The gloves are officially off on season 24 of The Voice. We've already seen John Legend do an impromptu emotional duet and Reba McEntire show off her yodeling skills in hopes of winning over a contestant, proving that all's fair in network singing competitions.
Julia Roome, a 13-year-old singer, gave a stunning performance of The Mamas and the Papas' "Dream a Little Dream" that inspired coaches Gwen Stefani and Niall Horan to go to great lengths to get her on their respective teams.
Horan explained that he's drawn to singers with unique tones, referencing Team Niall's Gina Miles, who won season 23 of The Voice.
"That's not fair," Stefani interjected, "You know what's not fair? The cute Irish accent."
After Roome shared that she was a fan of Horan's former band One Direction, Horan continued.
"I had goosebumps from the second you opened your mouth," Horan said. "If I get the chance to work with you, I'll be proud myself."
Horan ended his pitch with a "good luck, Gwen."
"He's so rude," Stefani joked. "You want to work with a rude boy like that?"
Stefani told Roome that her performance reminded her of old-fashioned, vintage vocals.
"I used to be into anything vintage," Stefani shared. "It felt very soulful in the sense that it was coming from a true, pure place inside your heart."
In the end, Roome went with her gut and chose Niall as her coach.
"Singing in that tone, with that maturity at her age — at 13 — is unprecedented," Horan said. "I can't wait to see what comes next."
Watch Roome's performance below.
