Reba McEntire will be joined by her team’s celebrity mentor during Monday’s playoff rounds The voice – and she couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome them Anthony Ramos to the singing competition!
The In the heights Star may seem like an unlikely pairing for the country music legend at first, but Reba gushed to ET that Anthony’s versatility makes him the perfect choice to help her coach her remaining five team members.
“He did everything,” she marveled. “Broadway, television, touring, recording, it’s an all-round package.”
“He knows how to interpret a song. He knows what the audience wants. He knows what an entertainer needs to do on stage to ensure the audience has a wonderful time. And I just enjoyed sitting next to him and listening to him,” she continued. “Talk to my entire team. It was a great blessing for her.”
For Anthony, taking on the role of mentor was “amazing,” as he described the behind-the-scenes work as “the most special part of making art… It was a gift for me to just sit there and receive that.”
And he couldn’t have been more inspired to have Reba by his side as he helped train the hopeful singers.
“She gets the artists straight… She just gives the artists the space to really figure it out on their own,” he said, telling his fellow coach, “That was such an amazing thing I learned from you today…” See You, how much space you have given them to grow in the moment.
With remaining team members Josh Sanders, L. Rodgers, Asher HaVon, Jackie Romeo, Justin and Jeremy Garcia, Reba believes she has a “diverse” group of singers heading into the playoffs – where she will have to cut the team except for three.
“I have a lot of trust in my team,” she praised. “I think they are strong. They’ve grown so much.”
“Everyone has this deep story,” Anthony agreed. “Their personal stories add an extra layer to the songs that I think will really resonate with people. It will be hard to top.”
While none of them could decide on a frontrunner, Anthony admitted that there are one – or rather two – Team Reba competitors that were particularly close to his heart.
“Seeing Justin and Jeremy sing together was really special for me,” he shared. “My brother is here with me and we can work together all the time. Seeing these two brothers on stage and performing – especially because they’re 17 years old… Having that moment together and seeing them just let it go… that was crazy.
Anthony was also able to bring some active real-world experience to the table as he is currently working on new music following his 2021 album release. Love and lies.
“I worked with a lot of artists in Miami and a lot of collaborators after moving here,” he shared. “Being Puerto Rican and being out there with people from all over the world – but especially people from Latin America and the Caribbean – I was really like, ‘Yo, here I want to take people into this next vibe.’ “
“We sing in English, we sing in Spanish, but all the songs are personal and all the songs are about my life,” he added. “This album honestly seems like the most special one I’ve ever put out.”
So is there a possible collaboration with him? Agree Coach, Reba?
“‘The Heart of It,'” Anthony said of a possible song title. “I just think that’s how Reba leads… That’s how I felt sitting next to you. I was like, ‘Yo, she’s nailing it.'”
The voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm PT/ET on NBC.
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