‘The Voice': Blake Shelton Blocks Gwen Stefani Over 15-Year-Old Singer [Watch]
Blake Shelton insisted he was not going to turn around for another artist during Monday night's (Oct. 3) edition of Season 22’s The Voice. But he did just that. The country star couldn't help but hit his red button for 15-year-old Ansley Burns of South Carolina.
Burns, who stands up to about Shelton’s shoulders, performed a rousing rendition of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody,” later recorded by LeAnn Rimes. Her youthful vocals and incredible knack for being able to focus on each lyric moved Gwen Stefani first. She turned to look at her country hubby and yelled out the words, “I like her vibrato!”
Stefani’s opinion on Burns’ didn’t convince Shelton to hit his red button right away, but he turned around once the singer held onto a long note. Stefani, of course, followed suit. But before the husband and wife could duel it out, Shelton used his "block" on his wife.
“My husband blocked me, so I can’t be your coach,” Stefani told Burns. “But I am super happy for you because Blake is one of the greatest guys in the whole world, and your tone it’s so pretty. I think that because you’re so young and you have so much growing to do, Blake is going to help you with that.”
“I gotta tell you I literally used my block on my wife,” Shelton told the singer. “Ansley, you’re stuck with me. I’m sorry, I’m your coach, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Though Burns is only a teenager, she has some ties to country music. Earlier in the show, she told viewers her grandfather once recorded with Hank Williams Sr. She also shared a clip of her singing along with a song by Carrie Underwood as a small child.
“I started singing when I was about two or three,” Burns explained. “When I was 11 years old, we were going to a football game, and a Carrie Underwood song, ‘Cry Pretty,’ came on the radio. I didn’t know this, but my mom took a video of me singing this song and posted it on Facebook. Somehow Carrie Underwood tweeted and said, ‘Watch out for this girl.’ I was freaking out.”
Perhaps Burns’ journey to stardom will mimic that of her idol Underwood, who found fame on a televised sing-off show. Only time will tell. Be sure to tune into another round of blind auditions when The Voice returns Tuesday (Oct. 4) on NBC.