To close out the Blind Auditions of The Voice Season 30, coaches Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green, Queen Latifah, and Adam Levine saw 10 more artists with only seven overall spots left on their teams. At stake was their final chance to find the next Voice champion and to build a well-rounded team to take into the Battle Round.
By the end of the night, all four coaches filled their teams to the brim with the country’s best yet-to-be-discovered vocal talents covering a wide range of genres. Queen describes her team as unique artists that have “flavor for days.” Kelly also thinks she has “a little bit of everything” on her team and considers them “the team to beat.” Adam sees each member of his team as someone that “made [him] feel something special” in their audition and believes the winner is once again among them. Riley was the last to fill his team and looks forward to getting to know the artists and having the chance to coach them.
Once all the teams were full, the Battle Round got to an early start with Team Riley’s Brandy Neelly and the duo Ferryn & Brinkley meeting their guest mentor Carly Pearce during rehearsal of their chosen song “Mama’s Broken Heart” by Miranda Lambert. Carly liked the “quirky, weird” song for them and thinks they made it their own, but asked Brandy to “give ’em less” at points because the point is “building your crazy.” After their performance, the coaches found value in the “blood harmony” of the sibling singers and thought Brandy was “literally outnumbered” among the three of them. In his decision to name Ferryn & Brinkley the winners, Riley picked the “advantage” of the duo because they’re the only one on the show.
Read on for our recap of the 10 final blind audition performances from The Voice “The Blind Auditions, Part 6,” which aired Oct. 6 on NBC.
Lillie Kolich
Age: 25
Hometown: Albuquerque, N.M.
Song: “back to friends”
Chair turns: Riley, Kelly, Adam, Queen
Coaches’ comments: Riley kicked off the fight for Lillie by offering to “fix” that she’s never performed at his bar in Nashville before. He continued to pitch that he knows what it’s like to make it there and can help her “tell that story.” Not to be outdone, Kelly suggested that they cover the song again together at Riley’s bar; she liked the choices she made in adapting the song to make it her own. Adam said that the “coolest” thing about her voice is that it’s soft, but she brought out different layers to it. Queen pointed out that she turned because Lillie was able to make something of her own out of a current hit record and believes that’s why she could win the show.
Result: Team Queen
Brendan Coulter
Age: 27
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Song: “Liar”
Chair turns: Riley, Kelly
Coaches’ comments: Brendan made his return to the show after barely missing the chance to audition when teams filled up on Season 25. Originally planning to choose Kelly no matter what, Brendan was thrown by the opportunity to choose Riley instead. Riley likes his range and that he can appeal to both country and pop ears. Kelly noted that she was won over by his take on the song because it made her want to cover it. Brendan was swayed by Riley’s emphasis on versatility.
Result: Team Riley
Zalissa
Age: 26
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Song: “Sweet Thing”
Chair turns: None
Coaches’ comments: Kelly said she has a “badass voice” and she loved her runs, but thought she didn’t choose a song that gave her enough space to stand out.
Result: No team
Kavi Nyx
Age: 17
Hometown: Atlanta
Song: “Wildflower”
Chair turns: Kelly, Adam, Riley
Coaches’ comments: Kelly pointed out the “really cool” things that she did in the song, but thinks she needs to “rein it in with voice control.” Adam liked that she brought in a variety of scales in a bold way, to which Kavi replied that she brought notes in from Indian classical music, and wanted to “champion that” as her coach. Riley added that it was “the most personality” that he’s heard from an artist so far.
Result: Team Kelly
Isabella Juliet
Age: 17
Hometown: Gilbert, Ariz.
Song: “Things a Man Oughta Know”
Chair turns: None
Coaches’ comments: Riley liked the song choice (and has even liked a few of her videos on social media), but did not turn his chair. Adam said that he noticed her nerves in the performance and that’s what kept him from turning. Before letting her leave the stage, Riley stepped up to record a video of them singing together so that she could post it to her socials.
Result: No team
Evan James
Age: 22
Hometown: Highland, Mich.
Song: “Wasted on You”
Chair turns: Kelly, Riley, Adam
Coaches’ comments: Kelly acknowledged that he added “a little R&B flavor” in a country song, which made it his own style. Riley thought he started out slow in the song, but was impressed that he “cranked it up” in a “short period of time.” Once again, Adam pitched that if he joined his team he’d be in his only lane whereas the other coaches have other country artists he’d compete with.
Result: Team Adam
Lance Tenazas
Age: 22
Hometown: Mission Viejo, Calif.
Song: “Risk It All”
Chair turns: Kelly, Riley
Coaches’ comments: Kelly “loved the urgency” in his voice and told him it’s like he has “two sets of lung” because of the breath work. Aside from making the song his own, Riley appreciated that he has the “invaluable” quality of a recognizable voice and tone.
Result: Team Kelly
Bela Pierce
Age: 29
Hometown: Lakeland, Fla.
Song: “Just a Girl”
Chair turns: None
Coaches’ comments: Adam thought she started off “really good,” but she didn’t nail every long note and that was too noticeable for him to turn. Riley wants her to find a song that is more broad and unique for her voice.
Result: No team
Wade Turner
Age: 18
Hometown: Georgetown, Mass.
Song: “This Town”
Chair turns: Riley, Adam
Coaches’ comments: Queen said she would have turned if she could have and Kelly told him that he deserved a four-chair turn. Riley found a unique direction in his vocal and said that there’s “nobody like you” on his team. Adam thought he brought the whole audience into his performance and “did a really great job.”
Result: Team Adam
Brayden Howell
Age: 19
Hometown: Marshville, N.C.
Song: “Friends in Low Places”
Chair turns: Riley
Coaches’ comments: Kelly thought he did a good job with “a tall order” of covering Garth Brooks and Queen agreed that it was the right song choice. Riley was happy to bring him over to his team because he turned the room into a honky-tonk bar.
Result: Team Riley
The complete teams:
TEAM KELLY: Anna McElroy, Brianna Cameron, Brooklyn Marie, Hazel Gerson, Johnnie Kapua, Kavi Nyx, Koumba Diallo, Kyle Davis, Lance Tenazas, Matthew Chiu, Nina Howland, Saade
TEAM RILEY: Allie Rae, Brandy Neelly, Brayden Howell, Brendan Coulter, Cade Mower, Caroline Alexis, Everett Bounds, Ferryn & Brinkley, Harmony McKee, Joe Henley, Keiyana Osmond, Kenna Elpers
TEAM QUEEN: Alt Bloom, BigCountry, Brandon Diaz, Bryan Jaymes, Chari, Kayleigh Mathews, Lillie Kolich, Luke Cope, Marcus Ladden Jr., Mia Knight, Morgan Lett, Sophia Liano
TEAM ADAM: Amanda Mikkel, Cal Cook, Connor Closs, Dakota Cohen, Destinee Monroe, Evan James, Julia Clark, Lexi Stephens, Luke Curran, Marilyn Hucek, Owen Uffens, Wade Turner
