Lincoln singer Bryan Olesen advances to live finals of 'The Voice' (2024)

LINCOLN — Bryan Olesen is headed for California to compete in the live round of “The Voice.”

The Lincoln Christian rock singer was one of three artists selected by coach John Legend from his team to advance to the live rounds of the NBC singing contest, as seen on the network Monday night.

Olesen’s playoff round performance of “Africa” by Toto, along with the rest of Monday’s playoffs, was recorded earlier, allowing him to be at the Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln for what was titled The Official “The Voice” Watch Party: Hometown Celebration.

A few hundred people showed up for the watch party Monday, a visible show of support for the Lincoln singer.

“It’s crazy surreal, the journey has been amazing, and to look in this room and see Lincoln turn up and show out the way they did, it’s so wonderful,” Olesen said. “It just shows how Lincoln is, to come out here on a Monday night that early and for the room to be full of people who just want to be here and celebrate my journey is humbling.”

Arranged by “The Voice” producers, the watch party was filmed for use during the telecast of the live round of the show on May 6 and 7.

Among the crowd was Tim Woosley, who has played in worship bands with Olesen. He wasn’t surprised his friend had made it this far.

“When you know somebody like Bryan, he’s got such a great talent. It’s not just his voice, it’s his stage presence,” he said.

Stefan Carlson, a past member of Olesen’s Christian rock band VOTA, said he’s happy to see someone from Lincoln get recognized.

“It’s fun to be able to see Lincoln talent showcased, to have somebody out there,” Carlson said. “Bryan’s an actual genuine human. It’s cool to see him actually succeed.”

On Monday’s episode, Olesen, clad in a bright pink suit, strapped on a guitar while blowing the doors off Toto’s soft-rock classic, then earned raves from the coaches.

“Dude, you seem like you’re already a superstar,” said Dan Smyers of the country pop duo Dan + Shay. “You seem like a guest performer on the show. It’s compelling. I can’t take my eyes off you.”

Those who knew him didn’t seem to be surprised by Olesen’s level of success on “The Voice,” and that didn’t change with his rendition of “Africa.”

“He killed it, as we knew he would,” friend Dani Delany said.

Olesen had a simple message for those witnessing his journey.

“I’m the oldest contestant; it’s never too old to follow your dreams,” he said. “Just keep going, you never know what tomorrow is going to bring.”

During the episode, Reba McEntire greeted Olesen — who bypassed the knockout round thanks to Legend’s playoff pass — with, “We missed you,” to which Olesen replied, “I missed you too.”

Then McEntire went on to say, “You’re the perfect package. I loved you getting the guitar. Way to go. You need to be on the lives.”

Chance the Rapper’s take on Olesen’s performance: “You are 100% a rock star. To see somebody who can control the crowd, create a moment, if I was John, I’d try to move you to lives.”

Legend capped the reactions with this: “Bryan, you just show up here every time and make us feel like we’re at Bryan’s concert. You’re such a pro. I feel your intention in everything you do as well. I love the way you took the guitar in the middle of the performance. It made you look more like you were the boss on stage. ... He justified getting the playoff pass. He delivers every single time.”

The live rounds will begin with 12 singers, three from each of the four teams, May 6 and 7. Public votes after the live performances will select the five finalists.

Olesen is the second Lincolnite to reach the live rounds of “The Voice.” Hannah Huston finished third on the 10th edition of “The Voice” in 2016.