The teenager from upstate New York is Team Gwen’s representative in the final episodes of the season.

Season 26 of The Voice is nearing the end, and only five Artists remain. With the Top 8 who advanced to the Live Shows now whittled down to a Top 5, it’s a good time to get to know the remaining singers. One of them will be the winner of The Voice Season 26, after all. Perhaps it will be Sydney Sterlace, the 16-year-old phenom and Team Gwen’s only representative in the final episodes. Here’s everything you need to know about Sterlace before Season 26 concludes on December 10.

Who is The Voice Artist Sydney Sterlace?

Sydney Sterlace performs onstage during Season 26 Episode 15 of The Voice.

Sydney Sterlace performs onstage during Season 26 Episode 15 of The Voice. Photo: Griffin Nagel/NBC

How to Watch

Watch The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.

Sydney Sterlace is a young singer from West Seneca, New York, a suburb of Buffalo. Unlike many Artists on The Voice, Sterlace does not come from a musical family, but her talent was undeniable, and her family supported her from an early age. She began participating in local talent shows when she was 7, and when she was 10 she won first place in the Erie County Fair talent competition. She has since sung the national anthem at a Buffalo Bills game and she’s sung it many times at for the local Minor League baseball team, the Buffalo Bisons.

Sterlace recently won a TikTok challenge promoted by BroadwayEvolved and was flown to New York City for a weeklong Broadway intensive with Bestsy Wolfe, an actress who was nominated for a Tony in 2023 for her role in the play & Juliet.

Sterlace just turned 16 years old — she was only 15 when she performed in her Blind Audition.

 

Sydney Sterlace’s journey on The Voice

Sydney Sterlace sings on The Voice Season 26 Episode 14

Sydney Sterlace on The Voice Season 26 Episode 14. Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

Sterlace has been a major contender on The Voice from the start. For her Blind Audition, she sang Olivia Rodrigo’s first-ever single: “Driver’s License,” earning a coveted 4-Chair Turn from the Coaches. She opted to choose Gwen Stefani as her Coach, perhaps in part because Stefani compared her voice to that of Rodrigo’s. All four Coaches were very impressed with Sterlace’s pipes, saying that she sounded like a much more mature and proficient singer than her age would suggest.

In the Battles, Sterlace was paired with fellow Team Gwen singer Sloane Simon. The pair sang “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish. Although Stefani had said she had some concerns about Sterlace’s youth during rehearsals, those doubts evaporated when the singer was actually on the stage, and she named Sterlace the victor.

“I had to go with Sydney,” Stefani said. “The fact that she’s 15 and she can take care of the lyrics and she’s so dynamic, when she’s on it’s amazing, and she really did grow from rehearsals.”

Sterling next triumphed in the Knockouts, where she sang “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi. It was after this performance that Snoop Dogg made a prediction that just might come true.

“You sound like you can win the show!” said the rapper.

During the Playoffs, Sterlace sang Taylor Swift’s “betty,” advancing to the Live Rounds.

During the first night of the Live Shows a dramatically backlit Sterlace sang “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish. To find out who wins The Voice, watch the Finale on Tuesday, December 10 at 9/8c on NBC and next day on Peacock.