26-year-old Maelyn Jarmon named season 16 champion of 'The Voice'

Pop alternative artist earned America’s top vote as a member of Team Legend

Coach John Legend takes ‘Voice’ crown in his inaugural season

Maelyn Jarmon, a 26-year-old artist originally from Frisco, Texas, and currently living in New York, was crowned champion of “The Voice” on Tuesday. Jarmon stood out all season for both her vocals and ability to master her sound as an artist deaf in one ear. The pop alternative singer earned coach John Legend his first “Voice” win on the four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series.

Jarmon faced tough and talented competition from the other Top 4 finalists – Gyth Rigdon, Dexter Roberts and Andrew Severner – all from Team Blake.

This season of “The Voice” concluded at Universal Studios with a star-studded live finale featuring performances by star recording artists Taylor Swift ft. Brendon Urie, BTS, Jonas Brothers, Halsey, Khalid and OneRepublic. Additionally, the finale featured the final artists collaborating with an assortment of A-list, chart-topping musicians, including Sarah McLachlan, Travis Tritt, Toby Keith and Hootie & the Blowfish, who sang with Rigdon in addition to giving their own performance.

“The Voice”: Sarah McLachlan performs with Maelyn Jarmon. (NBC photo by Trae Patton)

In Jarmon’s blind audition, she earned an immediate four-chair turn from the coaches with a haunting and soulful rendition of “Fields of Gold” by Sting. After coaches Kelly Clarkson, Legend, Adam Levine and Shelton all lobbied to get her on their team, she ultimately chose to join Legend in his first season as a coach. As a part of Team Legend, Jarmon proved to be unstoppable after winning her “Battle Round” with “When We Were Young” by Adele, and her “Cross Battle” with “Mad World” by Gary Jules. Showcasing precision and mastery of her vocals in the Top 24, Jarmon was voted through by America after a standout performance of “Fallingwater” by Maggie Rogers. A vulnerable take on Coldplay’s “The Scientist” pushed Jarmon through to the Top 8 where a jaw-dropping performance of “Stay” by Rihanna earned her a spot in the finale.

On Monday night, Jarmon debuted her original single, “Wait for You,” which was written by Hayley Warner, Gino Barletta, and writer/producers Christopher Petrosino and Robert McCurdy of Noise Club. Legend joined Jarmon on stage for a duet of “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole. Then, her final performance, that of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” was a show-stopper.

On the finale, Jarmon performed a special duet with McLachlan. Together they sang her hit song “Angel.”

Jarmon was the only artist this season to reach No. 1 on the iTunes overall songs chart – for her cover of “Hallelujah,” which also reached No. 1 on the alternative genre chart. Additionally, she hit No. 1 on the iTunes pop genre chart with her original single, “Wait for You.” Throughout the season, Jarmon made it into the iTunes Top 10 a total of five times – more than any other artist this season. On Apple Music, Jarmon was the most streamed artist for three weeks in a row, taking the lead spot in the Top 13, Top 8 and Top 4.

Jarmon has always loved music, despite facing some challenges. At 2 years old, she had tubes inserted into her ears to treat recurring ear infections. The tubes ultimately damaged her eardrums and left her deaf in her right ear and with only 80% hearing in the left ear. At 13, Jarmon started voice lessons and became heavily involved in musical theater. Four years later, she was encouraged to try Broadway and her parents moved with her to New York to give it a shot. Soon after, she stepped away from Broadway and is now focusing on creating original music.

As champion of “The Voice,” Jarmon has earned the grand prize of a recording contract.

This season, the Monday and Tuesday editions of “The Voice” are combining to average a 2.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 10.7 million viewers overall in “live plus seven day” Nielsens, with the Monday edition consistently finishing in the weekly top 10 rankers and leading its timeslot versus regular “Big 4” competition in every key ratings category (including a tie in women 18-34). On Monday of this week, “The Voice” increased it “live plus same day” audience for a third week in a row to deliver its most-watched episode in seven weeks.

“The Voice”: Maelyn Jarmon is crowned as Carson Daly and John Legend look on (NBC photo by Tyler Golden)