On Monday night (April 14), during the first night of the Knockout Rounds on The Voice, fans were treated to a truly epic battle among contestants on Team Blake.
Videos by American Songwriter
During his final season as a coach, country star Coach Blake Shelton was faced with a tough choice. Who would move on to make the coveted playoffs round?
In the tete-a-tete, big-voiced singer NOIVAS, known for his moving performances, began singing the classic, “I Put a Spell On You,” and the power of his voice took over. NOIVAS, the 30-year-old from Hutto, Texas, seemed to embody the whole point of the show.
The performance raised the stakes real high for his counterpart, Tasha Jessen. NOIVAS even ended the performance on his knees, leading Coach Chance the Rapper to a standing ovation, calling him a bona fide “actor” in the best of ways. True showmanship. Shelton had previously stolen NOIVAS from Chance during the Battle Rounds.
The 21-year-old, Colorado Springs- native Jessen sang the acclaimed Hozier song “Take Me to Church,” and did a fantastic job. But compared to NOIVAS, it was hard to match up. Even coach Shelton noted the key of the song, how it allowed for a big final note, but that it might have been a little rocky to get there.
In the end, though, Jessen was saved (aka stolen) by Coach Niall Horan, who noted that Jessen didn’t buckle under the pressure put on her by her counterpart. Yes, in most other matchups, Jessen would have come out the winner. But her opponent NOIVAS was just that good.
“NOIVAS kinda has it all, I’m figuring out,” Shelton said during rehearsals before the performances. “He has stage presence, he’s not afraid to mean what he’s singing, and that goes a long way.”
Monday also marked the era of the newest Mega Mentor, country icon Reba McEntire, who stopped by the show to help the contestants. McEntire was left in tears during the show, after some of the rehearsals.
McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Famer and three-time Grammy Award-winner was an advisor for Shelton in the show’s first season. Perhaps there is more in store for McEntire. Shelton has noted, as far back as 2019, that McEntire was the show’s first choice when looking for a country artist coach in 2011, saying, “For whatever reason, she couldn’t do it, or they just decided it wasn’t the thing for her at the time.”
Photo by Tyler Golden/NBC
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