“This was the closest margin in ‘Voice’ history,” said host Carson Daly as the final two contestants, Grace West and Gina Miles, stood on stage awaiting their fate on the season 23 finale of The Voice on Tuesday (May 23).
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“The winner of season 23 of ‘The Voice’ is Gina Miles.”
At the end of a long run of season 23 of The Voice, coach Niall Horan‘s team beat out retiring coach Blake Shelton, who exited the show after 12 years, and was given a series of tributes throughout the two-hour episode.
Miles beat out her fellow Top 5 contestants, including Team Blake’s West and NOIVAS, sibling trio Sorelle on Chance the Rapper‘s team, and Kelly Clarkson‘s D. Smooth.
On the Monday (May 22) finale performance, Miles was the final contestant to close out the episode with a dramatic performance of the Prince-penned, Sinéad O’Connor version of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” For the finale, Miles was one of the first singers to open the show with coach Horan for a soulful rendition of Billy Joel’s 1976 hit, “New York State of Mind.”
In March, Miles first sent coaches Horan and Kelly Clarkson into a fierce battle over her during the blind auditions with her captivating rendition of Katy Perry‘s 2010 ballad, “The One That Got Away.”
Throughout the season, the 18-year-old Illinois-born and Sacramento, California-based singer has continued to stun coaches and viewers with her affecting performances, including a stirring cover of Chris Isaak‘s 1989 hit, “Wicked Game,” during the Playoffs, Kodaline’s “All I Want” during the Semi-Finals, along with Goyte‘s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and an earlier duet of Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love,” among others, showing off her diverse range.
Miles started performing several years earlier when she began accompanying her father, Ryan, to his DJ-ing gigs and singing anywhere she could. In 2022, Miles recently released her six-track debut EP, Who Are You, including her songs “Incredibly Patient” and “End With You” (listen below).
“When I was 14, I started doing fun little shows here and there,” said Miles on the show during her blind audition. “I did bars, hotels—basically anywhere they would let me sing. I really have spent a lot of time trying to hone in on a sound for myself, and I really enjoy expressing confidence in that way.”
Following her win, The Voice Twitter account posted a photo of Miles and her coach with a line pulled from his group One Direction’s 2011 song, “One Thing”: “You’ve got that one thing.”
Season 24 of The Voice will return in the fall of 2023 with coaches Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, John Legend, and Reba McEntire, who is taking over Shelton’s “country” spot.
Photos: Trae Patton / NBC
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