Last night, November 7, was the second night of Knockouts on The Voice. The competition heated up when Team Niall contestants Nini Iris, Olivia Minogue, and AZÁN took the stage to fight for their place in the competition.
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All three singers brought their A-game to the Knockouts and made their coach proud. However, only one could earn a chance to move forward and take a shot at the grand prize. Last night was Iris’ night.
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Iris chose to sing “Karma Police” by Radiohead. The English band originally released the song as the second single from their 1997 album OK Computer. According to a comment on The Voice’s social media post, Radiohead is Iris’ favorite band. In her performance, she walked the line between paying homage to the band and making the song her own.
The coaches had plenty of praise for all of the singers. However, most could tell that Iris would be moving forward. “It must be fun to be you and be able to sing like that,” Gwen Stefani told her.
Reba McEntire had a little more to say. “Nini, you started out kind of, ‘I’m here, I’m telling this.’ Your singing was pitch-perfect, and then you got really big. You left room to grow and I loved that,” the country legend said. She added, “I’m so glad I get to be part of the audience.”
“Nini, when you hit those high notes, there’s this openness and roundness to your voice that is stunning,” John Legend told her.
No matter how much praise the other coaches heaped on Iris’ shoulders, Horan had the final say. As usual, it was not an easy choice for the Irish coach. By the end of the Knockout round, Horan told his team members he was holding onto his podium to keep from visibly shaking.
Then, he praised Iris on how well she does on tension-filled songs and her high notes. “Most people, when they go for the big note, they tighten up,” he said. “Yours seem to get broader as you go up the scales, which is nuts,” Horan added.
Once again, Horan had to go with his gut. “I chose Nini as the winner of the Knockout because she’s supernatural. The things she can do with her voice, no one in this competition can do,” he said. Horan added, “I actually think Nini could win this whole thing.”
Photo by Greg Gayne/NBC
