When Maelyn Jarmon was just two years old, tubes were inserted in her ears to help treat ear infections — but they wound up damaging her eardrums, leaving her completely deaf in her right ear and with just 80% hearing in her left ear. You certainly wouldn’t know that Maelyn had any hearing issues if you heard her sing, though, and her talent as a vocalist has landed her a spot in the finale of The Voice with a good chance to win the entire thing! “I have always considered [being deaf] a super power since I was young,” she told HollywoodLife and other media outlets after part one of the finale on May 20. “It was never discussed as a disability throughout my house and it was never really talked about much at all.”
Maelyn explained that her first few performances on The Voice were a little challenging because she had to get used to wearing in ears, which is something she’d never done before. “The first time I used [them], I was like…I don’t know…this sounds weird,” she said. “So it took me a minute to get used to it. Then, last week, my in ear went out halfway through my performance and I couldn’t hear anything anymore. That has happened to me a lot of times before the show because sometimes I can’t hear and will go based off of feeling, so I was able to do that in that moment [last week] because of practice with that in the past. So yeah, [being deaf] has sometimes been an issue, but most times it’s an advantage, oddly enough.”
Maelyn is the sole artist representing rookie coach John Legend in the finale, and she’s up against three artists — Dexter Roberts, Andrew Sevener and Gyth Rigdon — from six-time champ, Blake Shelton’s, team. “I am going to cherish the time [John and I] have had together forever,” Maelyn admitted.”No matter what, this has just been amazing.” She added that the best thing John has taught her is to “trust [her] instincts” and not question herself. “I will really take that with me that I really have to trust myself more,” she dished.
It’s no secret that Maelyn is a frontrunner to win the entire show, especially after all three of her finale performances landed in the top 10 of the iTunes charts. We’ll find out for sure during the live May 21 finale, and if it does happen, Maelyn said she’s totally ready. “I’m ready to hit the ground running!” she said. “I’m ready to do the work. If this has been any type of taste of what it is, I know I can handle it. This has been a great way to practice the schedule. I will be excited and my boyfriend will help make it work. We’ll make it work! It has been my dream forever and it’s his dream, too, so there’s no way to keep me from that.”