Chilean-American singer Marilyn Hucek advanced on The Voice USA, the American television talent competition, after performing "La Tortura" during the blind auditions. With the song, the hit Shakira recorded with Alejandro Sanz, she persuaded Adam Levine, Maroon 5’s frontman, to turn his chair and add her to his team.
BioBioChile reported the news, highlighting the artist’s choice of a Spanish-language song to win over the coaches. The sources do not specify when the episode aired or whether other judges turned around.
The format of this stage explains the significance of the moment. During the blind auditions, coaches listen with their backs to the contestant and decide whether they want them on their team without seeing them, based solely on their voice. If they turn their chair, the contestant remains in the competition.
The song choice has a story of its own. "La Tortura" is one of the best-known Latin American songs of recent decades, and bringing it to an American television stage was a way to put Spanish front and center on a show where English usually dominates.
The result also carries an inevitable connection for Chilean audiences. Levine was at the center of one of the most criticized performances at the 2020 Viña del Mar Festival, when Maroon 5’s show drew extensive criticism from viewers over the band’s performance and the frontman’s attitude.
That episode gave rise to a peculiar relationship between the singer and Chilean internet users. Users from the country began filling his posts with humorous comments and even cooking recipes, a collective joke that periodically resurfaces on social media.
That is why BioBioChile and Publimetro interpreted the decision as a possible reconciliation. This time, Levine’s name is connected with Chile again for a musical reason: he backed a voice with Chilean roots.
With Levine’s support, Hucek moves on to the next stage of The Voice USA as a member of his team, where she will need to continue making it through the competition’s various rounds of musical evaluation.
