Ferryn and Brinkley Wright walked onto “The Voice” stage hoping to impress at least one Coach. Instead, the sisters from Sevierville, Tennessee, accomplished something no other act managed during the Season 30 premiere: they got all four Coaches to turn around.
Ferryn, 20, and Brinkley, 17, performed Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved.” Their close harmonies quickly revealed that this was not a solo audition, and Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah were the first Coaches to hit their buttons.
Adam Levine and Riley Green eventually joined them, completing the season’s first four-chair turn. In fact, Ferryn and Brinkley were the only performers on premiere night to convince Clarkson, Latifah, Levine and Green to all turn.
But the sisters’ story began long before that moment. They grew up performing together in East Tennessee, and Brinkley revealed that their father built them a small stage when they were children. Armed with a karaoke machine and microphone, the sisters would pretend they were competing on “The Voice.”
Years later, that childhood dream led them to Dollywood. Both sisters became full-time performers at the resort in East Tennessee, giving them the opportunity to develop their voices and chemistry in front of live audiences.
Their Dollywood background also created a special connection with Dolly Parton. Sevierville is Parton’s hometown, and Ferryn and Brinkley had opportunities to meet the country legend through their work before her death.
Their connection went even further. Ferryn had the opportunity to perform onstage with Parton, while the sisters also participated in a Dollywood parade connected with her. Ferryn additionally portrayed a young Dolly in Dollywood’s “From the Heart” production.
That history makes their appearance on “The Voice” particularly meaningful. The sisters arrived carrying the musical influence of East Tennessee while trying to establish an identity of their own, and their harmonies immediately gave all four Coaches something to fight over.
Queen Latifah praised how sweet their voices sounded together and the energy they created. Levine also recognized the chemistry between the sisters, while Green said their performance transported him back to the traditional country music he remembered hearing around his grandparents.
Clarkson had perhaps the strongest résumé-based argument. She reminded Ferryn and Brinkley that she coached Girl Named Tom, the sibling trio that became the first group to win “The Voice,” and suggested she could help the sisters take unexpected songs and reshape them around their harmonies.
But when the sisters finally had to make their decision, they chose Team Riley. Green was thrilled, saying their ability to harmonize gave him something special on his team and could provide an advantage as the competition progresses.
For Ferryn and Brinkley, it was an extraordinary full-circle moment. Two sisters who once stood on a homemade stage pretending to compete on “The Voice” are now actually there—and their first performance earned every Coach’s approval. With their Dollywood experience, deep East Tennessee roots and special connection to Dolly Parton, the Wright sisters have already given Season 30 one of its most memorable stories.
