Singer Ashley Marina, who grew up in Kennedy Township and previously competed of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” at age 12, advanced from the blind auditions to the battle round on NBC’s “The Voice” Monday night.
Now 18 and a freshman studying commercial voice at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., Marina sang Keith Urban’s “Tonight I Wanna Cry” during the season’s final blind auditions of “The Voice.”
Judge Adam Levine hit his buzzer to turn his chair around first, followed nanoseconds later by John Legend and Kelly Clarkson as Marina’s mother, father and brother cheered that “triple turn” from the studio audience during filming last year.
“I could hear country in there, but I could hear other influences musically which I think is really important,” Clarkson said. “You were pitchy after we turned around and I don’t know if that’s [because] you got nervous. … It happens a lot but this is the stage to get used to that. I just think you have a really killer voice, and I would love to help you tackle those nerves, girl.”
Ultimately, Marina chose to join Legend’s team.
“We heard your tone, we heard the way you jump between different parts of your voice and it was really beautiful,” Legend said. “You have this beautiful gift and we’re just here to cultivate it and help you develop the confidence you need.”
Marina was known to classmates as Ashley Yankello at Montour’s David E. Williams Middle School before high school at Lincoln Park Performing Arts charter school in Midland, Beaver County. In a phone interview Monday night, shesaid she applied to be on “The Voice” after getting cut from “AGT” in the second round in 2020 at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. Marina learned she’d been cast in “The Voice” in spring 2025 but couldn’t tell her friends.
“It’s been really hard because this big thing happened and you want to tell everyone, but I can’t do that,” Marina said. “People say, ‘Ashley, what happened?’ and I had to say, ‘You’ll just have to see when you watch.’ ”
Marina, who considers herself “a full country singer” who’s also a songwriter, said she chose Team Legend because she’s always enjoyed Legend’s music.
“He’s an incredible musician and I love the lyrics he has in his songs,” Marina said. “I really love Kelly Clarkson as well, but I knew her team was going to be so incredible and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I want to go up against these amazing people,’ but we also still have amazing artists on Team Legend, too.”
Marina said “AGT” was more rush-rush-rush where contestants had to prep on their own time, but on “The Voice” she stayed in L.A. for two months working with coaches leading up to her audition.
Marina said music gravitated toward her as a child and her parents encouraged her natural interest. Initially, Marina performed in pageants and then started singing in vocal competitions.
Whatever happens on “The Voice” — Marina will next appear during the Battle Rounds that begin March 16 but an NBC publicist would not offer an exact date for Marina’s next episode — she wants to continue “booking gigs” and she’s lining up a summer tour that will include performances at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival at the Hollywood Casino at The Meadows in May and at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in June.
Marina’s father, Mark Yankello, said he thinks his daughter is the first person from Western Pennsylvania to appear on both the flagship “AGT” show and “The Voice.” (He noted Loren Allred, who appeared on “The Voice,” was on the “AGT” spinoff, “Fantasy League.”)
“We’re just thrilled and it’s exciting to experience it,” Yankello said. “We’re just taking it all in. We just try to do whatever exposure you can get because it’s a tough business.”
Kept/canceled
ABC renewed “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Nashville,” “High Potential” and “Abbott Elementary” for the 2026-27 TV season.
Netflix ordered a fourth season of “The Night Agent.”
Fox renewed “Doc” for a 22-episode third season.
“Somebody Feed Phil” will relocate from Netflix to YouTube for its next season to stream in 2027.
In advance of its first season premiere on April 12, AMC renewed Silicon Valley drama “The Audacity” for a second season.
Daytime TV’s “Drew Barrymore Show” got a two-season renewal through 2028.
Seth MacFarlane said he has no plans to make a third season of Peacock’s “Ted” due to the high production costs.
Channel surfing
“The Pitt” was named best drama and best new series at the Writers Guild Awards last weekend and also won in the episodic drama category. … Peacock will stream “Saturday Night Live UK” on Sundays, the day after it airs live in England, beginning March 22. … Scott Patterson’s Sully, the namesake of The CW’s “Sullivan’s Crossing,” won’t be in the fourth season, premiering April 20, due to “creative differences” with the program’s showrunner. … Justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane is the latest reporter to exit CBS News.