Oklahoma

Which coach won over OK3 on ‘The Voice’? Here’s the music icon the Oklahoma trio picked

Published

10 months ago

February 27, 2024

Which coach won over OK3 on ‘The Voice’? Here’s the music icon the Oklahoma trio picked

EGOT winner John Legend won over OK3 following the Oklahoma pop group’s attention-grabbing blind audition on the new season of “The Voice.”

On the Monday, Feb. 26 “The Voice” Season 25 premiere episode, the Oklahoma City-based vocal trio achieved a coveted four-chair turn with their charming cover of the Meghan Trainor hit “Made You Look.”

The Season 25 coaches — Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Famer Reba McEntire, who is in her second season as a “Voice” coach; Legend, who’s in his ninth season; three-time Grammy winner Chance the Rapper, who is returning for his second season; and three-time Grammy-winning country duo Dan + Shay, who are first-time coaches on “The Voice” and sharing a double chair this season — vied fiercely to convince OK3 to choose their team as the blind auditions got underway.

But Monday’s episode ended on a cliffhanger, so viewers had to wait until the opening moments of Tuesday’s installment to find out which coach the OKC trio will be working with this season.

“I’ve never had a trio before (on Team Legend); this will be fun,” Legend said after OK3 picked him. “I love how vibrant and tight OK3’s harmonies were, and I just felt like they’re going to be so much fun to work with — and so much fun for our audience to watch.”

Which previous ‘The Voice’ contestants inspired OK3 to reunite?

As the group’s name indicates, OK3 consists of three singers from Oklahoma.

The new season of the NBC singing competition is just getting started, but the Sooner State performers are already gaining a lot of attention for their stellar vocal harmonies, sassy stage presence and coordinated choreography they showed off in their blind audition.

Sierra Sikes, who was 23 when the trio auditioned for “The Voice,” is a University of Central Oklahoma alumnus who earned her bachelor of music degree in musical theater in 2021.

Kenna Fields, 22, is a senior at the Academy of Contemporary Music at UCO who is majoring in contemporary music.

Courtney Hooker, 25, is an ACM@UCO graduate who received her bachelor of applied technology in commercial music in 2020. She also earned an associate’s degree from UCO in performance in 2019.

The singers met through their vocal coach, Amanda Earhart, whom they brought onto “The Voice” stage to help them pick their celebrity coach for the show.

The Oklahomans revealed on the series that they have been best friends and musical collaborators since they were teenagers, performing together at various shows and competitions.

They broke up in 2017 because they were in different phases of their lives. After not seeing each other for four years, they were inspired by successful “The Voice” runs for groups like Girl Named Tom and Sorelle to reunite at the Oklahoma Opry and then audition for the NBC music contest.

Coaches battle hard to win OK3 for their team

OK3’s blind audition set off a fierce and funny battle among the Season 25 coaches, who all proved eager to add the trio to their team.

Fellow Oklahoman Reba pushed her button about seven seconds into the group’s performance, followed quickly by Dan + Shay and Legend. Chance the Rapper didn’t turn his chair until late in the trio’s blind audition.

“I loved your performance. … I grew up arranging songs for groups, and then, when I went to college, I was an award-winning a cappella arranger. If there’s nothing else that I do, I do this,” Legend said. “I feel like there’s a lot of space for a big pop girl group right now, and I would love to be your coach.”

Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney gushed that the trio’s singing made his heart race and declared OK3’s audition “my favorite performance that we’ve seen so far.” He noted that Trainor is a good friend.

His musical partner, Dan Smyers, added, “I don’t want to bash John too bad early. He was saying he’s an award-winning arranger for groups. We’re an award-winning group. We have a double chair.”

“We have two (chairs). We could get a third,” Mooney added with a grin. “I have two sisters. I grew up singing in the church and doing exactly what you guys are doing right now. Your voices are phenomenal.”

To neutralize what he called Dan + Shay’s “unfair advantage,” Legend introduced his “partner,” pushing a button to deploy a blue inflatable tube man emblazoned with the words “Pick Team Legend.”

Despite claiming that Legend’s inflatable tube man had “taken all of my spirit away, it was so loud and distracting,” Chance the Rapper also praised OK3.

“You guys did great. A couple seasons ago, I worked with a trio, and I have a lot of fun working with harmonics, with arranging for groups. I could kind of expand your palette in terms of what genres you want to play around with,” he said, adding that his signature “3” cap matched the trio.

Reba addressed OK3 as “fellow Okies,” reminded the group that she started out performing in her family band The Singing McEntires and praised the trio’s harmonies.

The Oklahoma Hall of Famer also brought props to bolster her argument, pulling out one of her three Grammys as well as a sparkly scepter.

“I would love to have you gals on my team. We’d have a blast,” Reba said. “I am the Queen of Country Music. I’m just saying, I would love to have you in my kingdom.”

Ultimately, OK3 opted to become the first act this season to join Team Legend

“I got my first artist, and it was a four-chair turn. Usually, you see these inflatable guys at the car wash. They’re like, ‘Come get your car wash.’ And I’m like, ‘Come to Team Legend.’ And it worked,” Legend said on Tuesday’s episode. “I’m back: my mojo has not gone anywhere.”

“The Voice” airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock on-demand. The streaming service offers full episodes from the show’s previous 24 seasons, too.

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Oklahoma

Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Firefighters respond to commercial fire in Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.

OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.

One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

At this time no cause has been reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.

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Oklahoma

Navy Coach Brian Newberry Talks Oklahoma Prep, Going for 10 Wins

Published

11 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Navy Coach Brian Newberry Talks Oklahoma Prep, Going for 10 Wins

NORMAN — Bowl season is a bit unconventional for Navy.

The Midshipmen annually play against Army six days after the bowl schedule is released. That was the case this year, as Navy beat the Black Knights 31-13 on Dec. 14.

Beating Army is always a highlight for the Midshipmen. But the drawback for them is that they have less time than their bowl opponent to prepare for the game.

In this case, that’s Oklahoma. The Sooners will enter the game with more than two weeks of preparation for Navy’s triple-option offense.

“It’s just a little different,” Navy coach Brian Newberry told reporters earlier this week. “They’ve known they’re going to play us for a little time now.”

Navy Coach, Oklahoma Native Brian Newberry Grew Up On OU Football

Navy does, however, enter the Armed Forces Bowl with momentum.

The Midshipmen (9-3) eased past Army last week in Landover, MD. They outgained the Black Knights 384-179 and forced Army quarterback Bryson Daily to throw three interceptions.

Navy’s rivalry win was its third in the last four games after the Midshipmen went on a two-game skid in the middle of the season. Newberry cited his team’s physicality in recent games, particularly in the Midshipmen’s drubbing of Army.

“I was so impressed with how our kids handled the moment,” Newberry said. “Army’s a really, really good football team. I thought we physically dominated the game in the way that we blocked, beat blocks, the way we tackled. I thought we outplayed them in all three phases, so I’m really, really proud of that.”

A stark difference between the teams is the number of players that have entered the transfer portal.

The Sooners have seen 25 players from their 2024 team enter the portal. The Midshipmen have suffered only one departure in the winter portal window with defensive back Lorenzo Vitti.

On one hand, that makes Oklahoma preparation tough for Navy.

“It’s interesting,” Newberry said. “We’re going through their two-deep and trying to figure out who’s going to play and who isn’t. It’s a little bit of a challenge in that regard. And it could certainly change with a different quarterback.”

But largely, the Midshipmen’s lack of transfers gives Newberry confidence that his team will be bought in for one more game in 2024.

“The portal can affect us, players can jump in the portal — we’re not getting that,” Newberry said. “It’s challenging to build a culture anywhere in college football right now, one that’s built on a certain level of trust. They know each other really, really well. They’ve fought through adversity. They stay the course, they pay the price and they have an opportunity.”

Navy will also play for more than just another win; the Midshipmen are looking to make history.

Navy has reached the 10-win mark just four times in program history. The Midshipmen did so three times under former coach Ken Niumatalolo from 2009-2019.

Having a shot at history while playing Oklahoma — the state that Newberry hails from — excites the coach.

“It’s the last time that this team gets to play together,” Newberry said. “They want to go out the right way against a storied program like Oklahoma. It’s a great reward to play in a bowl game, but it’s a game we want to win.”

The Midshipmen and Sooners will play in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth at 11 a.m. on Dec. 27.

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Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis Sees Armed Forces Bowl as Growth Opportunity

Published

19 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis Sees Armed Forces Bowl as Growth Opportunity

As Danny Stutsman departs from Oklahoma, Kip Lewis seems to be the next man up.

A redshirt sophomore linebacker in 2024, Lewis was one of the Sooners’ better defenders. In addition to his 28 solo tackles, Lewis intercepted two passes, running both of them back for touchdowns.

Lewis hopes to be the leader that Stutsman was over his four years at OU. But his goal isn’t to be a Stutsman clone.

“I feel like I’m my own player and my own leader in how I do things,” Lewis said. “Danny’s a great player, great leader. Taught me everything I need to know. I think I’m just my own person. I don’t think I need to step into his role and be the Danny. There’s only one.”

Lewis played and started in all 12 of the Sooners’ games in the 2024 season. It was his second season as a regular on OU’s defense after playing in just two games as a true freshman.

In Oklahoma’s first season as an SEC squad, Lewis and his defensive counterparts saw plenty of offensive stars. Between Garrett Nussmeier at LSU and Quinn Ewers at Texas, there was never really a dull moment for the Sooners during conference play.

Lewis will see a different type of challenge at the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy.

WATCH: Navy HC Brian Newberry Ahead of Armed Forces Bowl vs. Oklahoma

The Midshipmen — like the other service academies — run a triple-option offense. While Navy, Army and Air Force struggle to get the highly-touted recruits that other programs draw, the unconventional offense sets them apart.

Thankfully for Lewis, this style of offense isn’t new.

“I’m a little used to it. So it’s been a minute since I played it, but it brought me back to my roots playing the Wing-T. There’s a team called Pleasant Grove out there in Texas, so they used to give me a run for my money back in the day.”

Navy finished the regular season 9-3. The Midshipmen started the season 6-0 before losing three times in a four-game span.

They ended the season well, though, beating both East Carolina and Army by double digits to end the regular season.

Lewis and multiple of his teammates tuned in as the Midshipmen beat Army in the annual rivalry game.

“They showed a lot of fight, a lot of grit,” Lewis said. “I think that’s an important key into playing football.”

Lewis will play only one more game as an underclassman. Then, he’ll step into the role of other defensive leaders the Sooners have seen recently, whether that’s Stutsman, Billy Bowman Jr., Woodi Washington or others.

Games like the Armed Forces Bowl will help him get there.

“Just always having to bring my best effort every day,” Lewis said. “Just bringing everything I’ve got. Just every day, I bring my value into whatever that is, whatever I’ve gotta do for my team. I think it’ll be a big role.”

The Sooners will battle the Midshipmen on Dec. 27 in Fort Worth. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

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