L. Rodgers, Asher HaVon and Josh Sanders were chosen to advance to the live shows representing Team Reba
Trae Patton/NBC
Josh Sanders, L. Rodgers and Asher HaVon of The Voice
On Team Reba, the legendary country singer is “mother.”
On Monday, May 6, PEOPLE caught up with Team Reba after the first Voice live show of the season and the contestants raved about working with the country singer.
“She’s amazing. She’s nurturing, she’s soulful, she’s understanding. She sees us. She truly does. She has tuned in to each of us individually,” contestant L. Rodgers tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She has taken the time to get to know us and truly taken us under her wing. And it’s a privilege and it’s an honor.”
Asher HaVon was raised as an only child by his mother, and having McEntire, 69, as his coach has brought a feeling of nostalgia.
“She is a mother and she’s a mother to all of us. She shares her heart, she shares her wisdom, she shares her experience. She’s a solid rock that I don’t mind standing on anytime,” he says.
Adding, “L.’s song tonight about the mountaintop, I want to go to the mountaintop where Reba is at, honey. Let me stand beside her and L. can sing that song again. Yes, ma’am.”
When Josh Sanders found out Blake Shelton would no longer be a coach on the show, he wondered who could fill that spot. Then, when he learned it was the “Fancy” singer, he didn’t know what to expect — and now he sees it as a “divine thing.”
Trae Patton/NBC
Reba McEntire
“It’s something I couldn’t have seen coming. But I look back in hindsight and it’s so obvious that she’s in a season of paying it forward and giving back,” he says. “There’s something different about her being comfortable in that she can’t be bought. She’s her own person. She speaks her mind. She’s honest, she’s true, she’s balanced, she’s professional, she’s funny, she’s all of those things.”
He concludes, “My favorite thing about her is when you strip away all the fame and the artistry and the acting, all the accomplishments at the end of the day, she’s just such a wonderful spirit. She’s just a wonderful person to be around.”
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of the live show, McEntire said she was feeling “confident” about her contestants and what to expect as this is her second go-around.
“I’m really jazzed about my team, L., Josh, and Asher. I love them with all my heart. I don’t think it’s going to be as nerve-wracking as last season for me because now I know more what to think about,” she says. “I know now how the finales are going to go. Now I know the routine, so I’m going to be a little less stressed out and I’m so confident with my team.”
On Monday night, Rodgers took the stage to perform “Up the Mountain” while HaVon delivered a stunning performance of “I’ll Make Love to You.” Sanders was the final Team Reba contestant to perform with “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings).”
