 |
Bryan Olesen | |
|---|---|
 Bryan Olesen performing with VOTA in Lincoln, Nebraska | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bryan David Olesen |
| Born | November 1, 1973 |
| Origin | Hartford, Connecticut |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
Bryan Olesen is a Christian rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter.
Bryan David Olesen was born on November 1, 1973, in Hartford, Connecticut, to parents John and Norine Olesen. He married Jennifer Hines on August 23, 1997, and has three children.
Bryan is best known for his involvement in the major Christian bands Newsboys and VOTA.
Bryan is one of the founding members of the group VOTA, previously known as Casting Pearls, [1] a Christian rock band, along with Case Maranville. Bryan has been lead singer and guitarist of VOTA since its beginnings in the late 1990s.
Bryan was called to perform with Inpop labelmates Newsboys when guitarist Jody Davis was unable to perform due to his daughter's illness. Bryan was officially announced as Davis' replacement in February 2004, and remained lead guitarist and background vocalist in the group until January 2006, when he left the band to focus on his other band, VOTA (then known as Casting Pearls).
In 2024, Olesen competed on the 25th season of The Voice as part of John Legend's team. Olesen made it to the finale where he ultimately finished in third place. [2]
| Performances on The Voice season 25 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Theme | Song | Original artist | Order | Original air date | Result |
| Blind Auditions | — | "OneRepublic" | Adele | 3.6 | March 4, 2024 | Dan + Shay, John Legend, and Reba McEntire turned; joined Team John |
| Battles (Top 40) | "Rolling in the Deep" (vs. Nathan Chester) | Adele | 7.1 | March 18, 2024 | Received a playoff pass by his coach John and advanced to the playoffs | |
| Playoffs (Top 20) | "Africa" | Toto featuring Sia | 14.5 | April 29, 2024 | Saved by John | |
| Live Quarterfinals (Top 12) | "Don't Stop Me Now" | Queen | 16.1 | May 6, 2024 | Saved by Public | |
| Live Semi-finals (Top 9) | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Phil Collins | 18.9 | May 13, 2024 | Bottom Five | |
| "Viva la Vida" | Coldplay | 19.3 | May 14, 2024 | Saved by Instant Save | ||
| Live Finale (Final 5) | "Uptempo Song" | "Freedom! '90" | George Michael | 20.8 | May 20, 2024 | 3rd Place |
| "Ballad" | "Beautiful Things" | Benson Boone | 20.4 | |||
| "Duet with Coach" | "Feeling Good" (Duet with John Legend) | Joe Bonamassa | 21.12 | May 21, 2024 | ||
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