NBC’s ‘The Voice’ season 8 premiere video: Sawyer Fredericks draws mass attention

There are many things that we are learning about “The Voice” season 8 already, and one of the biggest ones at the moment is rather simple: There is some serious talent trying out this time around.

What’s interesting about the performance of Sawyer Fredericks below is that we do actually think we’ve heard singers who try to do way more in their blind auditions, but it felt almost like a deliberate choice for him not to. There was a part of him acting as though he was holding something back throughout this entire performance, which is somewhat exciting in a mysterious sort of way. There is something more that he is capable of, but you don’t quite know who it is.

Given just how trigger-happy the coaches of the US version of this show are, it really should not come as a shock that pretty much everyone presses their button for him almost instantly. Everyone wants to get Sawyer on board! So, who should he pick? He has a sort of blues / rock vibe going, and the easy choice would be Adam Levine. This is where things get interesting, though, since we actually think that he made the worst pitch. His was mostly about hype and promises that he may not be able to keep. Pharrell, meanwhile, really did not try too hard other than compliments.

We feel like the real winner here is Christina Aguilera, who pulled out a very similar strategy here to what she used to win Matthew Schuler a while back: Recognizing that she is not the obvious choice, but making it clear that she will work hard to make him the best he can be. We really like this side of Christina on the show, and when she has this level of enthusiasm, she is the best female coach out there.

If you missed it, head over here to watch a full performance right away featuring all of the coaches! Also, be sure to sign up now to score some other TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLdYN0GmZFE#t=271