The first round of The Voice‘s Playoff performances aired Monday night (May 1), but Grace West didn’t come to play.
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The 19-year-old Michigan native took on a country classic, “Love is Alive,” by the mother-daughter duo The Judds. She effortlessly turned the tender duet into a solo performance that captivated the crowd and the coaches – veteran artists Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, and Chance the Rapper – alike. This isn’t the first time the singer has taken on big-voiced country legends, having stunned with a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” during the previous Knockout rounds.
“Love is Alive” was the perfect vehicle for West’s unique vocals to shine. Her sound is traditional, something that did the ’80s tune justice, but is also tinged in pop, setting her apart in the competition. Crowned in a wide-brimmed, armed with an acoustic guitar, and wrapped in her unshakeable confidence, West did Team Blake proud as the last country singer left on his side. Check out her striking performance below.
The other coaches were also wowed by the showcase. At the end of her performance, she had them all singing her praises. “I don’t have any bad things to say about you,” Horan told the young hopeful. “Since day one, I’ve just been a massive fan of you. … You’ve got the most authentic, yet familiar voice that you could possibly hear coming out of country music. I’m all for it.”
Clarkson said she, too, was a fan of the contestant. “You have a very flawless way of singing country music. It’s just in your bones,” she told West, adding that she didn’t love the song choice, but was excited to see what she could do going forward. Chance complimented her technique, saying she had “control and a strong sense of self in your identity.”
“I’ve just been excited,” Shelton chimed in. “I have this very unique young artist that I get to work with on my last season. The fact that you’re the last person I hit my button for, it’s just been really exciting to me. You did another great job today.”
For Monday’s Playoffs, only two of the five artists on Team Blake were selected to move forward, West is one of them alongside fellow hopeful NOIVAS.
Photo by Tyler Golden/NBC
