EJ Michels and Tasha Jessen Face Off on ‘The Voice’ Battle Rounds

EJ Michels and Tasha Jessen of Team Blake Shelton battled it out on a classic Motown song on The Voice.

During the first night of the battle rounds on season 23 of The Voice on Monday (March 27), Michels opened the set with his smooth, stunning voice on the Miracles’ hit “The Tracks of My Tears.” He was followed by Jessen in the second verse, their voices blending mellifluously as they dueted on such lyrics as, if you look closer / It’s easy to trace / The tracks of my tears / I need you. The pair captured the emotion of the song as they grabbed hands and traded powerful harmonies that brought the performance to a strong finish.

Coach Kelly Clarkson admitted that she initially placed her bets on Michels winning the round, but was taken aback by Jessen’s “incredible” tone. “I really do feel like it was evenly matched,” she observed.

“I thought it was an award-show level performance,” fellow coach Chance the Rapper praised, agreeing with Clarkson that Jessen has an “amazing” tone to her voice, but encouraged Shelton to go with Michels as the winner. “I think your stage presence is something that this competition could use,” he told Michels.

Niall Horan was also blown away by the performance. He described it as “absolutely insane” for the way they “really brought that song to life,” also casting his vote for Michels.

Blake Shelton agreed with his fellow coaches about the quality of Tessen’s tone. “There truly is something special about you and it starts with the sound of your voice,” he said. As for Michels, Shelton admitted that he’d never been so “shocked” by a singer during the Blind Auditions as he was when he heard Michels’ voice. “He came in swinging and it made for a great duet. That was a great performance,” Shelton said, ultimately selecting Jessen as the winner.

As Michels was walking away from the stage, both Chance and Horan pressed their buttons to steal him for their teams. “I think with the right song choices, you could win this whole thing,” Chance urged, making his case to Michels.

Horan reiterated that he was “very regretful” that he didn’t turn for Michels during the Blind Auditions. “I think you did an unbelievable job and I definitely don’t have a singer with the range that you’ve got,” he observed. “You’d fit perfectly.” Horan’s words worked like a charm, as Michels selected him as his new coach.

The Battle Rounds continue next week when The Voice airs on Monday night (April 3) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC