New York singer Nina Howland made a powerful first impression on The Voice Season 30, turning all four coaches with her soulful performance of Love Me Like a Man.

The 24-year-old singer, dancer and actress delivered the kind of performance that immediately caught the attention of Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Riley Green. By the end of the audition, all four coaches had turned their chairs, giving Howland a four-chair turn and making her one of the standout voices of the Blind Auditions.

Clarkson appeared especially moved by Howland’s song choice and performance.

“You know, people are like, what do you sing in the shower? That’s the song I sing in the shower,” Clarkson told her.

She then simply added, “I love you.”

Levine was equally impressed by the range Howland showed during the performance.

“You have a big, beautiful voice that can kind of do anything,” he said.

The Maroon 5 frontman also praised her powerful sound, saying he believed she could fill the shoes of singers known for having a “big, powerful, beautiful, amazing, soulful, bluesy” voice.

“So you’re amazing,” Levine added.

Queen Latifah focused on something beyond Howland’s impressive vocals. She praised the young singer for the way she controlled the stage and connected with the song.

“One of the things I love most about this performance was your command of that song,” Latifah said.

She pointed to the way Howland moved and expressed herself throughout the performance, saying, “By the time that song was over, the way you threw your head, you were telling us all what you needed.”

“I believed you,” Latifah continued.

The coach then made her own pitch for Howland, saying, “I do believe that together we can command The Voice.”

“I want to see you do it again and again and again on my team, if you’ll have me as a coach,” she added.

Even Riley Green had a personal connection to the song.

“Yeah, I sing that song when I’m fishing. I love it,” Green said.

The moment also gave Levine a chance to joke about Green, claiming that he sometimes sings the song with the country coach in private.

“I actually duet that song with Riley sometimes in private,” Levine joked.

While the coaches were fighting over Howland, viewers quickly started reacting to the performance online.

One viewer called it “one of the best auditions so far,” adding that Howland “deserved that 4 chair turn.” Another fan simply declared, “She’s one of the best singers EVER on the show!”
Other viewers focused on what made Howland different from singers who simply copy the original artist. One fan praised her for not trying to sound like Bonnie Raitt and said she “made it her own.” Another called her performance “top class.”

 

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The excitement continued as fans predicted a big future for the singer. Comments described her as “one to watch,” while others said she was “going to be a star” and even called her a possible winner of the season.

Her powerful style also reminded some viewers of other major performers. One fan said she had a Janis Joplin vibe, while another compared her to Gretchen Wilson.
But Howland’s background shows that her confidence onstage did not come out of nowhere.

The New York performer is a classically trained singer, dancer and actress. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts before studying at Berklee College of Music, where she graduated in 2024.

Her skills go beyond singing. She has training in piano and keyboard, sight singing, sight reading, jazz dance and musical theater acting techniques. Her performance style brings together soul, contemporary pop and musical theater, helping explain the strong stage presence she showed during her Blind Audition.

Howland also comes from a musical theater family.

Her father is Grammy-winning composer Jason Howland, who won the 2015 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

The connection does not stop there. Nina is part of the touring production of The Great Gatsby: A New Musical, where she plays Daisy Buchanan. Her father wrote the music for the musical, giving the father-daughter pair another major connection to the production.

Her theater experience and touring work mean Howland entered The Voice with years of experience performing for audiences. That experience was clear from the moment she stepped onto the stage.

Fans also noticed her strong vocal training. One viewer said they could “hear the lifetime of vocal training” in her performance and argued that her ability was not in doubt. Another praised her “deep gritty voice,” while others described the performance as giving them “goosebumps” and “chills.”
With four chairs turned and fans already calling her one of the singers to watch, Howland has quickly become a memorable new face in Season 30.