The blind auditions are over, which means the battle rounds have officially begun on Season 29 of The Voice. Coaches Adam Levine, John Legend, and Kelly Clarkson all entered the battles with 10 artists on their teams.
For this round of competition, the coaches paired up their singers in head-to-head duets, and they could only choose one from each pairing to move forward. However, every coach was also equipped with a steal, allowing them to nab an artist that another coach had eliminated in the Battles. Thanks to the triple turn competition, Clarkson had the super steal in her arsenal, which meant that her steal would trump any others used on that contestant or she could actually save an artist from her own team.
For the Battles, Team Kelly was advised by Jennifer Hudson, while Benji Madden served as Team Adam’s advisor and Muni Long sat in for Team Legend. Scroll down for a recap of the first night of performances and to see where the teams stand after the Battles so far.
Liv Ciara vs. Mikenley Brown — Team Kelly
Clarkson chose “Focus” by H.E.R. for her first Battle pairing of Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown. Neither of the girls knew the song at first, but they put in the work to prepare their performance. Since Clarkson had to miss rehearsals following the death of ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, Hudson pulled double duty as coach and advisor for the contestants.
All three coaches gave Liv and Mikenley a standing ovation, and Clarkson could not hide her excitement. Legend called the harmonies “silky smooth” before praising Liv’s “super impressive” range and Mikenley’s “sultry” tone. He chose Liv as the winner because of the “flexibility” her range will give her.
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“You guys were so good at playing off each other,” Levine pointed out. “If I’m your coach, that is a dream.” He also said Liv and Mikenley’s Battle was the “best” he’d ever heard in all of his years on the show.
“I think you both nailed [the individuality] today. It was the most respectful choices that both of you made equally. You elevated each other instead of competing,” Clarkson added. “This is going to be really hard. I am really bummed about having to pick one of you over the other right now.”
After some hemming and hawing, Clarkson chose Mikenley as the winner of the Battle. However, Legend and Levine immediately hit their buttons to steal Liv. “I was the only one that recommended that Kelly pick you,” Legend pointed out, while Levine said, “I noticed only two chairs turned around for Liv [in the Blind Auditions].”
The guys argued back and forth for a minute, but Clarkson then swooped in with her Super Steal and overrode them both, keeping Liv on her team.
Bay Simpson vs. Hunter Jordan — Team Adam
Levine paired up Bay Simpson and Hunter Jordan for the Battle Rounds, and they were tasked with singing “I’m the Problem” by Morgan Wallen. Going into the battle, Levine was leaning in one direction, but admitted that could always change after seeing the performance.
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“Adam came to me and Kelly before and he was like, ‘I’m really going to need some help on this one,’ and I get it now,” Legend admitted. “This is actually a dilemma. Hunter’s voice is so strong and has so much presence, and there’s a nice shred to it. I’m like, ‘How’s Bay going to complete with that?’ But then Bay comes on, and your voice is a little weird in a very cool way.”
Clarkson described Bay’s voice as “sexy and intimate and rock and roll,” adding, “Hunter, I knew I was going to love you. You have one of those big voices. Those big country festivals, big arenas, your voice will pierce through. You are a sure thing, in my opinion. Bay, you are the surprise for me. I love your voice. I could see you performing in front of huge crowds, too, but I see your voice being able to silence them.”
She called both guys “superstars,” but admittedly would lean towards Hunter, while Legend said he would lean towards choosing Bay. In the end, the decision came down to Levine. Although he thought he would end up picking Hunter, a triple turn, he went with his one-chair turn, Bay, who “surprised” him.
AJ Robinson vs. Lucas West — Team Legend
For the first Battle Round from Team Legend, AJ Robinson and Lucas West teamed up to sing “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes, which their coach felt was a good song choice for their country and pop/soul backgrounds, respectively.
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“AJ, I can’t escape how utterly cute you are,” Clarkson gushed. “You’re so cute in that little cowboy hat. I want to put you in my pocket. Your voice, it’s enormous! For 14 years old?! Lucas, you got me with that falsetto number. It was so good. But, AJ, you are just so freakin’ cute. He’s 14, and he’s got a belt buckle almost as big as his head. I could not take my eyes off the little howdy doody.”
Levine poked fun at how much Clarkson was raving over AJ’s cuteness, then gave his two cents. “AJ, you are great. I know you’re 14 and there’s a lot that can happen with nerves. I think as the years go by, it’s going to be a really cool thing to watch you grow,” he said. “Lucas, you have a really soulful voice, man. I’m really a fan of what you do. I would say at this moment in time, Lucas is there, he’s ready. But you both did really, really great.”
Legend told AJ that his voice is “lovely to listen to” and said he has a “perfect” tone. He also praised Lucas’ falsetto moment and said his voice is “cool to watch and listen to.” In the end, Legend broke Clarkson’s heart by keeping Lucas and eliminating AJ.
Jaali Boyd vs. Bijou Belle — Team Adam
The next Team Adam pairing, Jaali Boyd and Bijou Belle, whom he described as his “two wildcards,” sang “Die for You” by The Weeknd.
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Legend praised Bijou’s “connection” to the song and said he was “impressed” by Jaali for how “in control” she was during the performance. Levine told his team members that he was “really proud” of them for the “believability” they brought to the performance.
In the end, Jaali was selected as the winner and will stay on Team Adam as the competition continues.
Blaire Elbert vs. JW Griffin — Team Kelly
It was a country music Battle between Blaire Elbert and JW Griffin, who sang “Never Again, Again” by Lee Ann Womack.
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“Blaire, I did not turn for you, and that surprises me,” Levine admitted. “Shame on me. Because you are great. You’ve got real power in your voice, and I didn’t really hear it until now. You were wonderful today. The only problem, Blaire, is you went up against my guy JW.” Levine said JW has one of his “favorite” voices.
Legend agreed and noted that JW is “a very special vocalist.” Clarkson praised Blaire for how well she sang a Womack track with her “classic country sound,” but ultimately, JW was chosen as the winner.
Adi Arora vs. Grace Humphries — Team Legend
Adi Arora and Grace Humphries from Legend’s team sang a stripped-down and moving version of Pink and Nate Ruess’ “Just Give Me a Reason.”
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Levine and Clarkson did not offer any input for Legend about who he should pick. The singer addressed Adi first, telling him, “It’s always so impressive when guys have that kind of range and you really do have a beautiful voice. It sounds effortless.”
To Grace, he added, “Grace, this was a revelation. We saw power, and you were so compelling on stage. It felt like you belonged up there.” Grace was chosen as the winner of the Battle.
Moses G. vs. Alexia Jayy
Levine’s final battle of the night was between his powerhouse R&B vocalists Moses G. and Alexia Jayy. They sang “Nightshift” by Commodores, which has never been performed on the show before.
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All three coaches sang Alexia and Moses’ praises. Legend was up first. “Alexia, your low part of your voice is so beautiful. That rasp in your voice,” he gushed. “You’re such a soulful, beautiful vocalist. I’m still very upset you’re not on my team. Then, Moses, I felt like that was a revelation from you today. Your voice has a vibe and an energy to it, and I felt like your stage presence was very contagious. You looked like a star up there.”
Clarkson was admittedly “surprised” by how much she loved Moses. “This was by far my favorite performance of yours,” she said. However, she revealed she would’ve chosen Alexia as the winner and couldn’t stop raving over “that ache in [her] voice,” which she described as “a beautiful mix of singing, but preaching and talking.”
Levine knew it was going to be a tough decision. He praised Moses’ vibes, as well as his voice, and told Alexia that when he listens to her sing it makes him want to cry. “It’s beautiful what you do,” Levine added. “It’s so elevated and nuanced and different, but also rooted in something we all know and feel.”
Alexia was chosen as the winner of the Battle, but Legend pressed his Steal button to nab Moses and keep him in the competition.
Here’s where the teams stand after the Battle Rounds so far:
Team Kelly
Mikenley Brown
Liv Ciara (Super Steal)
JW Griffin
Team Legend
Lucas West
Grace Humphries
Moses G. (Steal)
Team Adam
Bay Simpson
Jaali Boyd
Alexia Jayy
The Voice, Season 29, Mondays, 9/8c, NBC
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