As the teams are filling up for Season 23 of The Voice, the coaches – Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper – are becoming more precious with their chair turns. Nevertheless, Atlanta native Cait Martin got all four to turn around when she delivered a powerful rendition of Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Martin showcased a unique control in her voice during the audition, bending around notes with ease. Clarkson turned around almost instantaneously, after hearing the slowed rendition of Styles’ No. 1 hit. Horan followed soon after, then Shelton, followed by Chance who became the final coach to turn.
As soon as the song ended, Martin’s mom, who was standing just off the stage, started throwing in her two cents as to which team her daughter should pick – “Kelly! Kelly!”
“You know what they say,” Clarkson told Martin after hearing her mom’s chant. “You should always listen to your parents! That’s the better path. That’s the one God tells us.”
The first American Idol continued her bid for Martin. “I literally turned around instantaneously,” Clarkson said. “I could tell in your voice and how much control you had in the beginning. That beautiful vibrato is so crystal clear. And then I knew you were going to go big and powerful, but I didn’t know how big your range was.
“That was high and you did it so effortlessly! I feel like I would be such a great coach for you,” she added. “I literally believed in you lightyears before these guys turned around. I don’t know what took them so long.”
Shelton then got to fight for Martin to join his team, pulling out the “last season ever” card.
“I don’t know if you realize this or not, but this is my last season to be a coach on this show,” he said. “I would love to go out with a win on this thing. I think I can dig down deep and somehow find the energy and passion one more time to win The Voice! It would be awesome if you would be on the last Team Blake.”
Horan (who nabbed another contestant who sang a Styles song last week on the show) took a complementary approach to sway Martin to his side.
“I was blown away,” he told her. “The minute I heard the riff on the piano, I knew you were going to, obviously, do something different to the song. I can tell you like storyteller-type music, and that’s what I do for a living, tell stories about my personal life. You just kept so much control in the highest parts and had so many dynamic and beautiful moments in the song. I would love you to be a member of Team Niall Season 23. I beg you!”
The oh-so-cool under pressure Chance was the last to vie for Martin.
“I was not the first person to turn around, but that doesn’t mean that I love you any less,” he said. “I think the texture or the tone of your voice is a little reminiscent–especially when you’re doing the lower tones–of Whitney [Houston]. In terms of tone, you’re going there. You have a lot of room to grow, and I would love to coach you. If you want to win, you should ride with me.”
In the end, Martin took her mother’s advice and went with Team Kelly. Check out the powerful audition, below.
Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC
