Both Wichita singers battled on Monday to stay on NBC’s ‘The Voice.’ Only one succeeded
Both of the Wichita-area singers appearing on NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” got their turn in the show’s third and final round of “Knockouts” on Monday night.
But only one made it out.
Jaelen Johnston, a singer from Derby, and Kameron Jaso, a Maize High School graduate, both have been competing on the show’s 27th season, which started in early February. And both have so far made it through two rounds of the contest, which features singers from around the country competing on teams coached by four celebrity coaches: Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Buble, John Legend and Adam Levine.
But only Johnston — a 21-year-old cowboy hat-wearing, deep-voiced member of the Derby High School class of 2021, will move on to the next round of competition, called “The Playoffs.”
On Monday night’s episode, Johnston was pitted against his fellow Team Ballerini member Hailey Wright, from Redwater, Texas. The two also sang against each other in the previous round, and though Johnston was chosen the winner then, Ballerini exercised a “save” option and kept Wright as well.
This time, the singers both individually performed a song they’d chosen themselves. In clips aired before their performances, Ballerini offered tips and praise to each one.
Wright chose to sing “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” a 1930s song by Patsy Montana. She went first, then Johnston followed with his rendition of Noah Kahan’s “Dial Drunk.”
Ballerini praised his brave song choice.
“I’m so intrigued because I hear you as such a traditional country singer, and this song is country adjacent, which I love,” she said.
She advised Johnston, a more reserved performer who usually stands in place when he sings, to move around the stage more.
The judges complimented both singers — and Buble and Levine even told Ballerini they’d choose Wright as the winner if it were up to them.
But Ballerini had the final say, and she picked Johnston.
“Jaelen has this traditional-leaning voice with that story-telling element, and it feels not dissimilar to what we’re hearing on country radio right now,” Ballerini said. “I think he’s a dark horse in this competition.”
Later in the show, Team Buble member Jaso went head-to-head with 23-year-old Jadyn Cree from Lincoln, Nebraska. Jaso, who turned to music after a car accident in Wichita sidelined his baseball career, chose to sing “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur, the first song he learned to play on the guitar. But he told Buble during rehearsals that he didn’t feel especially comfortable performing the falsetto that the song requires.
Buble praised him for challenging himself, but during the performance, Jaso struggled with the high notes. Buble chose Cree, who performed a rendition of Avril Lavigne’s “Keep Holdin’ On,” as the winner of the round, meaning Jaso was eliminated.
But Buble still praised his talent.
“Kam, I’m deeply impressed by the work you put in,” he said. “I think that you’re going to be a big star, and I just love watching you come out in the biggest, scariest moment and execute.”
The show will return April 28, when it will move on to its Playoff Rounds. That’s when each team will be pared from five members to two.
The winner of “The Voice” will be named on the show’s May 20 episode.
Those who want to see Johnston perform live can see him from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday at The Sandbox Goddard, 130 N. Goddard Road. He’ll also perform at the Wichita Riverfest at 7:30 p.m. on June. 7.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 11:24 AM.
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