‘The Voice’ recap: The ‘First-In’ button secures a ‘beautiful and glorious’ 4-chair turn artist for Adam Levine
Heading in to the third night of Blind Auditions on The Voice Season 30, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine were both hoping for 23-year old Lexi Stephens to pick them as her coach. As a four-chair turn, Lexi could choose to join any of the four teams, including new coaches Riley Green and Queen Latifah, or Adam could call-in the favor of the new “First-In” button to block Lexi’s decision and make it his own. So, how did the “To be continued” moment from “The Blind Auditions, Part 2” conclude?
Showing an impressive amount of restraint, Adam opts out of using the “First-In” and allows Lexi to choose him outright instead. “I did come in with Kelly in mind,” admits Lexi to Adam backstage after joining his team. “But you totally changed my mind.” In his pitch, Adam had told Lexi that there is an “intangible soul” to her voice and that she “probably gonna win” the show.
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Lexi’s decision heats up the rivalry between the two veteran coaches that each have four wins across their time on the show. But with many more spots to fill on all four teams, the potential remains for any artist to emerge as a competitive player in the race for the Season 30 trophy.
Read on for our recap of the six new performances from The Voice “The Blind Auditions, Part 3,” which aired Sept. 23 on NBC.
Kyle Davis
Age: 61
Hometown: Prince George, Va.
Song: “In Your Eyes”
Chair turns: Kelly, Riley, Adam, Queen
Coaches’ comments: About Kyle’s voice, Kelly said that it has “that perfect amount of storytelling, rasp and heartache.” Adam acknowledged that the song is difficult to sing, but one of the best in history and that he could hear an “emotional feeling” in him singing it. Riley added that he has the sort of voice that the show is about because it’s “worthy of being heard” while Queen simply told him that he deserved a four chairs to turn for him.
Result: Team Kelly
Kenna Elpers
Age: 23
Hometown: Cynthiana, Ind.
Song: “White Horse”
Chair turns: Queen, Riley
Coaches’ comments: Queen told Kenna that she could “feel a little bit of nervousness,” but she turned quickly because she could also feel that she was taking the song somewhere. Riley connected with her by saying that he’s also nervous and so he understands the journey the artists are on to overcome that through the process. While it looked like Queen might have won Kenna over, the tide turned when she reminded Riley of a time that she opened for him on tour and he threw a beer koozie to her. In this moment, she returned the favor by giving him one of hers and then selected to work with him as a member of his team.
Result: Team Riley
Morgan Lett
Age: 27
Hometown: Akron, Ohio
Song: “I’m Goin’ Down”
Chair turns: Queen, Riley
Coaches’ comments: “You have some very eager new bloods that are ready to come here and make our lives difficult,” admitted Adam as he settled in to watch Queen and Riley fight over Morgan. Riley said that she “went past” notes that he could never dream of reaching. Queen appreciated that she did a popular song her way by going high when most singers stay in the lower register for it.
Result: Team Queen
Brooklyn Marie
Age: 14
Hometown: Alexandria, Minn.
Song: “traitor”
Chair turns: Queen, Kelly
Coaches’ comments: Adam told Brooklyn that he wishes he had turned around because she tackled the “swirling harmonies” natural to the song really well. Queen called her voice “so special right away,” only realizing after she turned around that it’s because she took on “that song like that as you’re playing guitar.” She was impressed that Brooklyn could “illicit that kind of feeling and that response” at her young age. Kelly pitched that she loves working with young talent because of their bold approach to music and “a freedom about your spirits.”
Result: Team Kelly
Conor Pederson
Age: 26
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Song: “Mercy”
Chair turns: None
Coaches’ comments: Even though she didn’t turn her chair, Queen called the performance “dope” and said that Conor displayed “control” over his voice. Riley advised that there were timing issues he needs to solve and insinuated that more performance experience will improve his career. Adam suggested that he do an acoustic song when he comes back.
Result: No team
Amanda Mikkel
Age: 31
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Song: “Moon River”
Chair turns: Adam, Kelly, Queen, Riley
Coaches’ comments: Adam made a point of calling out that he turned around first, highlighting also a “purity” in her voice that allowed him to “connect instantly.” Kelly applauded Amanda for doing what it takes to make her dream happen and called her voice “beautiful and glorious.” Queen said that “everywhere you just travelled musically is everywhere I wanted to be.” Riley anticipated that she’ll be successful on the show and in the business “no matter what you do.” As Queen began to make a final pitch for Amanda to join her team, Adam executed the all-important “First-In” button to ensure that Amanda would work with him going forward.
Result: Team Adam
The teams so far:
TEAM KELLY (6 of 12): Brianna Cameron, Brooklyn Marie, Hazel Gerson, Johnnie Kapua, Koumba Diallo, Kyle Davis
TEAM RILEY (5 of 12): Caroline Alexis, Ferryn & Brinkley, Harmony McKee, Joe Henley, Kenna Elpers
TEAM QUEEN (5 of 12): Alt Bloom, BigCountry, Marcus Ladden Jr., Mia Knight, Morgan Lett
TEAM ADAM (4 of 12): Amanda Mikkel, Destinee Monroe, Lexi Stephens, Owen Uffens
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