The Blind Auditions
Season 20 of NBC's The Voice has some seriously talented contestants. 25-year old Tuscaloosa, Alabama native Emma Caroline wowed Blake Shelton as well as Kelly Clarkson with her cover of Kacey Musgraves' "Slow Burn." The hit song from Musgraves' billboard topping album Golden Hour was a perfect fit for the young singer's voice who got a quick turn from Shelton followed by Clarkson.
As the judges jumped into feedback, Nick Jonas admitted that "Slow Burn" was one of his favorite songs of the past couple of years but that he didn't turn because he felt a couple of parts were timid. John Legend joked that there was really no point in turning anyways after Blake Shelton, especially since she was a country singer.
"Kacey kind of represents this part of country music, it's a new lane but it's an old lane," explained Clarkson. "I love female country artists, I've won with a female country artist, and I would love for you to be on my team."
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Next up was Shelton to make his sales pitch. He disagreed with Clarkson, saying that Kacey has created an entirely new area of country that has everyone excited. We have to agree. Her incredible skills as a songwriter paired with her unique vocals make her one of a kind. Shelton went on to explain that after singing himself since high school, he loves working with up-and-coming musicians.
"Country music has been my life since I was 14, 15 years old. And now what's exciting for me is to find new young talent. I would be honored to be your coach."
Despite John Legend and Nick Jonas joking that picking Team Blake would be the "predictable" or "obvious" choice, Emma Caroline took the opportunity to study under the country superstar anyway.
The Battle Round
During the battles, Shelton paired Emma up against Cam Anthony with a cover of Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber's "10,000 Hours." Though Cam was technically named the winner, Shelton used a save to keep Emma on his team. He told her she needs to work on her stage presence is so close to being incredible.
The Knockout Round
During the knockouts, Emma was part of the four-way knockout which marks the first time this season where the judges don't get to make the call. She went up against Devan Blake Jones from Team Nick, Carolina Rial from Team Legend, and Savanna Woods from Team Kelly and has to wait for America to vote to keep her place on the show. But her coach seemed very pleased with her performance of Brooks & Dunn's "Neon Moon," even dubbing her the winner of the knockout.
This article was originally published on March 9, 2021. It was updated on April 27, 2021.
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