Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown just did Kelly Clarkson proud. On the latest episode of The Voice, the Battle Round kicked off, and the two teenagers from Team Kelly were up first.
Videos by American Songwriter
For the Battle, Clarkson assigned the girls H.E.R.’s song, “Focus.” The coach herself was unable to attend rehearsals, so she tapped Jennifer Hudson to pull double duty as an advisor and coach.
During rehearsals, Hudson praised Brown’s pop sound and R&B power. As for Ciara, Hudson called the 16-year-old “a star.” She encouraged the girls to find their individual moments to shine in the song, and sent them off on their way.
When it came time to take the stage, both Brown and Ciara delivered.
Afterwards, John Legend praised Ciara’s “impressive range” and Brown’s “sultry tone,” but said he’d select the former teenager.
Adam Levine, meanwhile, complimented the girls for how well they played off each other, before delivering a truly shocking statement.
“In the million seasons I’ve been on this show, that’s the best Battle Round I’ve ever heard,” the Maroon 5 frontman said. “I’m not kidding.”
As for what their coach thought, Clarkson said that the performance worked so well because the girls’ choices elevated each other instead of competing with each other.
Kelly Clarkson Uses Her Super Steal on The Voice
While Clarkson said she was “really bummed” she had to make a decision, she wound up selecting Brown as the winner of the Battle. It’s a choice she made based on Brown’s impressive lower register and “angelic head voice.”
Neither Legend nor Levine was content with letting Ciara go home, though. Both coaches pressed their buttons to use their one and only Steal on the teen.
After the men went back-and-forth about why Ciara should choose them, Clarkson put an end to the bickering. She pressed her own button to use her Super Steal, which trumped both guys’ efforts to woo Ciara over to their teams.
Clarkson won the power by coming out victorious in the Triple Turn Competition during the Blind Auditions. The Super Steal awarded Clarkson the power to steal any artist from another team or save one of her own team members during the Battle Round.
Clarkson is lucky she had that power in her back pocket, because she decided to deploy it to keep Ciara on her team.
“I had to use my Super Steal on Liv. Liv reminds me of a young Mariah,” Clarkson told the cameras. “… At 16 years old to be able to float like that with all that range and confidence as a performer, it’s really rare. I was never letting her go.”
As for how Ciara felt about the whole thing, she stated, “I can’t believe it. I’m numb. She sees something in me and that gives me so much confidence.”
The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.
Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC
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