Monday night's premiere of The Voice (March 6) showcased many talented artists who will compete on the upcoming season. One artist that particularly impressed Blake Shelton on the premiere episode was a British singer named Alex Whalen.
Whalen joined the stage with his acoustic guitar to perform Sammi Smith's 1970 tune, "Help Me Make It Through the Night." He showcased his country flair as well as a rock quality in his voice, hitting the high notes of the tune with ease and making it his own. The coaches listened as he sang, and while they enjoyed what they heard, no one turned around for the majority of the performance. Towards the end though, Shelton decided to turn his chair for the singer and Chance the Rapper followed soon after.
Shelton looked incredibly enthusiastic after turning around for Whalen, and when he noticed Chance also selecting the singer, he yelled, "What are you doing? Stop it! Stop it!" Whalen then introduced himself, revealing he's originally from London but now lives in Florida. Then came the battle for who Whalen would choose as his coach.
Although she didn't turn her chair, Kelly Clarkson complimented Whalen on his voice and campaigned for Chance. Shelton then requested that coach Niall Horan say a few kind words about him, and Horan told Whalen, "That's your man." Shelton then pled his case for Whalen joining his team.
"In all these years, I've never had a chance to work with a country singer from London," Shelton said. "I like it, Alex. I like it a lot.
"And you've braided your beard nicely for television," Shelton continues. "You just look badass. Listen man, I'm going to go ahead and say it: this is my last season as a coach on this show, and I want you on my last team."
Chance also gave praise to the singer, complimenting his vocal range and style. In the end, however, Whalen chose to be on Team Blake.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.
