Season 23 of The Voice concluded Tuesday night (May 23) during the live finale, crowning a brand new winner for the franchise. The episode was also Blake Shelton's final goodbye to the show after serving as a coach for 23 seasons, and there were many tributes to him, including a group performance from many of his former singers.
As always, however, the night ended by announcing the winner, and it came down to five talented contestants: Team Blake's Grace West and Noivas, Team Niall's Gina Miles, Team Chance's Sorelle and Team Kelly's D.Smooth. Each contestant expressed their thanks to their coach before the results were announced.
Noivas performed a rendition of Shelton's "Home" (originally recorded by Michael Bublé) with Shelton for his final performance. When addressing Shelton, the singer expressed his thankfulness for the singer's role in bringing him back into music.
"Thank you so much for believing in me," Noivas said. "I quit music for almost seven years, and I came back and every step of the way you helped give me the strength to keep fighting and keep going."
In the end, Noivas came in fifth place.
The fourth place winners were the all-female Team Chance trio Sorelle, who sang "O-o-h Child" by Five Stairsteps with Chance the Rapper. The group said it was an "honor" to work with Chance and thanked him for believing and encouraging them along the way.
Team Kelly's D.Smooth came in third place after a performance of "Slow Dancing in the Dark" by Joji alongside Clarkson. When expressing his gratitude for Clarkson, he said, "I love you to death, girl. Thank you for seeing me for who I am and allowing me to shine. I'm so grateful for you. You've been a blessing to my life."
After the runners-up were announced, the competition came down to the final two: Grace West and Gina Miles. Both singers gave their all to their final performances — West singing Shelton's "Lonely Tonight" with the country singer and Miles performing Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" with coach Niall Horan. Both singers also had nothing but good things to say about their coaches.
"It's honestly meant the world," West said of Shelton's mentorship. "As a performer, I feel like I have developed so much (with) your advice and just overall belief in me."
"Your friendship and your mentorship has been very special to me, and I love you," Miles told Horan. "Thank you for choosing me and giving me this opportunity."
After a suspenseful moment for the singers as well as their coaches, host Carson Daly finally announced the winner: Gina Miles. The 19-year-old looked utterly shocked to hear her name called, and she basked in the moment while runner-up West congratulated her. The night ended with confetti as the finalists and Horan joined the stage to support her.
Watch the moment below:
