
Kayleigh Mathews blew everyone away on The Voice. During the latest round of Blind Auditions, the Grand Ole Opry tour guide absolutely commanded the stage with a performance of Vince Gill’s “When I Call Your Name.”
Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green, Queen Latifah, and Adam Levine all turned their chairs for the 31-year-old singer, in a bid to get her on their team.
“I am going to fight as hard as I have ever fought for you right now. While I know I should temper my expectations, and I know you might be thinking, ‘He’s Riley,’ as huge as he is in his world, a world you want to be a part of, this show, this is more my world,” a passionate Levine told Mathews. “There’s a whole other set of important strategic moves you’re going to have to make moving forward. The way that you fill the room with that voice, you are such a magnificent talent. I would be honored to be your coach.”
The Voice Coaches Praise Kayleigh Mathews
Knowing she wasn’t an obvious choice for Mathews, Queen Latifah told the contestant, “Why did I turn this chair? Because you deserve to have four chairs turn for you! That was absolutely gorgeous. You took me to church. It became a spiritual moment for me. The more you sang, the more I felt. That I can translate, and help you find songs that will bring out that beauty in your voice.”
Next, Green gushed that he “loved every bit” of Mathews’ performance.
“It was so great. To take on Vince Gill, who’s one of the greatest vocalists in country music, those are big shoes to fill, and you really did it,” he said. “It was awesome. That’s so what I grew up listening to. The vibe of it took me back to growing up in Alabama. Literally, I closed eyes and I was back home. I’m a long way from home, so thank you for that on top of everything. I’d love to work with you. I think we could do something great.”
Last up, Clarkson told the singer that she’s already “a fan,” before comparing her voice to the likes of Patty Loveless and LeAnn Rimes.
“You have a musical baby of several female singers that I love,” Clarkson said. “I was lucky enough—I’m gonna mention it because I’m trying hard—I sang a duet with Vince Gill.”
Clarkson went on to tell the contestant, “I come back because of voices like yours. I like to be moved.”
Riley Green and Adam Levine Go to Great Lengths to Win Over Kayleigh Mathews on The Voice
Levine tried to pipe back up, but Green decided to put a stop to that. The country star instructed producers to bring out a duck blind to cover Levine’s chair.
“You really think resorting to this kind of thing is classy?” Levine questioned, as he walked out in front of his chair. He went on to try to woo Mathews to his team, by noting that she’d be the only country artist on Team Adam, which is very much not the case over on Team Riley.
Green returned the focus to his duck blind, getting out of his chair and pointing as he said, “This shows how much I want you on my team. During the break, Adam was peeing and I built this.”
Levine responded by sitting in Green’s chair, and telling Mathews, “We love you. I love you the most. I think we’re both not in this anymore. Riley, I think we’ve destroyed our chances.”
Levine turned out to be right, and Mathews shocked everyone with her coach pick.
“I’ve got to go with my heart and my gut and what I know, and I would love the opportunity to to work with Queen Latifah,” the contestant said, prompting the entertainer to drop her jaw in shock.
“I’m excited to work with country. I love country music,” Queen Latifah told the cameras after her surprising victory. “She’s beyond country. Country is also soul, rhythm, blues. Who knows where she wants to fly?”
As for why she made the choice she did, Mathews revealed, “Not only is she an amazing actress as well as musician, I can tell genuinely she’s an amazing human being. I’m sorry I was not going to choose one of the boys.”
The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.
Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC
The post Grand Ole Opry Tour Guide’s Vince Gill Cover Earns a Four-Chair Turn on ‘The Voice’—And the Coaches Turn to Their Craziest Antics Yet to Win Her Over appeared first on American Songwriter.
Author: Paige Gawley
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