The Voice coaches saw a blind audition on Monday night that enthused them and even caused a couple of them to regret their decisions. When contestant Laura Littleton took to the stage to perform Harry Styles' 2017 mega-hit, "Sign of the Times," facets of her performance appealed to multiple coaches.
She performed a song from the pop genre, which piqued the interest of Niall Horan, but her unique voice features a bit of a delicate country quality, which undoubtedly appealed to Blake Shelton. Kelly Clarkson was simply over the moon by the whole performance, and when she, Horan and Shelton turned their chairs almost instantaneously, she decided to block Shelton from the chance of having Littleton on his team. This was a move that Shelton immediately protested.
"That is bull crap! I hit my button before you," Shelton exclaimed.
After the performance, Littleton introduced herself to the judges as a singer from Dickson, Tenn. Although Clarkson was initially happy with her choice to block Shelton, she soon admitted that it would have been a better strategy to block Horan.
"I couldn't tell if it was a country person doing a twist on it. I couldn't tell," she said. "And she's from Tennessee. I probably should've blocked Niall."
Shelton told Littleton he wished the singer could join his team, and Littleton shared her respect for Shelton and his time on The Voice.
"What you've created here, I am so honored that I get to be here for your step away," she said. "Getting to be a part of this process, from the very start to the very end right now, whether someone gets a chair turn or not, you walk away from this a better person, more confident, so I am so thankful."
Littleton's kind words to Shelton made Clarkson regret her decision to block Shelton even more, as she said, "Now I feel horrible."
"I feel really horrible stealing that chance!" she told the contestant.
Clarkson was still fighting hard to have Littleton on her team, however, and she complimented the singer's voice, describing her style as "Dolly meets Florence and the Machine." Horan also praised her talent and the "natural shakes" in her voice, and he said he sees a lot of potential for songs she could sing throughout the competition. The former One Direction band member also slightly boasted that he happens to know the original singer of the song, fellow former band member Styles.
As it turns out, Clarkson wasn't the only coach who regretted her decision. When Chance the Rapper addressed Littleton, he shared that the "totally" regretted not turning his chair. Once Littleton complimented the way Chance approaches his career and family life, the singer's regret got even worse, and he asked for a hug from Littleton.
In the end, Littleton could only choose one coach, and that person was Horan.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
