The Voice coaches have shifted their focus from building their teams to narrowing them down in the Battle Rounds. Though the duets are harmonious on the surface, only one will see the next stage of the competition – unless gifted the newly established “playoff pass” which is like a “save,” sending the artist straight to the live shows.
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For Chance the Rapper’s battle round on Monday night (April 3), he pitted four-chair turn NariYella against one-chair turn Chloe Abbott. Despite the unbalanced pairing, both artists held their own on Snoh Aalegra’s “I Want You Around.”
As usual with the battle rounds, both artists were given lines of the verses to take on solo before showcasing their ability to harmonize during the chorus. As the coaches noted after the performance, Abbott’s strength lies in her sprawling range while NariYella’s tone cut straight through the room.
“That was one of my favorite battles,” Kelly Clarkson said after the performance. “Chloe your range is phenomenal. It’s a little Erykah Badu. It’s like a different way of storytelling. Then, NariYella, your tone is so smooth and it has got the perfect amount of grit to it. But, I was leaning towards NariYella.”
Blake Shelton reiterated Clarkson’s thoughts. “This one is a little bit tougher for me because it’s so far out of my lane,” he admitted. “I’m just kind of basing it off of feel though and I think NariYella, it felt like she had that song by the throat the whole time.”
Niall Horan then added that watching Abbott was like “watching a full-time pop star” while NariYella’s vocal control was unmatched. “There’s no stopping for a gasp of air, it’s just a continuous storyline,” he said.
Then it came time for Chance to make his decision. He started by giving both singers their dues: “You guys are both amazing artists in your own right and, well past this show, you guys are gonna have a lot of success.”
In the end, Chance chose NariYella as the winner. Check out the battle round below.
Photo by Trae Patton/NBC
