Riley Green is a winner, plain and simple. Everything he touches seems to become successful, both as a musician and an actor. Now, Green has taken his talents to the judges' chairs of The Voice, and he's already got one over Adam Levine.
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On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Harmony McKee auditioned during the blinds, performing "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert. While McKee later admitted that was the first time she'd performed a country song, she had done enough to impress both Green and Levine.
Ultimately, though, McKee opted to work with Green, giving him an early 'one up' over his friendly foe on the show.
"I'm so happy I got Harmony. She really made that song her own," Green said, via PEOPLE. "The way she took over the stage, she'll definitely be a big star. This victory is pretty sweet because there's no better feeling than beating Adam."
Of course, getting McKee to work with Green was about more than one-upmanship over his on-show rival. Following McKee's audition, Green praised her talent while also relating to her song choice due to her grandfather being a country music fan.
"There's something that really struck me about you saying that your grandaddy was your country music," Green continued. "Because of my relationship with my grandaddy, he loved Meryl Haggard, Johnny Cash, George Jones. That was where I went musically. The fact that you love rock and blues, Chris Stapleton is the best example in the world of taking something country and putting a blues feel on it. I don't doubt that you're gonna do well with it too so I would love to work with you."
Riley Green and Adam Levine Have a Solid Friendship
When speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the new season of The Voice, Levine discussed his friendship with Green.
"We laughed a lot. One of the first things we all noticed was how quickly we just clicked into it," Levine said. "We've done this enough times to know when it's not like that. [This year] the chemistry was there."
However, Levine also touched on the potential for a friendly rivalry with Green, revealing what he told the country star when he joined the judges panel.
"When we first started, I was like, 'Riley, don't f--- with me,' " Levine said.
We're still at the early stages of this year's show. As such, the rivalry between Green and Levine will likely continue to build in the coming weeks. It's going to be very interesting to see who comes out on top.
