Original subtitles

♪

Daly: It's night one of the battles.

Give it up for your coaches, Adam Levine,

Queen Latifah, Riley Green, and Kelly Clarkson.

[ Cheers and applause ]

What up, what up?

Coaches, good to see you. Let's chat quickly.

Riley, Queen, it's your first battle rounds.

Welcome to them. Are you nervous, excited?

Both. Yeah.

They're so talented.

To have to say goodbye to anybody is going to be tough.

You're going to be using these battle performances

to decide who moves on to the first ever cut week.

This is the moment, you know what I mean?

You got to get it right now.

This is it. You got to get it.

Luckily, you have four legendary mentors to help you out.

Come over here and meet Miss Patti LaBelle.

Crazy vocals.

This is Ariana DeBose. Give it up.

It's the pop duo I didn't know I needed,

but I'm very excited.

Alex Warren, everybody.

Just have fun and enjoy it and take it all in.

Y'all know Carly Pearce.

He's like, "Let it go." And I'm like, "No."

Yeah, we do whatever she wants to do.

You guys ready to get to it?

Alright. Here we go.

The season 30 battles start right now.

Good luck, coaches.

Oh, my God.

You're coming out here with "ex-Factor"?

I love this song.

I mean... This is a big song.

Here we go, baby.

From Team Queen, who will win this battle?

Good luck. Thank you, brother.

You're like, "Great, 'cause you're about to be eviscerated."

Will it be the 36-year-old from Montana, Alt Bloom?

Or the 27-year-old from Georgia, Morgan Lett?

Yeah!

Go, Queen.

[ Cries ]

Let the battle begin.

♪

I love this song so much.

And he plays.

♪

♪ It could all be so simple ♪

Whoo! Damn.

♪ But you'd rather make it hard ♪

♪ Loving you is like a battle ♪

♪ And we both end up with scars ♪

Yes! ♪ Tell me who I have to be ♪

♪ Who I have to be ♪

♪ To get some re... ♪

♪ Ciprocity ♪

♪ See, no one loves you more than me ♪

♪ And no one ever will ♪ Yes!

♪ See, I know what we've got to do ♪

♪ You let go and I'll let go too ♪

♪ 'Cause no one hurts me more than you ♪

♪ And no one ever will ♪

♪ No matter how I think we grow ♪

♪ You always seem to let me know ♪

♪ It ain't working, it ain't working ♪

♪ It ain't working, and when I try to walk away ♪

♪ You'd hurt yourself to make me stay ♪

Alt: ♪ This is crazy ♪ ♪ This is crazy ♪

♪ This is crazy ♪ ♪ This is crazy ♪

♪ Care for me, care for me ♪

♪ You said you'd care for me ♪

♪ There for me, there for me ♪

♪ Said you'd be there for me ♪

♪ Cry for me, cry for me ♪

♪ You said you'd die for me ♪

♪ Give to me, give to me ♪

♪ Why won't you live for me? ♪

♪ Care ♪

♪ There ♪

What?! ♪ Cry, give ♪

♪ Care ♪

♪ There ♪

♪ Cry ♪

♪ Give ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Queen: Let's go! That crew is amazing.

Whoo! What?!

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

[ Cheers and applause ]

I'm so happy. Ohh!

You wanted to know. Now you know.

How-- Who are you gonna pick?

I'm not gonna pick. I'm not gonna pick.

How do I get out of here?

Y'all just crushed Lauryn Hill on national television.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you. Yes. Oh, my God.

I'm gonna be honest with you. I was worried for you.

[ Laughter ]

People should generally not cover Lauryn Hill.

Pa-pow! That was so good.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Kelly.

Dang. Your team is incredible.

[ Cheers and applause ]

It's going to be extremely difficult to top

how fun that was for everybody.

Morgan, there's notes I didn't know existed

that you hit just now.

You know, and-- and your high register is awesome.

I don't know how you pick one of these.

I guess, uh,

if you have a coin in your pocket,

maybe you could go that route.

[ Laughter ] Oh, yeah, a coin.

Wow. That might be a good idea, because--

Maybe-- Maybe if I had to just--

Maybe-- Maybe Morgan. Come on, help a sister out.

You just had so much energy the whole performance.

So that was great, both of y'all.

I really enjoyed it.

Thank you, Riley.

Y'all, wow. That was--

I know I look like an idiot,

but that's what you did to me, so that's your fault.

Morgan, I think that is a proud moment Yay!

when someone does your song not only justice,

but, like, honors it in such a beautiful way.

It was so-- Ohh.

Thank you, Kelly.

And Whitefish, Montana.

[ Laughter ]

There were times when I was almost like,

"Man, this might be how, like, Adam would sound on this song."

Like he-- you know, leaning into the soulfulness

and that falsetto and all that. Honored. Honored.

I'm telling you what, Alt, you were the surprise for me.

Like, I just didn't expect it.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

I'm leaning a little toward you

just because that was such a tall order

and Alt stood out a tiny bit for me.

Thank you, Kelly. Thank you.

You guys both surprised me so much.

I feel like Morgan, you sang the s... out of that.

You can't do the song more justice than you did it.

You really killed it.

Whereas Alt, you stuck out because your range.

Yo, like, I got range.

Like, you got more almost. Like, I was like, "Damn."

It's going to boil down to taste

and which Queen wants to go with.

You both are amazing though.

Daly: Thank you, coaches.

Alright, Queen, you got a tough decision to make.

But just give us some thoughts.

[ Crying ]

Queen, you alright? [ Laughter ]

I'm emotional over here because damn, y'all was so good.

Thank you, Queen. Y'all were so good.

First of all, I think, Morgan,

you're so unique in your choices with notes,

it feels like you lean into

a jazzier version of those choices.

When you go there, it seems like,

"Where is she going? Oh, okay. She knows where she's going."

You don't get lost in it all.

Alt, I asked a lot of you on this record

because with someone who can do so many runs like Morgan can,

you can try to go there,

but you can't go there and get lost.

And you did not get lost in it.

Thank you. You went there and nailed it.

You got even better.

Watching y'all sing together has been so beautiful.

Because, like, this arrangement of this song

is-- no one's ever done this arrangement.

Can I ask a question?

How did-- Somebody ask something.

How did y'all come up with that arrangement?

It started off with me coming in with a guitar

and saying, "I'd love to have a chance to play on a record."

And she said, "You know what, I got you."

And then she started doing some beautiful vocal things.

And I said, "Morgan, I will follow you to the end.

Let's go."

It's so cool. I love you, Alt.

And it has gotten better.

Which means you're so screwed.

I am. Daly: Alright.

Queen, unfortunately, the time has come.

Oh, gosh. I don't even know how to make this decision.

Who is the winner of this battle?

Wow, this is the toughest decision of my life.

I mean, you're both winners to me.

You're both in my top.

So...

[ exhales shakily ]

Wow, this is wild.

This is wild. Um, okay.

The winner of this battle...

is Alt Bloom.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Daly: Alt Bloom is moving on to cut week

for Queen Latifah.

Alt by a nose. Alt by a nose.

I'm talking about by a hair.

A hair. I know.

She's incredible.

There's nothing that Alt can't do.

And so I can't wait to see what we're gonna do together.

Coaches, let me remind you Morgan is available to steal.

Morgan, anything you want to say to your coach?

It has been an honor to work with you.

I'm gonna keep going because music is my life.

Of course you are.

Give it up for Morgan Lett, everybody.

Morgan did a flawless job. I loved where she went.

I didn't steal Morgan, but I was fighting it the whole time

'cause I didn't know if I should.

But I do feel like I have a few women on my team

that specifically could kind of conquer what Morgan conquers.

She was real good. This is depressing.

I mean, listen, if you hadn't chosen Alt I was gonna--

I would have too. I would have gone in

because I don't have anyone like him.

He's super cool. I like him a lot.

This is heartbreaking, y'all.

Y'all don't understand.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

I just want to say thank you very much for having me.

This is insane. It's a pleasure to have you, man.

Adam: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you

vocal powerhouse Alex Warren.

Hey.

Yep. Yep. Let's go. Clap it up. Alex Warren.

[ Laughs ]

♪ How do I drive from the passenger side? ♪

Weirdly nervous. Don't be.

I kind of-- Like, I want to make sure that I crush it.

He's a real singer.

Like, I sing in a band. You know what I mean?

But he's like a real-- You're like a real singer.

I try my best to be a real singer.

You're a vocalist. You sing.

I try. I try.

Welcome to the Octagon.

This is actually crazy.

Alex: I grew up watching the show.

This was a pivotal part in my childhood.

And the fact that I'm able to do that for many artists,

I-- That's full circle.

That's awesome. I feel flattered and old.

No, I feel old. I didn't mean that.

No, but I didn't mean that and now it came off that way.

I feel seasoned. I don't feel old.

Some nice guitars to just be sitting here, dude.

I hear they give you one after you win your battle.

Cal and Connor, they both had really good blind auditions.

They're not similar,

but, like, I feel like maybe they're cut from similar cloth.

- Hey. - Oh, my gosh.

How are you guys?

That's insane.

Walking into rehearsal today and seeing Alex Warren,

I freaked out when I saw him.

He's blowing up in the industry right now,

but he's only two years older than me,

so he's kind of living every

young musician's dream right now.

You guys are tall as heck.

I'm wearing platforms.

- Oh, okay. - Cheater.

Well, I guess I kind of am, too, then.

Cal: Adam and Alex, I thought maybe

they were wax figures or something.

It just doesn't feel real because they're so close to us.

So I was explaining my reasoning here

behind pairing you guys together.

You're not really similar,

but I do feel like you can hang in the same space.

And I think with these kind of battles,

it's the hardest thing to do on the planet Earth

is to put people together for the battles.

That's always the hardest part.

- Uh-huh. - For sure.

So I thought this would be a nice, happy medium.

This is definitely going to show off a lot of your voice too.

I think that sombr has this way of kind of like,

you know, the way that he does these songs

especially is very heartfelt.

You almost feel like the yearning

and the crying in a lot of these ones.

And I'm really interested to see how you guys do it as well.

- For sure. - Totally.

♪ I don't wanna talk down on your lover ♪

♪ I don't wanna be a homewrecker ♪

♪ I just know I can be better, be better, be better ♪

Cal and Connor singing "Homewrecker." Yes.

By sombr. Yes.

♪ We talk and talk till dawn ♪

Cal was a one-chair turn, which is crazy.

Yeah. What?

I don't know how. All the other coaches are gonna

realize this time around, like, "Oh, wow. Whoops."

♪ Just one more round of love ♪

♪ Before you go home to another one ♪

Connor is an animal, dude.

He's-- Connor's really, really good.

Those runs were effortless.

♪ I am yours ♪

Nice.

That was sick, dude. Yeah.

I, like, totally-- like, I was not expecting that at all.

But both of you came in with runs and, like,

the accuracy on that pitch is just so impressive.

Like, I'm really shocked by that a lot of times.

And it's not like anyone has any room to breathe in the song.

No, not at all. It's just relentless.

I've always just been one of those guys

who struggled with runs, especially,

and it's just something so, like, pleasing for me to hear.

Yeah. Y'all can sing.

It's so nice when everyone's really good.

It's a singing competition, Adam.

I know, but you guys are really great.

There's really only one thing that I noticed.

There's one harmony--

No more, no more, I'm yours, I'm yours.

I liked it when you sang it more out.

Yes. Your belt. It was way better. Yes.

I wouldn't be in false for that.

I literally wrote "Love your belt. More on that."

If you belt it, it sounds totally different.

Your belt-- That mix is so nice.

It is so pleasing and it sounds very hydrated.

Like, you know, someone you see on TikTok like,

"Wow, that person's hydrated"? We were just talking about that.

Connor: Yeah, we were just talking about that backstage.

Cal's got a lot of great strengths.

He has a very agile voice.

I never sang in front of a single person

that wasn't my family until freshman year of high school.

I joined the chorus and I was just sitting in the back

trying to be as low as possible.

But my chorus teacher, Mrs. Dwyer,

and my girlfriend Sarah kind of pushed me

to step out of my comfort zone.

And I'm so grateful that they did,

because I wouldn't be right here, right now.

It's just such a nice mix of you

have that vocal cry going into it.

You have that dopiness that you added to it,

and I think especially

since you guys are already doing a lot of mixing

and runs and all these things,

when you go to the harm, I want to feel that desperation.

Like, the song, it feels very vulnerable

and you feel that emotion.

And I think with a lot of the times,

you guys are such great singers that I want to feel

that nasal cry that you gave on that note,

or when you go to a harm, belt that.

I want to feel that emotion that you guys are giving

because it's such a-- that song is begging for it.

Cal: Even though this song is about a romantic relationship,

I feel like this song's kind of about comparing yourself

to somebody else.

When I was growing up,

there was a pressure to compete on a really high level.

Be a doctor, be a lawyer.

And about six months before graduating from my undergrad,

there was just something that clicked in my mind.

That's when I started pursuing music.

It's been super inspiring being here at "The Voice,"

because it just gives me

that validation to pursue my dream even farther.

You don't need to remind yourself to sing better.

You sound awesome.

Just remember, like, "Am I having fun?

Do I look like I'm having fun? Am I enjoying this?"

This is an experience. Take it all in.

I'm on tour right now, and every single night I go out

and it's an arena full of people,

and it's so easy to kind of be like,

"Oh, this is my 100th show, my 200th show."

But like, how often do people get to do this as a job?

And then we get to my position

where you now you're going to play those same arenas

50 million years later and you're like,

"Man, they're still here.

Yeah, dude. My gosh. This is the coolest thing in the world."

Or it could just all go downhill from here.

[ Laughter ]

Let's go, let's go, dude.

I'm trying my best here. That's a great pep talk.

Alex: This is gonna be a horribly tough decision for Adam.

I do not envy your position.

I'm very happy I'm going to be

halfway across the country when this happens.

Yeah, man, you guys sound freaking... hydrated.

[ Laughter ]

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Let's go, dude.

Let's go.

This battle begins right now.

♪

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ You hit like a drunk cigarette ♪

♪ The feelin' amplified ♪

♪ By sayin' things we never meant, oh, yeah ♪

♪ You leave me filled with regret ♪

♪ At the end of the night ♪

♪ I always find myself wonderin' why, oh, yeah ♪

♪ Do you got plans for life? ♪

♪ 'Cause I don't wanna just romance tonight ♪

♪ I wanna see you in another light, oh, yeah ♪ Wow.

♪ With rhythm, there is rhyme ♪

♪ With you, there always can be I ♪

♪ I wanna see you in another light, ooh ♪

♪ I don't wanna talk down on your lover ♪

♪ I don't wanna be a homewrecker ♪

♪ I just know I can be better, be better, be better ♪

♪ I don't wanna talk down on your lover ♪

♪ I don't wanna be a broken record ♪

♪ I just know I can be better, be better, be better ♪

Hey! ♪ We sit on the fire escape ♪

♪ We talk and talk till dawn ♪

♪ I open up to you about my wrongs, oh, yeah ♪

♪ We lay and contemplate ♪

♪ Just one more round of love ♪

♪ Before you go home to another one ♪

♪ I don't wanna be ♪

♪ How you formulate opinions on astrology, oh no ♪

♪ Or to say we made peace ♪

♪ And then your friends don't even wanna talk to me ♪

♪ No more ♪

♪ I am yours ♪

♪ I am yours ♪

♪ I don't wanna talk down on your lover ♪

♪ I don't wanna be a homewrecker ♪

♪ I just know I can be better, be better, be better ♪

♪ I don't wanna talk down on your lover ♪

♪ I don't wanna be a broken record ♪

♪ I just know I can be better, be better, be better ♪

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Be better, be better ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Whoo!

Whoo!

Let's go. Oh, my gosh, you guys.

That was such great energy.

Cal, like, you were way up in the rafters

and then came down and did something more

in your chest voice right after.

I was like, "Where are you breathing, Celine?"

And then Connor, man, your runs.

There is something about the roundness to your tone

while you're attacking the runs that are very attractive.

Thank you. It's like ear candy.

You both had moments where I was like, "Okay."

I will say I leaned a little bit more Connor.

But, Cal, you crushed it too.

So don't be deterred by that thought.

Thank you. I'm so glad I'm not Adam.

Y'all could be a group and, like, I'd come see that show.

It was awesome.

It seemed like y'all been buddies forever.

And because of that, the performance was great.

Connor, there was something really cool about your runs

that was really unique.

It's a really warm tone that you've got.

And, Cal, man,

like you would move so much in your vocals

that it's a kind of a toss-up.

I don't pity Adam on this one.

Thank you so much.

Queen: Oh, that was fun to watch.

Connor, your runs were just like,

"Okay, just stop

and just do what I want to do right quick with this.

Hold on while I--" Okay.

But, Cal, you are like in it from the very beginning.

You didn't lose any time getting there.

I really enjoyed your performance.

Even though my man is from Jersey, so I lean this way,

but I think you kind of straightened me back out.

Thank you. Daly: Thank you, coaches.

Adam, give us some thoughts first.

You guys really did an unbelievably great job.

Really beautiful.

Thank you. Thank you.

That's a very deceptively difficult thing

you guys both just did.

There is no time for breath.

And you guys did have to be generous

with giving the parts to each other in the right way.

And the pocket was super,

super clean and consistent the whole time.

So this is-- this is brutal.

I will say, and I'm saying to my fellow coaches,

like, these are two incredible, stellar human beings

and amazing singers and hard workers.

Alright, Adam, who is the winner of this battle?

Uh...

It was pretty much dead even.

This comes down to a fraction of a difference

that made the difference for me.

Um, and the winner of this battle today...

...is Connor.

Daly: Connor is moving on.

Congratulations. Wow.

Adam: Connor's just got that thing.

It's like everyone loves him.

He's a great performer. Comfortable up there.

Sings his ass off. He's got an incredible tone.

He's just got to pull to him. Thank you, guys.

Great job.

Connor put himself in a fantastic position

going into cut week.

Oh, Cal.

Coaches, let me remind you that Cal is available to steal.

Cal, anything you want to say to your coach, Adam?

Adam, I've grown so much already as an artist

in the short time that I've been here.

So I appreciate you.

You're a badass, dude. You're a badass.

You're so good. Yeah, brother. Thank you so much.

Give it up for Cal Cook one more time, everybody.

Thank you, Cal.

You did an incredible job, brother.

Honestly. I'm sad to see you go, bro.

You're really, really special.

Don't give up on this, okay?

Appreciate it. You're really, really good.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Oh, that sucks. Mm-hmm.

Oh, I am not looking forward to this.

Connor's, like, sneaky one of my best.

They both were so tight.

But there was something about how his tone was

when he did the run.

It seemed like it came a little bit more natural to Connor.

Cal had to work a lot harder to get up to

where Connor was. I think so.

Sometimes the other duet partner will make the other one

appear even better than they actually are individually.

Ladies are gonna love him, too.

He's like one of those guys that when he sings,

you're just like-- He's like--

He smiles and he's got like,

engaging, charming thing, you know?

Daly: Coming up...

♪ I don't mind if you do ♪

Daly: Riley coaches on his own song.

The more y'all can sing to each other,

the better it's going to translate.

Let's try that.

I've never actually used a mic stand.

Y'all didn't give this guy a tutorial on

I'll just take it out. how to work a mic stand?

Get the mic stand away from him.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

Yo, how does it feel to be singing

a Riley Green song for Riley Green?

I mean, hey, if I need advice, it's like he wrote it.

The best person to give you advice, yeah.

We got Joe and Kenna.

I told them about our new duo we're gonna have

called Butter and Grits.

We're excited.

Joe is a big old guy with a big old, deep voice.

I mean, I think it was the quickest turn I did.

A little bit kind of upset me

because we sang a little bit of "My Way" together,

and he sang it better than me. Uh-oh.

♪ If I had it my way ♪

♪ I'd be watching your eyes turn from brown... ♪

Yeah, I get it. He's a little taller than me, which really bothers me a lot.

Ooh. Kenna did Chris Stapleton, "White Horse."

And really made it her own.

They're gonna sing "Don't Mind If I Do."

Oh.

Look at you. So this will be fun.

- Here we go. You ready? - Yeah.

Riley: I paired Kenna and Joe.

I knew Kenna played a lot of shows

and Joe was brand new,

so I thought maybe she could help him quite a bit.

- Come on in. - Hey.

Hello!

Oh, no way.

Oh, my gosh.

Carly Pearce. Seeing her, I was jaw dropped.

How are you? Stop! I'm literally obsessed.

She's been in that 10-year-town experience

where she's had to work her way up.

So she definitely was an inspiration.

Two of my favorite country voices.

This will be a good one. I'm excited about it. Aww.

I am too. Oh, my gosh, we're excited.

I've never actually used a mic stand.

Y'all didn't give this guy a tutorial on

how to work a mic stand?

I'll just take it out. I'll take it out.

You would need one really high up.

Are we all still putting those tricky things out here?

The biggest challenge I've faced so far

is actually singing in front of people.

For a while, I struggled to sing

in front of my family and they were like,

"Why don't you sing?"

And I was like, "Maybe one day. Maybe tomorrow.

I'll sing tomorrow.

Uh, maybe when-- we'll go outside when it's dark

and you can't see me and then I'll sing."

But being here, it's definitely a big wake-up call.

Maybe I didn't slip through.

Maybe they actually want me here.

Have y'all done very many duets?

I've done a few before.

Yeah, I've worked with, like,

some people in Nashville and like, kind of sing,

but I sing mostly with a lot of women.

I've never performed.

No, sir. Never performed.

See what I'm dealing with here? He's that good already.

Oh, my goodness.

Alabama boys just got it. They just born with it.

I was telling Carly about y'all's performances Alright.

and I'm excited about hearing y'all do this one.

This is one of my favorite songs I've ever written.

Me and Carly have sang this song several times,

so I'm excited to hear y'all's version of it.

♪ And I don't mind if I do ♪

Riley: I gave them "Don't Mind If I Do,"

which is a song of mine.

And, you know, knowing that Joe was a fan and Kenna

was also a fan and opened for me before,

I thought it was fitting that they,

you know, enjoyed the song.

♪ I'm one memory away ♪

♪ From fallin' all the way ♪

Carly: You can tell Kenna has been on stage for sure.

She had this Dolly-esque airiness to her tone,

something where you know it's her.

♪ Need you to pick me up when I'm ♪

♪ Covered in that goodbye dust ♪

Joe reminded me of like a puppy who has really big paws,

and he hasn't grown into them yet.

Like a Great Dane puppy. But you love him and you know he's--

Kind of clumsy. Yes, like a Great-- Yes.

Doesn't know how to work a mic stand. Exactly.

I think people are gonna fall in love with him

and his unassuming nature of how good he is and how cute he is.

♪ I don't mind ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

The last tag you did

before y'all harmonized on the last one,

I'd like you to hit that low.

Okay. You know what I mean?

I just feel like that's where you need to live at.

It's such a big, low vocal that you got. Yes, sir.

Get on the mic.

Get after it because those low notes are not going to punch

like a high note is.

I think that you need to find a way

to shine down there, so to speak.

So really try to grab those notes and that way

and she can be the high pretty thing.

Well, and even on the end... Yeah.

♪ I don't mind if you ♪

♪ Drink a little too much, show up at my house ♪

You're singing unison with her.

Find that low-- the lower harmony.

Because when you guys hit the harmony

and you're in that register-- I lost him.

Yes. I missed it a lot.

Like you have such, like,

a Josh Turner-esque thing to your voice

when you get down there.

Don't sing unison with her.

Find that harmony because it's a beautiful blend together.

And like, we miss your-- your tone down there.

Joe, you know where you're at?

You gave me a really confused look just now. Right now?

I'm-- I'm having fun. I'm having so much fun.

Get the mic stand away from him.

I'm learning so much. This is great.

Like, I don't know that I've ever dealt with somebody

that's never performed,

especially that has this much talent already, man.

Do you know what part I'm talking about? It's exciting.

My ear is not very trained.

Why don't we just do a little bit of it?

- Is that okay with y'all? - Yes, sir.

- Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah.

Can somebody help me figure out this mic stand?

I've never used a mic stand.

Oh, this is cool.

♪ Well, I don't mind if you do ♪

♪ Drink a little too much and show up at my house ♪

Kenna: When Riley and Carly started singing this song,

I was just...

♪ It'd be nice to hear the truth ♪

I'm definitely a little bit nervous

to go against somebody like Joe,

but I think with this being Riley's first battle,

he's as excited as we are, which makes me feel better.

Like getting to go in there and just seeing him kind of be like,

"We are in this together."

♪ Well, I don't mind if you do ♪

♪ No, I don't mind ♪

♪ I took your part, I don't mind ♪

Yeah. Carly Pearce, everybody.

One thing that you can take from that

is I have to look at her not only for inspiration,

but, I mean, when you're singing a duet with somebody,

you know, you're following what they're doing.

And for me, it's a cheat code because you can

kind of forget about everybody else in the room.

And it's an intimate moment. Yeah.

You stare at each other's lips or mustache. Yeah. Either one.

Kenna, you're naturally a little better than Joe at the looking

and making the gestures and all that.

So get on to him if you got to. That's what I'm saying.

I'll, like, get up in his face or I'll hold a note longer.

And he's like, "Let it go."

And I'm like, "No, we're gonna hold it."

Yeah, we do whatever she wants to do.

So, you know, it may be the similar here.

If I just got the okay to do that, watch out.

Flirt a little. You know what I mean?

Yeah. It's okay to flirt. This is a family show.

Yeah, we can flirt.

When I'm singing this song, I'm thinking about the lyrics.

And, like, there's nothing cooler to me than telling a girl

Yeah. "It's killing me not holding you right now."

And just try to find a way to make that moment cool.

- Yes, sir. - You know?

Anytime you accidentally write something that's a cool line,

you got to use it. You know, it don't happen often.

The more y'all can sing to each other,

the better it's going to translate.

Because country music fans want to see something real.

They want to believe it.

You don't necessarily have to love each other,

but it's-- there's a lot to country music

and the lyrics seeming true and seeming authentic.

But they want to, like, believe it

for those three minutes that there's a chance. That's right.

You know? Yeah.

And, you know, this is a crazy thing to say

because I wrote the song and recorded the song,

Ooh. but I want to try it slower.

I play it live, I play sitting on a stool acoustic,

and there's a little bit of emotion

that comes in when there's a little more space.

That's a good idea. Let's try that.

♪ Well, I don't mind if you do ♪

♪ Drink a little too much and show up at my house ♪

That's what you meant with the low end. That's great.

I think it's easy as a coach

when somebody's performing your song,

because I know a certain way

that it can be done that's right,

but I also feel like they just need to let loose

and dig into the song and the lyrics,

and really let them live in that moment.

♪ I don't mind ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

Hell yeah. That was it right there.

It's so good. That's great.

When you go back and practice this, I would say,

alright, let's do one sitting down.

Let's do one swap sides.

Use the fact that you're on a team

right now to your advantage.

Joe's brand new to singing,

but he's got a very talented voice.

So you've done it for a long time.

You can help him, give him some advice,

but every time me and Carly have sang that song,

I feel like we get better.

It's an honor to be on the very first Team Riley ever.

Getting the chance to do this in such a big environment,

it brought out a much deeper love for music

that I didn't know was possible, because I love it so much.

You know, just performing as much as you can

would be the best advice I can give you.

Yes, sir. So just do it.

Knowing that cut week is coming up too,

it puts a little more pressure on the performance

to do well, to make it through.

Right now means a lot for later.

Hey, also, slower was better, wasn't it?

- Hey, come on, come on. - It worked. It worked.

Riley: This is going to be a really tough decision.

Kenna's obviously put in the time and she's got experience.

And even today, like, she-- she picked up the slack

where Joe was so new to that part of it.

Here, don't worry about the mic. I'll get that back on the stand.

It can be tricky.

Vocals are important,

but you've got to make the performance something

that the audience loves.

So to pick one person out of this group

is going to be really hard to do.

I wouldn't want to do it. That one-- Mnh-mnh.

Fist bump. Good vibes.

[ Cheers and applause ]

- Oh, my gosh. - How'd it go?

- It was so much fun. - Yeah.

Man: I feel like you were in there for a while.

We were in there for a minute.

What were you thinking, like, the moment before

you started singing the song in front of Riley?

Joe: Don't voice crack. [ Laughter ]

We got so many great, like, notes,

and I feel like Riley is just, like,

a really good, great coach.

Like, he got in there and he was, like,

dissecting it bit by bit.

It was incredible.

You're the butter to my grits, man.

Together-- Snack. Together.

Look at him go. Good stuff.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

Daly: In this Team Riley battle,

it's the 19-year-old from Alabama,

Joe Henley.

Oh, yeah.

Versus the 23-year-old from Indiana,

Kenna Alpers.

Oh, she got a cape.

Let's go.

This battle starts right now.

♪ I've been doin' better ♪ Hell yeah.

♪ I hardly ever think of you ♪

♪ Lately ♪ Mm.

♪ It ain't all sunshine ♪

♪ When you cross my mind ♪

♪ I start missin' you ♪

♪ Like crazy ♪

♪ And I try to numb the pain ♪

♪ Girl, there ain't no way ♪

♪ I end up in that place, and I'm just one whiskey away ♪

♪ And I don't mind if I do ♪

♪ Drink up the nerve to show up at your house ♪

♪ And if you wanna know the truth ♪

♪ It's killin' me not holdin' you right now ♪

♪ I'm one memory away ♪

♪ From fallin' all the way apart ♪

♪ 'Cause I might still love you ♪

♪ Oh, I hope you don't mind if I do ♪

♪ Need you to pick me up when I'm ♪

♪ Covered in that goodbye dust ♪

♪ You're the only thing to get me through ♪

♪ Well, I don't mind if you do ♪

♪ Drink a little too much and show up at my house ♪

♪ It'd be nice to hear the truth ♪ Nice.

♪ Is it killin' you not holdin' me right now? ♪

♪ If fallin' into me ♪

♪ Is the only thing you think is gonna get you through ♪

♪ Then I don't mind if you do ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

♪ I don't mind ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪

Boy, you could not be more different.

Kenna, you have this, like, Alison Krauss

beautiful sweetness to your voice and that vibrato.

It's, like, so quick. Like a beautiful butterfly.

And I like your cape.

Hey, girl. We got the memo.

Um, Joe, I wanted you in the blinds because your voice--

I call it the Randy Travis effect.

You open your mouth

and it doesn't matter what you're singing.

Your voice has such a depth to it.

It just commands attention.

That's something you can't teach.

That's just God given, you know?

Thank you, Miss Kelly.

Adam: You both did a fantastic job.

Other than the song choice. I don't know about--

I'm just kidding. [ Laughter ]

Great song choice.

We love you, Riley.

Whatever.

But honestly, Joe,

you have one of my favorite voices in the competition.

There's a distinctive quality where--

as if when it comes on the radio or when I hear it,

I'm like, "I know who that is."

And, Kenna, you did a fantastic job.

I just think that he has one of those voices for me.

But you both did do a fantastic job.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Queen: That was just so beautiful to listen to.

You do write a pretty good song. Keep up the good work.

I think you're going places, kid. He's alright.

Kenna, you came out here and you looked beautiful.

You sounded beautiful.

And to meet this guy,

it's like walking up to a skyscraper.

But you took it right to his chest, so good job.

Thank you. Well on you.

Joe, he's also just one of those people

I kind of had my eye on from the beginning,

but he had his eye on no one else but that guy.

So I'm glad you both ended up on Team Riley,

but I would have to give it to Joe

because Joe's voice is just powerful.

Thank you so much.

Daly: Thank you, coaches.

Alright, Riley, you got a tough decision

to make here in a minute.

Before you tell us the winner of the battle,

give us some thoughts on it.

Kenna, I don't have a problem saying this,

and I think Joe would agree with me.

I don't think he could do what he's doing here

if it wasn't for you.

I mean, I know how hard you've worked. Thank you.

And, Joe, the reason everybody was so excited about your voice

is because you've got something that is completely God given.

The fact that you got that much better for this performance,

I'm really proud of you for doing that.

Thank you.

Daly: Alright, Riley, you got a tough decision here, buddy.

Who is the winner of this battle?

It's extremely tough

because I'm such a big fan of both of y'all.

And I really wanted both of y'all on my team.

And a part of me is kicking myself for making this pairing,

even though I'm glad I got to hear y'all

sing this song together.

Uh...

The winner of this battle is...

...Joe.

Joe is moving on.

Congratulations.

Riley: It was such a hard decision.

Nothing that Kenna did wrong.

It's just Joe has got a really unique voice.

And he's got a really special talent

that I'm really looking forward to helping develop

throughout "The Voice." And going into cut week,

I think Joe's got a really good chance.

Coaches, let me remind you that Kenna is available to steal.

Kenna, anything you want to say to your coach?

Kenna: Thank you so much for taking a chance on me.

I appreciate you. Thank you.

Give it up for Kenna Alpers, ladies and gentlemen.

He's so good, that kid.

He's never played. He's got like--

Never. I mean, that's just-- that's my point, though. So what?

And like, he's got so much

he doesn't know where to go with it.

You know what I mean?

Even his softer moments were really on.

Like he's on. I know.

You like Randy Travis.

I'm like Marvin Gaye or any other famous voice you've heard.

He got the voice.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

- I'm ready to see who the mentor is. - Yeah.

Do you have any guesses as to who it would be?

- I have no guesses. - John Legend?

- Oh, wow. - That would be--

Yeah, that's a good guess.

I hope I, like, maintain my calm

and be a little nonchalant, you know?

I don't know if I can do that, but... Nonchalant.

Hi. Look at this fire band.

What's good, y'all?

I thought I was being punked when I got the e-mail,

and it was like, "Mentor for Kelly Clarkson's team."

I was like, "Nah, nah."

And then I was like, "Well, yes, I'm totally going."

What did it feel like to win the Oscar?

Ariana: It was crazy.

Just making the movie was the win.

Like, starting out as a dancer,

I wasn't always exceptionally confident in my singing.

Like, "West Side" was the thing that opened up my world

so that I'm not pigeonholed in any one lane.

I knew you'd be great at this.

There's a lot of talent here that they want to explore

more than just the one field.

So first we've got Koumba and Lance.

How are you feeling, Koumba?

I'm feeling excited. Nervous. I'm feeling all of the above.

All of the above. All of the above, that's right.

Lance: I'm battling against Koumba.

I was like, "Nope. Unh-unh.

She has a four-chair turn."

Koumba's voice is so powerful.

When she's going full force, no one can stop her.

If I'm gonna win this battle,

I really need to showcase my artistry.

My parents have more traditional jobs.

My dad's a physician assistant in the ER,

and my mom is an executive assistant

for a Realtor developer.

So being a musician and artist,

it's something that can be a bit scary,

but getting two chair turns,

it really opened their eyes to see that this is something

that I'm willing to bet my life on

and just really take it all the way.

I do. You want to hear them?

Alright, let's meet them.

- Hi. - Hi.

What's up? Come on in.

Walking in, I was honestly about to start shaking.

- Hi. - Hi. I'm Ariana.

Nice to meet you. It's so nice to meet you.

Ariana DeBose is one of the most talented people

to ever touch this earth.

She's a triple threat.

And the fact that I got to work with her and Kelly

at the same time--

Wow. There's really no words for it.

I know you have to know the song. It's a huge song.

But I chose it because you both did pop. For sure.

I know what you can do in a big way.

I want to see how you both handle an intimate song.

♪ I want you to stay ♪

♪ Till I'm in the grave ♪

They're singing "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish.

♪ 'Cause it was always you ♪

♪ And if I'm turning blue ♪

♪ Please don't save me ♪

I actually just thought they'd sound cool together.

I was very excited about the fact that I was right on that.

Whoo! ♪ Baby ♪

Your tones are-- This is gonna sound so good together.

It's the pop duo I didn't know I needed,

but I'm very excited about it. I love it.

Yeah. Lance: Thank you.

You came in hot, though, and you were like,

♪ I want you to stay ♪

And I want you to be like a

♪ I want you to stay ♪

♪ Till I'm in the grave ♪

I need it to be like a little sexy secret. Okay?

I want you to, like-- whoever your person is,

you singing it in their ear. Like, literally.

It's like-- it's literally like,

I want you to literally imagine like...

Yeah.

- Yeah. - Like that.

Yeah. Like, bring me that vibe.

Because especially with you saying, "I want you to stay..."

Yes.

It's such a good line.

The journey of this song is so cool.

But the first part, I need you to give me silk.

Because then later on, you earn all of that firepower

that you're about to give them.

But if you don't start together,

then you don't earn where you're going.

You know what I mean? Mm. Right.

I want silk ribbons. Silk ribbons. I want silk.

I do, I want-- I want silk ribbons, alright.

Set up that moment. You don't want to run right up

to the person and be like, "I love you!"

They might run away. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, yeah. Because that's crazy.

Shake it out. Shake it out right now.

Speaking of relaxing, like, please move your body.

Like, let it go. Yes.

You want to try again? Yes.

Okay.

♪ Till I'm in the grave ♪

- Yes. - Yes.

Kelly: When you loosen Lance up,

it's all about loosening Lance up.

You got to--

You got to get in there and get it out.

♪ Birds of a feather ♪

Because he actually is a storyteller,

but he's more introverted about it.

It's that mind, body, heart connection.

And if he can master that, he will soar in this competition.

♪ I want you to see ♪ ♪ It's even better ♪

♪ How you look to me ♪

Go ahead!

Kelly: And Koumba is young, y'all,

and already just has such a steadiness and control.

She almost reminds me of, like, a young Lauryn Hill.

She goes to places that are so unique and special.

Make sure you eat that mic.

I want your lipstick on that mic.

Okay. You sing all the notes.

It just needs to feel like a slow dance.

15. How old are you?

Okay. Okay.

You shouldn't be doing this kind of slow dance.

But I just mean, you're acting right now.

When you look someone in the eye and you say

"I don't want to say goodbye," like, it's a beautiful thing.

You, I was like, "I don't know who he's singing to,

but I feel like he's singing to me

and I'm really about it right now."

You know what I'm saying? It was a complete 180.

Koumba: I think what makes me so nervous going up against Lance

is I'm only 15, so I can't--

I don't know much about being in love.

I can try and replicate that feeling by singing to my family.

My younger brother Omar, who has autism.

He's nonverbal,

and the way he connects with me is he'll sing along with me.

Being able to show him, yes, I understand you, I see you,

I hear you through music is just so powerful.

Seeing your favorite moment from a rom-com.

Like, you know what I mean?

Like, think about your favorite rom-com and like,

what is the sweetest thing you can imagine?

Sometimes that really helps me.

You'll be surprised.

The more you visualize something,

you'll start to sing how it makes you feel.

Yeah, you are. You guys are good, man.

Thank you, Kelly.

You're going to make this hard as hell.

So Ariana has chosen to actually sit in for me

so I don't have to do it.

Whichever one of them can tell the story

the best in the moment.

Remember, sexy secret in the beginning.

Thank you. Not too sexy. You're 15. I know, Mom.

That's who I think will shine the brightest.

Hello, hello. That was crazy.

It was so great. Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, it was so fun. Oh, my gosh.

Does your smile hurt? Yeah.

Lance: The stakes are high for this one.

One steal and no saves.

Doing all that I can to just be equipped and ready.

I'm still in shock.

- Me too. - Ohh.

Oh, you know, just writing some notes.

Oh, yeah.

That is a lot of notes. Lots of notes over here.

Yeah.

Sexy secrets.

That's our band name.

Honestly, yes. Sign me up.

You're welcome.

You didn't know you needed it.

You do. You really do. Yeah, but you do.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

Daly: Welcome back to the battles at Universal Studios Hollywood.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Yep. Yep.

♪

Let's go. Complicated.

This battle starts now.

♪

♪ I want you to stay ♪

♪ Till I'm in the grave ♪

♪ Till I rot away ♪

♪ Dead and buried ♪

♪ Till I'm in the casket you carry ♪

♪ If you go, I'm goin' too ♪

♪ 'Cause it was always you ♪

♪ And if I'm turnin' blue ♪

♪ Please don't save me ♪

♪ Nothin' left to lose without my baby ♪

♪ Birds of a feather, we should stick together, I know ♪

♪ I said I'd never think I wasn't better alone ♪

♪ Can't change the weather, might not be forever ♪

♪ If it's forever ♪

♪ It's even better ♪

♪ I want you to see ♪

♪ How you look to me ♪

Hey!

♪ You wouldn't believe if I told ya ♪

♪ You would keep the compliments I throw ya ♪

♪ But you're so full of it ♪

♪ Tell me it's a bit, no, no ♪

♪ Say you don't see it ♪ ♪ Your mind's polluted ♪

♪ Say you wanna quit, don't be stupid ♪

♪ And I don't know what I'm cryin' for ♪

♪ And I don't think I could love you more ♪

♪ It might not be long, but baby, I ♪

♪ Don't wanna say goodbye ♪

♪ Birds of a feather ♪

♪ Till the day that I die ♪

♪ Till the light leaves my eyes ♪

♪ Till the day that I die, yeah ♪

♪ I knew you in another life ♪

♪ You had that same look in your eyes ♪

♪ I love you, don't act so surprised ♪

♪ I don't wanna say goodbye ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪

Yeah!

Yeah! Whoo!

Man, Koumba, whew.

Yes. You're 15?

How?

That's what my birth certificate says,

but I don't know. Your voice is not.

There's so much power and presence on stage.

Thank you. It's just amazing to see.

Lance, at the ripe old age of 22

over here, old man, you're amazing too, man.

And I remember in the blinds, you--

Bruno, he's tough.

I thought this was a much better performance for you.

You really held your own. I really enjoyed it.

So great job for the both of you.

Thank you so much, Adam. Thank you.

I thought you did a great job.

Just hearing y'all sing that together,

I closed my eyes for a minute to just enjoy it.

To remember that this is "The Voice."

I think that there was a little more space

for Koumba to do her thing, which is insane.

I turned for you as well.

But clearly Kelly got the win right there.

But she has the challenging decision to make.

This was one seamless duet.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Queen.

Koumba, love the cowgirl boots.

Thank you. I wore them just for you.

I appreciate that.

Lance, you were paired with one of the best singers

on the show and you still stood out, which is amazing.

Thank you. Koumba, you're just one of

the most talented people I've seen on the show.

You really are. So congratulations.

I think that'd be my pick.

Thank you, Riley. Thank you.

Daly: Thank you, coaches.

Alright, Kelly, this is a tough decision.

What did you think about the battle?

It was even better than rehearsals

which is such a statement because the nerves of everybody

being here, the lights, hearing yourself properly,

it all sets in and you both just thrived under pressure.

You did such a good job. You nailed it.

Thank you, Kelly. Thank you, Kelly. Thank you.

And Lance, man, your tone.

Oh, it's the resonance when you push that air through

and you have, you know,

enough happening in your nasal cavity too

to make those runs, they're so special and sweet

and like water, it's nice.

And, Koumba, you're so impressive for whatever age.

You're just an impressive singer.

Kelly, the time has come.

Who is the winner of this battle?

The reason why I'm going with this one person

isn't really because it's the better singer.

It's just I think this particular singer will thrive

in these conditions.

The winner of this battle is Koumba.

Koumba is moving on to cut week.

Man, Koumba and Lance did such a great job.

There is just something that comes out of Koumba.

When she gets on that stage,

she goes to another level that I can't deny.

Great job.

Thank you.

Next round is brand new. It's cut week.

These performances here in the battles

are going to inform our decisions

of who we're going to take to the live shows.

It's just a really big moment for me,

and I feel like I've really made my parents proud.

I hope I did, and I hope I made my family proud.

Hi, Mom.

I'm so proud of you.

Thank you.

Coaches, let me remind you

that Lance is available to steal.

Lance, anything you want to say to your coach?

Kelly, it's been an honor to be in your presence.

This is way out of my comfort zone.

Hey, and hear me, please-- This is the show part.

There's an after. Whatever you want to do,

writers, producers, I promise you

I'm going to do my damnedest to make your dreams happen.

Thank you so much, Kelly.

Give it up for Lance Tenazas one more time.

Adam: Talented artists are going home, which is tough,

but it's part of the process.

Lance did a good job. He held his own.

But man, I mean, Koumba was just on fire.

That girl is insane.

She's a beast. You gonna be busy.

Making all these dreams come true.

Afterwards, I do what I can.

You know, it's a hustle. I love it.

Yep. Very rarely such thing as an overnight success.

Daly: "Voice" fans, the power is yours.

Throughout the season, every like and share

of an eligible battle performance

on our official "Voice" TikTok account shows support

for your favorite artist.

In the end, the finalist with the most liked

and most shared performances

will be named the TikTok Artist of the Season.

So keep sharing, keep liking, and make your voice count.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

- See these mustaches? - Oh, yeah.

Riley: It's hard to smile with them, isn't it? Yeah.

- Yes. - I would have done it, but--

We'll have plenty of time for it.

Just to have it on and just look very attractive.

Go see Carson. Oh.

Get a picture of me and Carson with our mustaches.

Brothers. Nice work. Love you, man.

Woman: What are you guys singing again?

"Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man."

- That's right. - Ahh.

Talk about an iconic song.

Yeah, we were getting to know each other even

before we got paired up and now it's just--

It doesn't even feel like a battle, more than anything.

It's just more of how can we tell this story together?

I'm going to destroy my battle.

[ Laughter ]

When I found out I was parallel--

pair aligned with Caroline--

When I found out I was paired with Caroline,

I couldn't have been happier.

Before the blind auditions, we met backstage,

and he actually brought me flowers.

I was completely surprised.

We had not had a whole lot of conversations at that point,

but it was so sweet.

And he wrote me a little handwritten note.

He said "Nice outfit."

And asked me to dinner.

When I first saw Caroline, I thought, "Holy moly,"

because she's just so beautiful.

Caroline is definitely the kind of girl

I would love to have as my girlfriend.

Everett and I have gone on a couple dates.

♪ Waiting for the day you make me yours ♪

♪ Just waiting till the time that you'll be mine ♪

Just want to take things slow, keep getting to know each other.

But he definitely has a lot of qualities

that I respect as a person.

He is very uplifting and supportive

and that's, you know,

something that's good to have as a person

and as a battle partner, too.

We're singing "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man"

by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn.

I like that it's such a fun song.

Yee-haw!

- Come on in. - Hey.

- How y'all doing? - How are y'all?

Good to see you. Looking sharp, as always.

Nice to meet you.

I was so excited when I walked in

and saw who the mentor was.

I'm sure you all know Carly Pearce.

Carly Pearce is so extremely talented.

She's won a Grammy, CMA Awards, ACM Awards.

♪ If I don't leave, I'm gonna stay ♪

Riley and Carly's song together

"If I Don't Leave, I'm Gonna Stay" is one

of my favorites at the moment.

I especially love singing it in the shower

and pretending like I'm going through a heartbreak,

even though I'm not going through a heartbreak.

I feel like he made the perfect choice

of who to bring in as a mentor.

So how's it been?

- Over here? - Oh, no. We're sitting.

We sit down. Y'all don't get to sit down.

I'm sorry. Let me rephrase it.

Y'all come in and watch us sit down.

You got to work. Yeah. Y'all gotta sing.

You like that?

How's it been?

It's been good.

You hear that accent?

Oh, I'm into it.

That's Alabama right there.

I was born in New York. All day.

You were born in New York? How about that?

Yeah, but she didn't stay long if she talks like that.

How do y'all feel about the song?

I love the song.

My Papaw was a huge Conway Twitty fan.

Yeah. Big shoes to fill. Really? That's awesome.

What an iconic son. Right?

Yeah. No pressure.

There was something about that era of country music. Right?

George Jones is one of them.

Conway is definitely one of them.

Willie Nelson may be the best at this

about not necessarily singing in a pocket

that is on this note or that note.

It's more about where you feel it at.

And this is one of those songs that it's definitely that.

So I'm excited to see y'all's version of it.

Let's do it.

♪ Hey, Louisiana woman ♪ ♪ Mississippi man ♪

♪ We get together every time we can ♪

♪ The Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

Everett's voice is great. More so than anything,

his performability on stage, how he goes about dancing around

and he's not shy in any way.

And I think that's going to translate really well.

♪ Mississippi man, I'm losing my mind ♪

♪ Gotta have your lovin' one more time ♪

Caroline has such a drawl.

She had such a richness in that little accent that I loved.

♪ Hey, Louisiana woman ♪

♪ Mississippi man, we get together every time we can ♪

♪ Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

Riley: I think this decision is going to come down to

who really buys into the character

in these songs the best

and really makes it believable for everybody there listening.

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ Too much love in this Louisiana heart ♪

Whoo-hoo!

Well, that's fun.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

It's a lot of where are the moments that you feel

you can put personality in it?

For me, I think the biggest way to do it

is act like you're singing it to each other.

I think that country music fans always want to believe

that the lyrics are true.

They're looking for that Conway and Loretta

or George and Tammy or Tim and Faith.

Yes.

That's the vibe we're going for,

is a playful, back and forth

traditional tip of the cap to country music.

And lyrically it's talking about there's nothing

that can keep y'all apart, you know what I mean? It's flirty.

No, it's all good. Sorry about it.

Flirting with Caroline is second nature.

I do it every day. She's got a bunch of nicknames.

Her nickname is Bama or Caroline Like Sweet.

You know, with her little cute accent and stuff.

Riley: Me and Carly sing

"If I Don't Leave, I'm Gonna Stay,"

which is a very serious love ballad.

We showed up to shoot that music video

and what, the first scene was...

It was so awkward. Yeah.

They told her to go to my mustache and stop.

Go to the mustache and stop.

I mean, she touched my mustache with her lips.

You know what I mean? Whether she wanted to or not.

But now it's so easy.

We can sit there and sing it to each other.

And I think that's what people want to see,

is like the personality of it.

For you, it's like, um,

♪ If he can't come to me, I'm a-gonna come to him ♪

Like, you gotta just get kind of almost like tongue in cheek

with it because you're playing that character

and get in his face.

Like, don't be afraid to, like, you know.

That's why I put this table here.

He's like, "She needs to stay away from me."

You don't have a table to save you.

And you've got-- Look, that right there. That's right.

That was the song. That's what we're looking for.

That was it. You've got it in there.

Just let it out. I see it in you.

You know, don't be afraid to like--

Excuse me. I'm coming over.

But like,

♪ Well, I thought I'd been in love, but I never had ♪

♪ Till I was wrapped in the arms of a Mississippi man ♪

You don't have to do much.

You know, just a little and come back 'cause you're poised.

But don't be scared. Little sass. Little sass.

That was cool. Carly Pearce just did that.

Yeah, that was pretty cool. It's whatever.

Yeah. You tell everybody about that.

"Well, she walked towards me then she walked away real fast."

Everett: She walked towards me, though. She walked away.

Give him a little and then you walk away.

'Cause you've got it in your eyes. I see it in your eyes.

Singing this song to Caroline is going to be very easy for me.

People are going to love this.

This is a really cool side of y'all's personality.

And also, I love a tip of the cap

Yes. to traditional country music.

And this is going to be the most traditional song played.

I can promise you that every other coach

wants a country act,

so even if you are not the one picked in this group,

there's a steal and somebody's going to

be trying to get their hands on a country act.

Because I think everybody in the back of their mind

thinks a country act might be what wins the show.

The song talks about the distance between two people,

and that there's nothing that will keep them apart.

She's from Alabama. You know, I'm from California.

If one of us doesn't get stolen, one of us has to go home.

I want to win this battle, but I don't know,

of course it would feel like a--

That's a tough one. I'm so nervous. Sorry.

Caroline: It's an interesting situation

not a lot of people find themselves in.

We'll see what happens between us afterwards.

He picks on me all the time.

He says, "You better still answer my phone calls, Bama."

You know, if one of us gets stolen, that'd be great.

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

Let's do this.

This battle starts now.

♪

♪ Hey, Louisiana woman ♪ ♪ Mississippi man ♪

♪ We get together every time we can ♪

♪ The Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ Too much love in this Louisiana heart ♪

♪ Well, see the alligators all waitin' nearby ♪

♪ Sooner or later, they know I'm gonna try ♪

♪ When she waved from the bank, don't you know I know? ♪

♪ It's a-goodbye, fishin' line, see you while I go ♪

♪ With a Louisiana woman waitin' on the other side ♪

♪ The Mississippi River don't look so wide ♪

♪ Louisiana woman ♪ ♪ Mississippi man ♪

♪ We get together every time we can ♪

♪ The Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ Too much love in this Louisiana heart ♪

♪ Well, I thought I'd been loved, but I never had ♪

♪ Till I was wrapped in the arms of a Mississippi man ♪

♪ When he holds me close, it feels almost ♪

♪ Like another hurricane just ripped the coast ♪

♪ If he can't come to me, I'm a-gonna go to him ♪

♪ That Mississippi River, Lord, I'm gonna swim ♪

♪ Mississippi man ♪ ♪ Hey, Louisiana woman ♪

♪ We get together every time we can ♪

♪ The Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ Too much love in this Louisiana heart ♪

♪ Well, the Mississippi River, Lord, it's one mile wide ♪

♪ And I'm gonna get me to the other side ♪

♪ Well, Mississippi man, I'm a-losin' my mind ♪

♪ Gotta have your lovin' one more time ♪

♪ Yeah, I'm gonna jump in the river, and a-here I go ♪

♪ Too bad, alligator, you swim too slow ♪

♪ Mississippi man ♪ ♪ Hey, Louisiana woman ♪

♪ We get together every time we can ♪

♪ The Mississippi River can't keep us apart ♪

♪ There's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ Too much love in this Louisiana heart ♪

♪ A-there's too much love in this Mississippi heart ♪

♪ There's too much ♪

♪ Love ♪

♪ In this Louisiana heart ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Oh, my God.

That was amazing. Amazing.

Whoo!

Kelly: That was so fun.

It just felt like a throwback.

I almost felt like I was watching those,

like, Dolly and Porter,

like, you know, just a throwback variety kind of show thing.

I loved it so much. Caroline, your tone is sweet.

It's storyteller, it's sensual. And your character

that you played throughout the whole song, I dig that.

I think it was really smart of Everett

to kind of go big in a couple parts

and kind of show his range,

but I feel like this was pretty evenly matched.

[ Cheers and applause ]

What I just witnessed is so far out of my jurisdiction.

I feel like a stranger in a strange land.

Like, I do not feel like I can say much here

to comment on the technicality of what you did.

But it was great. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

Everett, I think you did better today than in the blinds.

I'm leaning Everett, but it was such a fun group effort

that honestly, it's weird picking somebody

because it was a great partnership

and I just really enjoyed it.

Somebody was trying to get across the Mississippi

to a certain individual.

That got clearly conveyed.

[ Laughter ]

And like those great variety shows that we grew up watching,

you need to bring all of us into your world.

You did it.

Daly: Thank you, coaches.

Alright, Riley got a tough decision to make here.

Give us some thoughts on that battle.

Well, for one, that was a lot of fun.

Y'all turned the place into a honky-tonk.

That's the first time it felt like home to me

here on the stage, so thank y'all for that performance.

Not a super easy song. And they're right.

It's not a showcase your vocals kind of song.

It's more about a performance. And, Caroline,

you really, like, just laid into it, had attitude,

and it was sassy and country

and everything I love about country music and Alabama.

So you were great. That was awesome.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Everett, you were Everett, man.

You did all the stuff I thought you were going to do.

You got the look. You got the attitude up there.

You cut up. You don't take yourself too seriously,

and that's what the song's about, it's about having fun.

And you did a great job.

Like I said, you did exactly what I asked you to do, so.

Riley, who is the winner of this battle?

♪

As tough as it is for me, the winner of this battle...

is Everett.

Everett is moving on to cut week.

Congratulations.

Riley: At the end of the day,

I just had to go with Everett because he's so natural in that,

like, fun, up-tempo, traditional country song.

And I think that's something that we really need on my team.

Great job. You are so entertaining.

Everett was a one-chair turn,

and I think people are realizing now that he's a talented guy,

that he can do a lot of other things.

And so I'm excited that, you know,

we're kind of showing them that.

Give it up for Caroline Alexis, everybody.

Thank you, Caroline.

First time doing the battles.

I love that we get to see the performances

that we've all kind of worked with these artists to create,

but do not love having to pick between,

you know, really talented singers.

I think I just fell in love with Everett.

[ Laughter ]

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

So I'm either calling you Auntie Patti or Mama Patti.

Both. Auntie Mama.

Pat diggity dog. I'm just playing.

[ Laughter ]

We're bad together. Maybe not that.

It's so nice to have you here. I'm looking across at your eyes.

It's like one of the joys of my life.

Well, for my team, I brought in my auntie, Patti LaBelle.

She knows so much. She's done so many things.

You know, you mentored me and you mentored so many.

It feels great to be a mentor.

I am happy that they want information from me

because I've been there, honey.

I say we cheers to the royal court.

The royal court.

Woman: The royal court. Cheers, royal court.

- Cheers. Cheers. - Cheers.

[ Laughter ]

Being a part of Queen Latifah's team

for the first time ever feels amazing.

♪ When I call your name ♪

You deserve to have four chairs turned for you.

Riley: Kayleigh, I loved every bit of that.

The vibe of it took me back to growing up in Alabama.

Hold on before you go, Adam. Can I say something?

Are you getting punished right now? [ Duck call sounding ]

[ Laughter ]

Well, listen.

I would love the opportunity to work with Queen Latifah.

[ Cheers and applause ]

I knew it.

My battle partner is Lillie, and I'm super excited.

I love Lillie so much,

and we've honestly built a friendship

which has been really special and sweet.

I couldn't even do it for more than a second.

I was like a little bit shocked by my pairing in the beginning.

And then I was like, wait, okay,

this actually makes so much sense.

Kayleigh's so awesome.

So we're approaching it with the mind-set of like,

we're both just gonna go out there and do our best

and like compliment each other

and we'll just hope that the other one gets the steal.

Queen Latifah: Oh, here they come. Hey.

Hi. Kayleigh: Hi.

Oh, my goodness. Hello.

I cannot believe

that I'm staring at Patti LaBelle right now.

She looks fabulous.

I just can't even believe

that I get to be in the same room as her.

I've been trying to study her game my whole life.

Stop. Lillie: Right, right.

She is just like in another level of being iconic.

Auntie Patti, how do you decide how to do a duet?

I've done a lot of duets-- Michael McDonald,

Michael Bolton, Frank Sinatra, Oak Ridge Boys.

You try not to outdo your duet partner. Kayleigh: Oh, my gosh.

That's hard, you know, Right.

because I have a big, loud mouth and it was hard

for me to keep it down.

Queen Latifah: Yeah, but then you took it up.

You didn't keep it all the way down.

[ Laughter ]

Kayleigh: That's hilarious.

Well, let's hear something.

♪ I want her long, blonde hair ♪

♪ I want her magic touch ♪

♪ Yeah, 'cause maybe then ♪

I paired Kayleigh and Lillie,

and I gave them "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town.

♪ I got a girl crush ♪

Queen Latifah: I feel like they are individuals.

They do have different styles.

And I just want to hear them bring

their fullness to this song.

♪ D-o-o-o-o-wn ♪

Sing! Ooh!

Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!

I can't believe I'm singing in front of y'all.

The harmony was beautiful.

Yes. Oh, thank you.

Thank you. But I'm going to tell you to

make sure you take your moments. Yeah.

I want to make sure I still see Lillie, Kayleigh

move in that song

because you actually are quite different.

Remind the audience of who you are in this moment.

You sing it to us right now,

but you're going to sing to them when you sing it.

So for me, it's always about

making sure you enjoy your performance,

but take your moments to the audience.

All those cameras and everybody

that's on the other side of that,

watching y'all wants to see you.

So make sure you show-- show them who you are. Both sound great.

And I would say with you, baby, to enunciate better.

Because I couldn't understand some of the words. Yes.

Okay. And same for you, Kayleigh.

I know you can go a little further if you want to.

Mm-hmm. Go there.

This song is about a woman who's heartbroken

and whose man has fallen in love with someone else.

It's heartache at its core.

I've had some bad relationships in the past

where I felt like I started to mold myself

into what those people wanted me to be, not my true self.

And it wasn't until I met my husband.

Kevin has changed not only the trajectory of my life,

but has impacted my career.

Sorry. [ Laughs ] Um...

In more ways than I can count.

Sorry. He's, um...

He's never asked me to be anything but who I am.

I think that's the whole reason

that my music has grown into what it is

and the whole reason that I'm here.

And this is even, like, for me when with--

with acting or creating a project,

we're gonna go all the way there.

We're gonna go past the line.

Give birth. Exactly. Give birth.

Give birth to that. Go and give birth.

Let it be all the things it has to be.

And sometimes people say, "Ooh, that's an ugly baby,"

but it's okay. It's mine. [ Laughter ]

I swear to you girls. I'm 82 years young. It's my baby.

I'm not going to hold in because I'm afraid of insulting someone.

What I feel in my heart that is necessary to talk about,

I talk about it and I get in trouble.

But I don't care. [ Laughs ]

Patti is a straight shooter. I feel like,

especially today, I needed to hear that.

Queen's going to be using this performance to see

if I'm going to move forward to cut week.

So I have to really bring a lot to the table today.

If I'm gonna win this, I need to show up as myself,

because if I don't make this feel like me and unique

and original, it's not gonna work.

I never hold back.

I'm never gonna hold back ever again after this.

Be yourself and listen.

And you make sure you're doing your best.

And your best is good enough. Mm-hmm.

That's all I can do. Mm-hmm.

♪ In a bottle of her perfume ♪

Queen Latifah: You know, Kayleigh-- she swayed me with

this beautiful country song she sang.

She made it feel really spiritual for me.

And Lillie-- She's got flavor. She got a swag to her.

She's doing it her way and really selling it

and making-- making us believe.

♪ I got a girl crush ♪

Queen Latifah: Just in the small time I worked with them,

they stepped up, they became more brave,

more adventurous, they tried more things.

So I need them both to, like, bring their A game.

That will kind of help show me

who's ready to kind of take it to the next level.

Yes. Ooh!

Kayleigh: That felt really good. That felt good. How did that feel?

It felt more like attached.

It was wonderful, you ladies. Yeah.

So keep leaning into that because you have

two different pockets. Yeah.

You two are two different cadences, like, you know.

So-- And yours is a little tighter.

Yours is a little looser.

It's on. And when you come back together, you're dead on.

And that's kind of cool to be able to do.

It sure is. Did you catch that?

I caught it. I like that.

Alright. It's in the can. Well done.

Thank y'all so much. Thank you guys so much.

They were both great.

I really liked that song, too. It's beautiful.

And they both did a great job.

So I don't know which one of those. I don't know.

We're going to go feed our babies.

You better feed that baby, kid. Ha!

What's up, gang? Hey!

Oh, my gosh.

You guys are gonna be so...

Y'all are gonna freak out.

Oh, my God. Oh!

Like, I can't breathe 'cause that was

the most spiritual experience of my life.

What was more nerve-wracking? The blinds or this?

This is more intimate, so like this, I get nervous.

I can't wait to talk about it after you guys know.

- Come on now. - Really?

Woman: Man!

♪ This is "The Voice" ♪

No steals have been used yet.

I think we're all just waiting for something

that we don't have on our team.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Who will win this Team Queen battle?

Kayleigh Mathews or Lillie Kolich?

[ Cheers and applause continue ]

Whoo! Let's go!

Let the battle begin.

♪ I got a girl crush ♪

♪ Hate to admit it but ♪

♪ I've got a heart rush ♪

♪ Ain't slowing down ♪

♪ I got it real bad ♪

♪ Want everything she has ♪

♪ That smile and that midnight laugh ♪

♪ She's giving you now ♪

♪ I want to taste her lips ♪

♪ Yeah, 'cause they taste like you ♪

♪ I want to drown myself in a bottle of her perfume ♪

♪ I got a girl crush ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

♪ Mmmmm ♪

♪ I don't get no sleep ♪

♪ I don't get no peace ♪

♪ Thinking about her ♪

♪ Under your bed sheets ♪

♪ I want to taste her lips ♪

♪ Yeah, 'cause they taste like you ♪

♪ I want to drown myself ♪

♪ In a bottle of her perfume ♪

♪ I want her long, blonde hair ♪

♪ I want her magic touch ♪

♪ Yeah, 'cause maybe then you'd want me just as much ♪

♪ I got a girl cru-u-u-u-u-ush ♪

Come on! ♪ I got a girl crush ♪

♪ Hate to admit it but ♪

♪ I've got a heart rush ♪

Nice. ♪ It ain't slowin' ♪

♪ Do-o-o-o-own ♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

Yeah! Yes!

That was well done.

Well, that was fun.

Where did y'all come up with your choreography?

I love that y'all came out mean mugging each other,

and then slowly, gradually fell in love as the song went on.

We fought before this, actually. Yeah.

Sometimes you got to do that. [ Laughter ]

Kayleigh, that was awesome.

I mean, you've got such a big voice

and it really kind of takes over the room.

Lillie, you did a lot of really unique stuff with your low end.

It's not going to be fun, Queen.

That's the problem when you get every

four-chair turn on your team.

You've got really talented people going against each other.

So this is on you. Riley Green.

You want everybody during the blinds.

You have to deal with this now.

Kelly: I've heard this song done a lot y'all.

That was my favorite.

Oh, my gosh. It's so gorgeous.

Don't make us cry. Thank you so much.

Kayleigh, you just have such a huge presence.

Thank you. But your range is incredible.

It was like a master class, man, and Lillie,

like, from the first time you opened your mouth,

it, like, crushed me.

You made some choice on the word "maybe." Thank you so much.

She went under it and then came back up. Yes.

That maybe broke me in, like, the best way ever. I remember that.

It was such a rad choice.

It was so breathtakingly beautiful, both of you.

I'm leaning, like, slight lean towards Kayleigh,

but you both could be in the finale.

You're both incredible.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

This song, Kayleigh, like, leans towards your sensibility,

I feel like.

You'd think that it would be to your advantage,

but in a way,

it sets the table for Lillie because it's like, okay,

well, how are we going to respond here

and do something that might be more suited for your partner?

And the answer is really amazingly well.

I think you guys both did an amazing job in your own way,

but couldn't be more different.

Music is so unbelievably subjective, so, Queen,

as far as I'm concerned, you can't really go wrong here.

I would pick maybe Lillie because she stood up

to the challenge of it not being something

that is necessarily in her wheelhouse.

You were both awesome. I'm super pumped

I don't have to choose between the two of you.

Daly: Thank you, coaches. [ Cheers and applause ]

Alright, Queen Latifah, before you tell us who won,

what did you think of the battle?

I feel honored to have been here to witness that.

That was gorgeous. Thank you so much.

In the rehearsals, you were so connected to each other

that I remember Patti telling y'all,

"People may say that's an ugly baby, but it's my baby."

[ Laughter ]

We haven't stopped saying that, by the way.

We would like it to be a T-shirt.

And let me tell you something.

You made this your baby.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Kayleigh, when you initially sang this song,

I thought you were super respectful of Lillie.

And I was like, "I hope she makes this her own."

And boy, did you rise to this occasion.

Thank you. Boy, did you make this your own.

Every time you blended together in your harmonies,

it was so spot on.

That one note you sang, Lillie, was so special to me.

Now, y'all both have completely different pockets, you know?

You're kind of more on it.

She's more riding behind the beat.

And I was like, how are they going to make this work?

Y'all made it work. Thank you.

You managed to still sound so individual,

but what a beautiful duet to sing together.

Alright, Queen, the time has come.

Don't speak to me, Carson.

Who is the winner of this battle?

[ Sighs ]

This is a really, really tough decision

because you both did such a beautiful job.

Neither one of you should go home.

The winner of today's battle...

...is Lillie. [ Cheers and applause ]

Lillie, you're moving on!

Congratulations!

They don't tell you how difficult it's going to be

to make these decisions.

It's so hard to do.

I picked Lillie because she has a flavor that's all of her own.

She sang one note today that was so special and unique.

I said, "I got to choose her."

Lillie: So grateful for Queen.

I think she sees that I'm trying

to bring something different to the table.

I'm shaking right now.

I'm obviously so happy that I won,

but I honestly am very surprised.

I didn't think I was going to.

Major choices. So beautiful.

Coaches, let me remind you

that Kayleigh is available to steal.

Kayleigh, anything you want to say to your coach?

Who cares about her?!

We got a steal! Yes!

Kelly Clarkson...

Yes!

...steals Kayleigh from Team Queen!

Queen Latifah: Thank you.

[ Cheers and applause ]

We got a second steal!

This time from Riley Green!

Hey, can I get a save here today, sweetheart?

A double steal for Kayleigh!

Whoo!

What a turn of events.

Kelly Clarkson first and then Riley right behind her.

Ooh!

We'll start with Kelly. Kelly.

Look.

I know what you're wanting to do.

He's wearing a cowboy hat.

I own cowboy hats. I just wear them at my ranch.

Not here. Okay. But here's the thing.

But here's the thing. Remember

when you thought you were going home?

The feeling you felt when you were like,

"Oh, my God, she picked me."

[ Laughter ]

And he didn't-- He didn't push his button.

Don't you want that kind of, like, I picked first.

Exactly, exactly. can-do decisiveness in a coach?

I have won a competition. [ Laughter ]

I promise you, I can do it.

Daly: Alright. You got it.

I think you should pick me.

We ought to let the fella talk now.

Thank you, Carson. I appreciate that.

Floor is mine.

[ Laughter ]

I've obviously been a huge fan of you

since your first audition, and it was a four-chair turn.

I remember pulling out any tricks I could-- duck calls,

anything I could do to try to get Adam to stop talking

and everybody to shut up.

And the reason that Adam stands in front of me

and Kelly yells is because they don't want you on my team

because they know we're going to win "The Voice."

Oh, okay, okay, okay. Oh!

And I don't blame them for that.

So I'm excited about this opportunity.

I'm glad that it worked out.

I would love for you to be on my team and let's go

win "The Voice." [ Applause ]

That's quite the pitch.

Who do you pick as your coach?

Oh, my gosh. Kelly!

[ Dramatic music plays ]

Both amazing coaches.

I would be honored to work with either of you.

♪

But for this one, I got to go...

♪

♪