The 1D stans are being fed.
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During the latest round of blind auditions on The Voice Monday (March 13), Tennessee native Laura Littleton vied for the ultimate prize with a rendition of Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times.” Given her country twang, coach Kelly Clarkson almost instinctively “blocked” Blake Shelton before realizing the connection between Littleton’s song choice and new coach Niall Horan.
Clarkson thought Littleton was a shoo-in for her team after successfully knocking Shelton out of the mix but, Horan also turned around for the singer. As soon as Littleton finished her performance, Clarkson realized the mistake she made: “I should’ve blocked Niall.”
Before the fight between Clarkson and Horan could commence though, Littleton extended praise to Shelton for the legacy he is leaving with the show. “What you’ve created here…I am so honored that I get to be here for your step away.”
For her pitch to Littleton, Clarkson layered the praise on thick comparing her sound to a mix of “Dolly Parton and Florence and the Machine.” Clarkson went on to say that she would love to work with her but, knows Horan has “a connection to the original singer” (given that Horan and Styles made up two-fifths of One Direction).
Horan played it cool for the most part before adding in a quiet, but excited, “I know him!” Kelly very quickly made peace with her loss saying, “I’m not even going to fight it.”
Horan commended Littleton for her “great” song choice.
“When [‘Sign of the Times’] came out, it wasn’t, like, an obvious pop song, ” Hotan told Littleton, adding that the song was “a bit off to the left.” Horan explained he saw Littleton moving in that direction as an artist.
In the end, Littleton decided to join the inaugural Team Niall, much to Clarkson’s chagrin. “You’re welcome, Niall,” she said.
Check out Littleton’s audition, below.
Photo by Casey Durkin/ABC
