Watch N.J. ‘The Voice’ singer Jan Dan bring Gwen Stefani to tears with classic rock song

Jan Dan is the man.
The singer from New Jersey, a contestant on season 26 of the “The Voice,” delivered a passionate, haunting rendition of “Dust in the Wind” that made Gwen Stefani cry.
The winning performance of the Kansas song, which aired Tuesday during the playoffs round (watch below), sent him to the semifinals of the NBC competition.
“Let me just wipe my tear,” said Stefani, Jan Dan’s coach, after he gave the classic rock song new life. “This is a man that chooses notes that are so artistic and beautiful. He’s a painter with his voice. I think you’re just so cool. I’m literally having to listen to the Spirit. Like, I think the Holy Ghost is over here.”
But that’s not all.
On Monday’s episode of the show, Jan Dan introduced the viewing audience to his newborn daughter, Nori Arabella. The 30-year-old singer and his wife, Nicole, welcomed the baby, their first, in late August.
Dan, born Najee Daniels — his stage name comes from his first name spelled backwards and the first part of his last name — originally hails from Newark and currently lives in Douglasville, Georgia.
In his time on “The Voice,” he’s become known for his smooth tone and ability to seamlessly move from genre to genre.
Musical talent runs in Jan Dan’s family.
His mother is R&B singer-songwriter Fundisha (”Live the Life,” Lil’ Bow Wow’s cover of “Basketball”), who signed with So So Def, Jermaine Dupri’s label, bringing the family to Atlanta when Daniels was 10. His father, DJ Shakim, is a DJ and turntablist who has worked with New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe.
The “Voice” contestant’s uncle was also a musical inspiration for the singer.
LaShawn Daniels, a Newark native who died in a car accident in South Carolina in 2019, frequently collaborated with fellow Jersey producer Rodney Jerkins (from Galloway), aka Darkchild.
They won a Grammy for best R&B song in 2001 for their work on Destiny’s Child “Say My Name,” on which Daniels served as a songwriter and producer. He also worked with Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, the Spice Girls, Toni Braxton and Tamar Braxton and Brandy and Monica.
Jan Dan immediately caught Stefani’s attention on “The Voice” with a Brandy song during “blind” auditions.
He got her chair to turn as well as the chair of coach Michael Bublé after singing approximately one note of the 1999 song “Almost Doesn’t Count” (see video above).
Jan Dan’s “The Voice” audition, which aired in September, was a good indication of what was to come.
In trying to persuade the singer to pick her as his coach, Stefani gave a pointer right away, and had him establish more eye contact during his performance. The strategy worked, because Jan Dan picked her over Bublé (even Bublé was rooting for her at that point).
Later, when Jan Dan was facing elimination during the knockouts round of the competition that aired Monday, Stefani swooped in with a save and kept him on the show. (He had performed the 2020 Miley Cyrus song “Angels Like You.”)
After his performance of the 1977 Kansas song on Tuesday’s show, he had all the coaches singing his praises.
Reba McEntire: “I just love the way you vocalize and the runs you do. I could sit there and listen to a full concert with you singing.”
Michael Bublé: “So far, we’ve heard you sing Brandy, Stevie Wonder and Miley Cyrus, and now you’re singing ‘Dust in the Wind’ by Kansas. With all of these genres, what else do you have up your sleeve?”
Snoop Dogg: “First of all, you ain’t supposed to be knowing these songs. You put your own twist on it, which gives it the soul and the original version. Great job, Jan Dan.”
In an October battle round episode of “The Voice,” the Jersey singer had all the coaches smiling with his duet of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life” with 14-year-old contestant Jaylen Dunham from Charlotte, North Carolina (see video below).
Jan Dan welcomed his own child in the middle of taping the show.
At an on-camera rehearsal session with Stefani and guest mentor Sting, he informed the celebrities that he had rushed to his wife with just 20 minutes to spare before the baby was born.
Before Jan Dan put his energy into making a career of music, he went to culinary school and spent eight years working with church services. He released his self-titled debut album this year. He’ll next perform on “The Voice” during the first live shows, set for December.
New Jersey has never claimed a winner in the singing competition, but we’ve gotten pretty close.
In season 24, which aired in 2023, Mara Justine, a contestant from Galloway, made it to the end of “The Voice” as second runner-up.
Marlton’s Christina Grimmie placed third in season six (2014) before she was fatally shot after a performance in Orlando in 2016. Paterson’s Wé McDonald — who competed on “American Idol” in 2023 as Wé Ani — placed third in season 11 (2016).
Colts Neck’s Jacquie Lee made it the farthest, finishing as the runner-up back in season five, which aired in 2013.
Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup.