Watch Mississippi teen win battle round on ‘The Voice’ with duet on Maren Morris song
“The Voice” contestant Hailey Green emerged victorious from the battle round after going head-to-head with teammate Lana Scott on Tuesday’s episode of the singing competition.
The 15-year-old from St. Martin, Mississippi, belted out a duet of “Girl” by Maren Morris, beating out her teammate and securing a spot in next week’s “knockouts” round.
“The thing that intrigues me about Hailey is that she’s so young and her voice is so powerful,” “Voice” coach Blake Shelton said after declaring Hailey the winner. “From a coaching standpoint, she has all the elements. She just needs to know how to approach an actual performance and have some dynamics.”
“I’m looking forward to working on those things (with her),” he added.
Fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and John Legend were equally floored by Hailey and Lana’s performance. Clarkson even compared Hailey, who plays linebacker on her high school football team, to a “cheetah” that couldn’t be tamed.
“I’m so interested in what the cheetah has to offer,” she said.
Blake agreed, later adding: “You can’t hold back the cheetah. You can’t hold her back.”
Grande said Blake had an especially tough decision when it came to choosing between the two powerhouse singers.
“You both were so amazing, and I enjoyed the different textures. It was exciting,” said Grande, the show’s newest coach. “Lana, your voice is so pure and sweet and has a totally different energy than Hailey’s — and yours is so colorful and raw and rock n’ roll. It’s not an easy thing here you’re dealing with, Blake.”
Legend said he appreciated Hailey “putting everything into every single note,” and lauded the “songbird qualities” in Lana’s tone.
In the last moment, Blake hit his button to “save” Lana from elimination, keeping both singers on his team.
“The Voice” airs at 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 1:14 PM.