The Voice released a new episode, Playoffs Part 3, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. It featured Michael Bublé's team competing against one another, vying to secure a spot in the Top 8. Michael could only advance two singers, sending the others home. Like each performance held a special meaning, Shye's rendition of Story of My Life by One Direction had one too.
Shye's act was a tribute to Liam Payne, One Direction's former band member, who passed away on October 16, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Michael hoped Shye could showcase her versatility through the song, which he knew was an unconventional choice. Playoffs advisor, Carly Pearce, joined Michael to guide his team and advised Shye to use the song to tell her own story.
Shye's performance garnered applause and compliments from all four coaches. The Voice fans took to X to express their views on her act. While many praised Shye's vocals, others got emotional upon seeing that her performance was a tribute to Liam Payne.
"I wanna say shye has a incredible voice and delivering a great performance tonight," a fan wrote.
"Shye with a voice like no other. Enjoyed her little half-yodels, runs, the way she really felt connected emotionally to the lyric. She just sounds like a Star, so special. She made the song her own," another fan commented.
Many fans of The Voice were in awe of Shye's performance. Meanwhile, others commented on her act being a dedication to Liam Payne.
"SHYE YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VOICE AND THE VOICE ILYSM," a user reacted.
"Amazing performance by Shye..." a person commented.
"OK just had Shye sing Story of My Life, talked about meeting at her same age, and had a dedication to Liam Payne at the end. I’m not crying," another fan wrote.
"This 17 year old Shye is singing Story of My Life on #TheVoice. As soon as the audience recognized the song they screamed! lol," one user posted.
Other fans of The Voice shared a similar sentiment.
"the voice just had a moment for liam and now im crying again," a netizen tweeted.
"the voice just did a in memory of liam after a girl sang the story of my life and now i am a complete mess," another netizen commented.
The Voice: Carly Pearce compares Shye to Tracy Chapman
During rehearsals, Michael suggested that Shye find out the story she wanted to convey through her performance. Since her song was Story of My Life, Shye hoped to showcase her relationship and bonding with her family members through the lyrics.
Shye confessed that her family members, who were of Panamanian and Jamaican heritage, connected through music. It helped them grow closer to one another and strengthen their bonds.
Michael explained he picked a One Direction song for her because it was "unexpected." Carly agreed and advised The Voice participant to tap into her emotions and make the song hers. She suggested that Shye use her vocal storytelling to showcase her experiences in life.
Impressed by her tonal quality, Carly complimented Shye and compared her to Tracy Chapman. She claimed Shye's voice was so uncommon that she did not need to do much to stand out.
Eventually, Shye performed and left the coaches mesmerized. Reba was in awe of her vocals and called her singing incredible. Snoop Dogg said her act reminded him of the Olympics as he up a piece of paper with 10 written on it. Gwen Stefani shared a similar sentiment and praised how emotionally driven Shye's performance was.
After the coaches shared their reviews, a writing appeared on the screen that said:
"In memory of Liam Payne."
After deliberating all reviews, Michael advanced Shye and Sofronio Vasquez to the next stage of the competition, ending Cameron, Jaukeem, and Sloan's time on the show.
The Voice airs on Monday and Tuesday at 8 pm ET on NBC.