Christina Aguilera made her big comeback to The Voice in the season 8 premiere of Blind Auditions, sitting alongside coaches Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and returning champ, Blake Shelton.

The Voice Season 8 Premiere Recap:

First up: Sarah Potenza, a 34-year-old rocker chick who auditioned wearing a green leather jacket and big, white glasses. Sarah auditioned with a passionate take on “Stay With Me.” Sarah’s rocky rasp got Adam and Pharrell to turn their chairs around first, followed soon by Blake and Christina. Pharrell and Adam both campaigned hard for Sarah – the performance had both of them out of their seats before the end. Unfortunately for both of them, Blake immediately bonded with Sarah over their Nashville roots.

Sarah: Team Blake

Lowell Oakley, 19, a cute crooner who auditioned in a crisp white button down, sailed through “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” Both Adam and Pharrell pushed their buttons, and both coaches used their all time standards: Adam puffed himself up as the coach that could take Lowell to the finale, while Pharrell praised his individuality. “You’re not regular, you’re not the same – you’re other,” Pharrell told him. Christina and Blake were impressed with Pharrell’s pitch, and the producer/artist/fashion mogul even took off his jacket to show his dedication to Lowell, winning him over.

Lowell: Team Pharrell

Rob Taylor gave the episode’s first real heart-tug of the night. He gave up going to Berklee College of Music to take care of his mother, who suffered a stroke that paralyzed half of her body. Rob pulled out all the stops, impressing the judges with a wide range of falsetto. Christina almost immediately turned her chair for Rob, and the pop diva did not hide her love for the singer throughout the performance. Rob was barely done singing his last note when Xtina rushed the stage to give him a hug and declare him Team Christina. “I have one star player right now and that’s you,” Christina told him.

Rob: Team Christina

Ivonne Acero, 16, failed to get any chairs to turn with her blind audition of “Try,” but Adam made her promise to come back, saying, “There was so much good. None of us turned around, but I feel like all four of us could come back next time.” And, Pharrell came on stage to give her some pointers on her stage presence, encouraging her to let loose. Blake regretted letting her go, so hopefully Voice fans will be hearing from Ivonne again soon.

Cody Wickline, 20, was the first country singer to try his hand in the Blind Auditions. Cody is a true country singer, who also studied nursing on a scholarship – he’s the first of his family to go to college and his trip to the Voice auditions was the first time he had ever been on a plane. Adam turned his chair around after the first audible country twang, and Blake followed, with Pharrell and Christina hitting their buttons at the very last second. Adam, desperate for a country artist, campaigned hard, calling Cody’s performance “the best country music performance I’ve ever heard anyone perform on this show.” But, Adam didn’t stand a chance, especially not when Blake started throwing out country music references none of the other coaches even remotely recognized.

Cody: Team Blake

Treeva Gibson, 16, stunned with her rendition of “Young and Beautiful,” and definitely captured the viewers with her moving backstory. Treeva lost her hearing in the mid-tone range three years ago – both her parents are deaf – and she has trouble hearing vocals when she listens to music. Treeva’s ability to focus on the instrumentals got Christina and Blake to turn around. Christina commended her ability to start off slow and small before breaking out at the end, and told Treeva that she wanted to help her work on her pitch issues.

Treeva: Team Christina

Country singer, Mason, failed to get any chairs to turn, and though Blake regretted not pressing his button, he told Mason that while his voice was great, his performance was a bit too dramatic and not varied enough. Pharrell agreed, telling him that he should “explore his range.”

Meghan Linsey, 28, is a country singer, who used to perform as part of a duet Steel Magnolia with a boyfriend and even toured with Blake 10 years ago. Meghan’s rendition of “Love Hurts” got Adam, Christina and Pharrell to turn their chairs around. Christina fought really hard to sway Meghan, but Pharrell won Meghan over by praising her passion – his exact words were, “I would love to work with that kind of ambition.”

Meghan: Team Pharrell

Joshua Davis, a traveling musician who has reached a crossroads in his life. At 37, he feels the deep desire to continue his music career while providing for his growing family, so The Voice could be his big chance. Joshua barely got two notes out of “I Shall Be Released” before Adam and Blake turned around. Once Joshua’s smooth, bluesy performance ended, Blake and Adam are ready to fight. Adam tells Joshua that he has something Adam is missing, giving Blake all the ammunition he needs to destroy his fellow coach and win over Joshua.

Joshua: Team Blake

Bryce Sherlow, 17, a high school student who sings with her school’s a capella group – she sang the solo on “Happy” at nationals last year. Bryce’s take on “Cool Kids” failed to turn any chairs, but Pharrell admitted he had made a mistake and praised her tone, saying, “I’m a dummy.” When Bryce told Pharrell that she sang “Happy” for school, Pharrell asked her to perform it for him and then, on Christina’s request, took the stage to sing with Bryce. Pharrell and Bryce gave a great performance, and all the coaches asked her to come back.

Sawyer Fredericks stole the show with his performance of “I’m A Man of Constant Sorrow.” The son of a farmer stunned the coaches with his mature performance – he’s only 15 years old. Sawyer got Adam, Christina and Pharrell to turn quickly, impressing them with his near-perfect pitch and soulful delivery. Blake followed not long after. It was an all out war to get Sawyer, and Adam, especially, went all out to try to get his first artist of the night. In the end, Sawyer connected with a fellow soft-spoken musician, going for Pharrell.

Sawyer: Team Pharrell

The blind auditions continue on The Voice, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.