Season 24 of “The Voice” kicked off Monday night, and it didn’t take long for an Alabama singer to enter the fray.

Jarred Billups, 30, a music teacher from Fayette, covered an Al Green classic, “Let’s Stay Together,” on the NBC reality series, performing for coaches Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend. Monday was the fall premiere episode, focusing on the first round of Blind Auditions. Also, this is McEntire’s first season as a “Voice” coach, replacing longtime coach Blake Shelton.

Although Billups gave it his all, he didn’t inspire a chair turn from any of the coaches and won’t be competing on the show this season. He took the coaches’ comments in stride, however, and accepted their criticism with good grace.

“You took on one of the most iconic soul songs, and I felt like you were doing a lot when it came to runs and things of that nature, and it wasn’t helping tell the story of the song in the right way,” Legend said. The coach then praised part of Billups’ performance, pointing to when the singer let out a “big bellow” on the word “let” or “let’s stay together.”

“It was like a revelation,” Legend said. “I was like, ‘Ooh, I want to her more of that.’”

Stefani agreed, calling that note “stunning” and “gorgeous.”

“For me, your runs were pretty good,” Stefani said. “It was just they weren’t in the right spots. But I love your voice.”

“I don’t like to see no chairs turning, especially for someone with a quality of voice like this,” Horan chimed in. “You know what? I think using it in the right way is gonna be so important to the next chapter of whatever you may do, and hopefully, it’s back here.”

McEntire didn’t offer any criticism, but asked Billups to tell his students “hi” from “The Voice” coaches.

“Every single student I have in this world — Escambia High School, Sarasota Christian School, McGinnis Woods School — Reba McEntire says hello,” Billups responded, prompting delighted laughter from all four celebrities.

“I love that Jarred is a music educator,” Legend said afterward. “I think his students are very lucky to have him, and I hope that he’ll come back on ‘The Voice.’”

This sentiment was echoed by the other coaches, who called Billups “a lovely guy.”

Billups shared his feelings about “The Voice” on social media and said he’d try his luck again for the next fall season.

“Speechless!” Billups said via Instagram. “Not the outcome I was looking for BUT the experience was one of a kind and having y’all’s support only made it better! Thank you @nbcthevoice for giving me the platform to represent not only NBC but also my family, my students, my brand, my hometown, and music educators all across the world! Thank you @reba @gwenstefani @johnlegend and @niallhoran for speaking life and encouragement into me! Music is life and forever will be. Back to the classroom for now. See you all next fall for Season 26.”

Billups was the only Alabama singer featured on Monday’s episode. Season 24 has just started, however, and viewers may see more hopefuls from the state. Another episode of “The Voice” airs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT.

Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice” during its 12-year history on television. However, more than 30 contestants from the state have made their marks on the show over the years, starting with Nakia Reynoso in Season 1 and continuing through this year with four — count ‘em, four — Alabama singers moving through the competition in Season 23.

D. Smooth, an R&B singer from Birmingham, took third place on “The Voice” during the Season 23 finals in May. Three other Alabama contestants — Ryley Tate Wilson, Jerome Godwin III and JB Somers — were eliminated earlier in the season.

READ: Ryley Tate Wilson on ‘The Voice’: ‘The most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me’

D. Smooth is the fourth contestant from Alabama make the finals on “The Voice.” Dexter Roberts, a country singer from Fayette, took third place on on Season 16 in May 2019. Kirk Jay, a country-soul singer who lives in Montgomery, took third place on Season 15 in December 2018. Red Marlow, a country singer from Rogersville, took fourth place during Season 13 in December 2017.

READ: Alabama’s D.Smooth takes third place on ‘The Voice’; Gina Miles wins Season 23

If you watch: “The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. CT on NBC. Early episodes are filmed in advance.