A 20-year-old New Yorker had coaches Adam Levine and John Legend pleading for him to join their team during the season 29 premiere of NBC’s “The Voice.”
Lucas West, from Fairport, New York, made it through the first round of blind auditions on this year’s season of “The Voice.” He sang and played the keys to the song “Bennie and the Jets,” by one of his musical influences, Elton John.
“Whenever I play that one chord, everyone starts cheering,” West said of his song choice during his interview ahead of the performance.
Levine and Legend both turned their chairs within the first 30 seconds of West’s performance. Once it was over, the two judges pleaded with him to choose their team.
“There’s no doubt that they’re winners,” West said of the three judges, Levine, Legend and Kelly Clarkson. “They’re all Yankees.”
Ultimately, West chose Team Legend. He said he grew up listening to Legend with his mom, and appreciated that they were both pianists as well as singers.
Here’s what to know about this Rochester-area contestant and how to watch him on “The Voice.”
Who is Lucas West?
West graduated from Fairport Central School District in 2022 and said he is currently a senior at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
The Fairport native is a singer and pianist who said he grew up listening to music. West has sung the National Anthem at Buffalo Bills games twice, once during a regular season game in Nov. 2023, and most recently, for the Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens playoff game at Highmark Stadium in Jan. 2025.
On his Instagram stories, West recently answered a handful of his followers’ questions, including his top 10 most inspiring artists. His answer, “In no particular order: Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Elton John, Queen/ Freddie, The Beatles, Donny Hathaway, D’ Angelo, Jamiroquai, Stevie Wonder, and of course my brother @johnlegend,” he wrote.
During his interview on “The Voice,” he said that he is very inspired by Billie Joel, Elton John and Stevie Wonder because, “they’re not just singers, they’re entertainers,” he said.
When and where you can watch ‘The Voice’
Episodes of the 29th season of NBC’s “The Voice” air at 8 p.m. Mondays on Rochester’s local NBC affiliate, WHEC-TV (Channel 10), and will stream the next day on Peacock.
This season, “The Voice: Battle of Champions,” includes three champion judges: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine. The winner will take home $100,000 and be signed to a record deal with Universal Music Group.
West told his Instagram followers that his next appearance on this season of “The Voice” will be during the Battle Rounds on either March 16 or March 23.
“I’ll get paired up against another contestant on Team Legend, and we’ll see how it pans out,” West wrote on his Instagram story.
The third part of blind auditions will air on Monday, March 8.
— Madison Scott is a journalist with the Democrat and Chronicle who covers breaking and trending news for the Finger Lakes Region. She has an interest in how the system helps or doesn’t help families with missing loved ones. She can be reached at MDScott@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY singer has Adam Levine, John Legend battling for him on ‘The Voice’
Reporting by Madison Scott, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
