Let’s be real for a second. If you mention The Voice Season 9 to any hardcore reality TV fan, they don't start talking about the coaches' banter or the set design. They talk about Jordan Smith. It’s unavoidable. It’s been years, and yet that specific season remains this weird, lightning-in-a-bottle moment where the show actually found a "superstar" who could outsell Adele on the charts while the show was still airing.
It was 2015. Gwen Stefani was back in her red chair, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton were at the height of their "married couple" bickering phase, and Pharrell Williams was basically acting as the show's resident philosopher. But beneath the surface of the usual Hollywood glitz, Season 9 was a bit of an anomaly. It wasn't just another cycle of the "find a singer, forget them in six months" machine.
The Audition That Broke the Internet Before We Used That Phrase for Everything
Everything changed the moment a soft-spoken guy from Kentucky walked onto the stage. When Jordan Smith sang "Chandelier" by Sia, he didn't just get a four-chair turn. He fundamentally shifted how the audience viewed the competition. Honestly, it’s rare to see a show's outcome decided in the first episode, but the momentum behind Jordan was just... heavy. It was undeniable.
Adam Levine, who eventually coached him to the win, famously told him that he was "the most important person that’s ever been on this show." At the time, it sounded like typical coach hyperbole. Looking back, the numbers actually backed it up.
During the live shows, Jordan was consistently knocking global icons off the top of the iTunes charts. He hit number one multiple times. We aren't just talking about the "Christian" or "Alternative" charts—we’re talking about the overall singles chart. He was moving more units than Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. For a reality contestant in the middle of a season, that’s basically unheard of.
Why the Season 9 Chemistry Just Worked
It wasn't all about Jordan, though. The dynamic between the coaches felt different this time around. This was the era where Gwen and Blake’s relationship was just starting to become public knowledge following their respective divorces. You could practically feel the shift in the room. The tabloid energy definitely helped the ratings, but it also made the "family" vibe of the show feel a lot more authentic.
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Pharrell brought a level of musicality that the show often lacks. He wasn't just looking for "big" voices; he was looking for vibes. He pushed his artists—like Madi Davis—to take massive risks with arrangements. It made the middle of the season feel less like a karaoke competition and more like a creative workshop.
Then you had the "big" voices that actually had staying power:
- Barrett Baber: A country artist with a gritty, rock-and-roll soul that kept Blake’s team in the running until the very end.
- Jeffery Austin: A powerhouse on Gwen’s team who arguably gave the most consistent vocal performances of the season besides the winner.
- Emily Ann Roberts: The quintessential "pure" country voice that reminded everyone why Blake Shelton is the king of this format.
The "Problem" With The Voice Season 9
Despite the massive success of the winner, Season 9 highlighted a persistent issue with the franchise: the post-show slump.
Jordan Smith’s debut album, Something Beautiful, actually did quite well. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. That’s a massive win for a reality star. However, even with the biggest "get" in the show's history, the industry machine struggled to keep that momentum going in the long tail. It raises a valid question that fans still debate on Reddit and Twitter: Is the show about the singers, or is it just about the coaches having fun?
Season 9 was arguably the last time the "Voice" brand felt like it was truly capable of launching a mainstream household name. Since then, the show has leaned harder into the personalities of the coaches—Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Reba McEntire—often at the expense of the contestants' long-term careers.
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Looking Back at the Battle Rounds
The Battles in Season 9 were particularly brutal. Remember the steal for Viktor Király? Or the way Regina Love and Jordan Smith went head-to-head on "Halo"? That battle is still cited by vocal coaches on YouTube as one of the most technical "masterclasses" in the show's history.
What made these rounds stand out was the lack of "gimmick" contestants. Usually, there’s one or two people who are there for the story or the look. Season 9 felt like it was stacked with actual professionals who had been grinding in the industry for years.
Actionable Takeaways for Superfans and Aspiring Artists
If you’re revisiting The Voice Season 9 or you’re a singer looking to capture that same magic, there are a few things to keep in mind about why this specific group of people succeeded.
1. Song Choice is Everything
Jordan Smith didn't just sing well; he chose songs that subverted expectations. Singing "Somebody to Love" by Queen in the semi-finals was a massive risk that paid off because it showed a different side of his range. If you're a performer, stop picking the "safe" hits. Pick the ones that tell a story.
2. The "Adam Levine" Strategy
Love him or hate him, Adam knew how to market his artists. He understood that the audience doesn't just want a singer; they want a narrative. He leaned into Jordan’s "underdog" persona perfectly. For any artist, your "brand" or "story" is just as important as your high notes.
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3. Digital Presence Matters
This was the season where social media engagement began to truly dictate the winner. The artists who interacted with fans on Twitter (now X) and Instagram during the broadcast saw a direct correlation in their iTunes sales.
4. Watch the Arrangements
Go back and listen to the studio versions of the Season 9 performances. The production quality was at an all-time high. If you're a musician, pay attention to how they stripped back songs like "Hello" or "God Only Knows" to highlight the vocal texture rather than the band.
The legacy of Season 9 isn't just a trophy on a shelf in Kentucky. It’s a blueprint for what happens when the right talent meets the right coaching at the exact right cultural moment. Even though the show has moved on to dozens of other winners, the "Jordan Smith Season" remains the gold standard for what the show aims to be.
To truly understand the impact, you have to look at the numbers. Jordan's performance of "Mary, Did You Know?" didn't just top the charts; it became a seasonal staple that still gets play every December. That kind of longevity is what every contestant dreams of, but very few—from any season—actually achieve. It was a weird, wonderful, and incredibly loud year for television.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of these performances, start by analyzing the vocal stems from the Season 9 finale. Look at the breath control in the lower registers of the finalists; it's a perfect example of how to manage stage nerves under the pressure of millions of live viewers. Pay close attention to the way the backing vocalists were mixed—often lower than in previous seasons—to ensure the lead artist's unique tone wasn't masked by the production.