Who Is Tears for Fears? Everything to Know About The Voice Season 26 Finale Guest Artist
One of the biggest bands to come out of 1980s pop will appear on The Voice Season 26 Finale.
This week's Season 26 Finale of The Voice is under way, and as fans of the show have come to expect, that means a lot of special guests. Yes, you'll hear the remaining five contestants battle it out for the crown, but you'll also be hearing from former The Voice winners, former The Voice Coaches, and a few bona fide musical legends.
On Night Two of the Finale, Tuesday, December 10, British pop legends Tears for Fears will take The Voice stage for a special performance of one of their classic singles as well as one of their newest songs. The band has been around for more than 40 years, and they've recorded some of the biggest hits of the 1980s and beyond. So, before they show up on The Voice, let's take a closer look at their history.
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Who is Tears for Fears?
Though the band has featured other members in both the studio and on tour over the years, the core of Tears for Fears has always been Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Collaborators since they were teenagers, Smith and Orzabal met in Bath, England and formed Tears for Fears after the dissolution of their previous band, Graduate. The band released its first album, The Hurting, in 1983, to quite a bit of success, but they really broke through in 1985 with the release of what's still their most successful record, Songs From the Big Chair.
The release of Songs From the Big Chair cemented Tears for Fears as an internationally famous act, produced several hit singles, and carved out the band's legacy as one of the most identifiable groups in all of 1980s pop. They're credited today as one of the key bands of the "Second British Invasion" that dominated so much of the pop charts in the early to mid-1980s, and their music still receives consistent radio airplay.
After the release of 1989's The Seeds of Love album and resulting tour, Orzabal and Smith broke up, with Smith going his own way and Orzabal (who's always been the band's primary songwriter) keeping the Tears for Fears name. The band's albums Elemental and Raoul and the Kings of Spain, released in 1993 and 1995, respectively, showcase a more experimental, progressive style from Orzabal as he kept the band going with other collaborators.
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In the early 2000s, Smith and Orzabal reunited, mended fences, and reformed as Tears for Fears, releasing the Everybody Loves a Happy Ending album in 2004. They continued to record, tour, and re-release old material through the next two decades before releasing another album, The Tipping Point, in 2022. Now, as they prepare to appear on The Voice, Tears for Fears is promoting the release of their eighth studio album, Songs for a Nervous Planet, which arrived in October.
Tears for Fears' Most Famous Songs
Tears for Fears' music is defined by the dueling lead vocals of Smith and Orzabal, as well as a mixture of electronic and guitar-based soundscapes and an often progressive, fusion style of pop. The band released multiple singles from their first album, The Hurting, but the most famous is without a doubt "Mad World," a song best remembered today as a cover by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack. But the original is pure Tears for Fears.
Though they've released a lot of music since, Songs From the Big Chair remains the band's most identifiable album, and its singles still get lots of pop airplay. Several are well-known, but the most famous song in the entire Tears for Fears catalog is "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," the third single from the album.
But it's not the only major hit from the record. You might also know "Shout" and "Head Over Hells," another song that blew up in popularity again because of Donnie Darko.
Though they've never again reached their 1980s, peak, Tears for Fears continues to release new music. On The Voice, they'll be performing a medley of their megahit "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and one of their latest singles, "The Girl That I Call Home," from the Songs for a Nervous Planet album.
Night Two of The Voice Live Finale airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, and streams the next day on Peacock. Want to catch up on what's already happened this season? You can stream every episode so far on Peacock!
