‘The Voice’ Season 30: Brandon Diaz gets a second chance 13 years after his first audition
Brandon Diaz walked onto The Voice stage for a second time more than a decade after his first audition. This time, the 29-year-old singer left the coaches with a very different impression, earning chair turns from Queen Latifah and Kelly Clarkson before making a choice that carried plenty of personal meaning.
Diaz appeared during Part 5 of the Season 30 Blind Auditions on October 5, 2026, performing Justin Timberlake’s “Drink You Away.” His audition quickly became one of the episode’s memorable moments, not only because of his vocals, but because two of the coaches already knew exactly what he had missed the first time around.
Brandon Diaz returns to the stage after his first audition
Diaz first auditioned for The Voice during Season 4, when he was a teenager. His earlier attempt ended without a chair turn, leaving him with a very different experience from the one he would have years later.
According to Diaz, he was nervous at the time and was still trying to figure out who he was as an artist. He eventually attended Berklee College of Music and went on to work as a full-time musician.
For his Season 30 return, Diaz chose “Drink You Away,” giving the coaches a chance to hear the more developed performer he had become.
Queen Latifah was the first coach to turn her chair, with Kelly Clarkson following soon after. Clarkson was immediately impressed by what she heard.
“Vocally, you’re insane,” Clarkson told him.
She also praised his talent and soulfulness, making it clear that she wanted him on her team.
The two coaches even joked about who had turned first, adding some humor to an audition that was already carrying plenty of history.
The coaches discover why Brandon’s return is so significant
The conversation took an unexpected turn when Clarkson asked Diaz what he had been doing since his earlier appearance.
Diaz revealed that this was not his first time standing on The Voice stage.
“This is actually not my first time on this stage. I was here over a decade ago,” he explained.
That revelation immediately changed the mood in the room.
Diaz pointed out that both Clarkson and Adam Levine had been coaches when he first auditioned in Season 4. Neither of them had turned their chairs for him at the time.
There was another connection the coaches did not know about: Diaz is married to Jackie Foster, who competed on The Voice during Season 14.
Clarkson recognized Foster immediately. Diaz explained that Foster had previously been on both Clarkson’s and Levine’s teams.
Levine also remembered her.
“Of course. I remember her,” he said, adding that he wished he had known all of this before hearing Diaz’s audition.
Adam Levine admits he made a mistake
The fact that Diaz had returned after being rejected years earlier did not go unnoticed by the coaches.
Clarkson pointed out that Adam Levine and Riley Green had not turned their chairs for Diaz during the audition. Levine openly acknowledged that he had gotten it wrong.
“I made a mistake,” Levine admitted.
Riley Green also acknowledged how difficult it had been not to turn around.
Queen Latifah took the moment a step further, saying it had been a “big mistake” for the coaches not to turn.
Although Levine wanted Diaz on his team, Queen Latifah argued that the singer needed a fresh start and that the connection between them felt right.
She told Diaz that the opportunity allowed him to keep doing what he had already been doing while continuing to improve until he could go all the way in the competition.
Diaz’s growth since his first audition was also evident to others who followed the episode. His return came after years of musical development, including his time at Berklee College of Music.
Jackie Foster joins Brandon on stage
The reunion became even more personal when Clarkson asked whether Foster was in the building.
She was.
Foster soon came onto the stage to greet the coaches and support her husband. Her own history with The Voice made the moment particularly meaningful, since she had competed on Season 14 and had worked with both Clarkson and Levine during her time on the show.
Clarkson then asked whether the married couple planned to release music together.
“It hasn’t happened yet, but maybe after he wins,” Foster replied.
The lighthearted exchange gave the coaches another glimpse into the couple’s connection before Diaz had to make the biggest decision of the night.
Brandon chooses Queen Latifah
With both Queen Latifah and Kelly Clarkson interested in him, Diaz had to decide which coach he wanted to work with for the next stage of his The Voice journey.
In the end, his choice came down to the coach who had believed in him first.
“I have to go with my gut, and I have to go with the person that saw it from the get-go,” Diaz said.
He chose Team Queen Latifah, making the first chair turn of his second The Voice audition the deciding factor.
Queen Latifah welcomed Diaz to her team, while Clarkson and Levine spent time meeting Foster.
For Diaz, the moment represented a striking turnaround from his first appearance on the show. Thirteen years after walking onto the The Voice stage as a teenager and failing to get a chair turn, he returned as a 29-year-old musician with a more developed voice, more experience and a coach ready to take a chance on him.
Season 30 of The Voice features Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine alongside first-time coaches Queen Latifah and Riley Green, with Carson Daly returning as host.
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