As the battle rounds continue on season 22 of The Voice, the competition is heating up. One of coach Blake Shelton's latest pairings included 29-year-old singer Benny Weag versus 15-year-old Brayden Lape. It's hard to believe Lape only started singing a year ago, and now he's playing the guitar and competing to move on to the third round on NBC's popular competition series. It's safe to say he knocked it out of the park with his rendition of Parker McCollum's "Pretty Heart."
While the duo worked on their song with Shelton and this season's adviser, Jimmie Allen, Allen noted that though Weag definitely seemed more comfortable at the mic, Lape had a really cool sound that reminded him of a "country John Mayer." He said it would really come down to the performance itself because either singer could come out on top. Shelton told Lape that he needed to find a way to be more comfortable onstage because he possessed some of the same promise that Taylor Swift did at age 16. Talk about high praise. It appeared Lape really took that advice to heart, because he seemed to come out of his shell during the battle itself.
Following the performance, coach Camila Cabello was up first with feedback. She noted that she was shocked Lape was only 15, the same age she was when she first took part in a competition series. She joked that she "so would have had a crush on you [Lape]." She noted that for her, it was Brayden who was the winner because of his incredible tone and his young age, though she did admit that she was surprised she hadn't initially turned for Weag because he had such a great voice.
Coach Gwen Stefani complimented Weag on his incredible singing skills but felt that his stage presence was a bit too much. As for Lape, she loved his voice and said, "Can't wait to see what happens in the next few years because there's just so much growing to do."
"Not literally," joked Cabello, referencing Lape's towering height of 6 feet 4 inches.
Coach John Legend wrapped up the feedback, also telling Weag he seemed forced at times, which took away from the beauty of his voice. And although Lape had some developing to do as a singer, Legend said, his tone was "interesting and cool."
Ultimately, Shelton agreed with the other coaches and declared Lape the winner of the battle. It will be interesting to see who he's paired with as he moves into the knockout round.
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