sister, and Cyril also stood up.
"Now, the results of this competition are written in the envelope in my hand, but no matter who wins the championship, everyone standing on this stage is a winner!"
Saying this, he opened the envelope: "I announce that the fourth-place winner of The Voice of America finals is Xi Lin Trudeau."
On the large screen, the words "62554 votes" appeared below Cyril's portrait. He was still nervous, and his performance had a mistake.
"The third-place winner of The Voice of America finals is Taylor Swift."
Seeing the words "64881 votes," Mei Mei's big eyes twinkled, indicating satisfaction with the result.
Celine Dion and Jay-Z walked onto the stage to embrace the two, while Michael and Janet applauded vigorously, and the audience cheered for them.
Celine Dion stroked Mei Mei's little head and comforted her: "Your performances were excellent. I've seen many competitions, and your strength is enough to win the championship, it's just..."
Jay-Z chuckled: "I think the one who should be blamed the most is actually Eric Cooper. His performance should have been more stable. We need four'Stronger's!"
"Exactly, it's all Eric's fault!" Celine Dion heavily waved her fist.
The camera then panned to Eric. He was wearing a hat tonight, and many people only now noticed him.
Eric shrugged, as if to say it had nothing to do with him, and immediately many people booed.
After a small joke to lighten the mood, Mei Mei and Cyril walked off the stage.
James Corden continued: "Next, I will announce the champion and runner-up. The runner-up of The Voice of America finals is Bruno Mars, who received 67134 votes."
"And the champion of this season's The Voice has been revealed: it is Katy Perry, with 69770 votes!"
As the results were announced, fireworks immediately shot into the sky around the stage.
Fruit Sister and Mars Bro embraced each other. This result was fair, and there was no dissatisfaction.
Michael and Janet also walked onto the stage and embraced the two.
Amidst the audience's grand cheers, The Voice of America concluded successfully.