‘The Voice': Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson Battle it Out Again
Night Five of the Blind Auditions on The Voice Season 16 rolled right in on Monday (March 11), and viewers were treated to watching coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend put finishing touches on their growing teams.
Some of the best moments tend to come when Shelton and Clarkson—who are both fond of country music—battle it out for promising country-oriented hopefuls.
An amusing example of this happened when Abby Kasch, a 20-year-old from Illinois who took the stage with a fiery Gretchen Wilson cover and broke all hell loose between the coaches.
Kasch explained that her musical roots started pretty early. "When I was 12 years old, my parents and I were at a restaurant and there was a band," she related, noting that with her parents' encouragement, she got up and sang with the band, and found herself with an invitation to return.
That led to a definitive path, but it wasn't always smooth. "High school was awkward, and it was weird. I'm gigging on the weekend, and I'm not going to, like, high-school parties that everyone's going to. So I could not wait to graduate," she told the coaches. "Right out of high school, I moved to Nashville, and it was very hard to leave my family. I had to find as many jobs as I could just to be able to pay my bills. I worked at sandwich shops and clothing stores and restaurants and bars."
Despite all this: "I just felt like I fit in way more," she admitted. "I just really flourished and became the person I really wanted to be."
Nashville clearly fueled her performance, the MuzikMafia-approved "Here For the Party." Clarkson was clearly charmed, asking if the singer was a fan of "ballsy country." The coach coaxed Kasch, pleading "I’ve sang with a lot of country singers. Like two of the greatest -- Reba and Tricia. If you want to work with me, I would be more than elated."
Shelton remained fairly cool, simply noting "I have to turn around out of respect when I love something and I'm into it."
Perhaps he was too confident as the reigning country coach choice, as Kasch ended up picking Clarkson, citing "It's a girl thing, and you're just so feminine and woman power."
"I did not think that was gonna happen," squealed an ecstatic Clarkson. "Damn it! Thank you. Winning something from Blake is better than winning the lottery!"
Tune in weekly as we follow the Voice team builds, with a focus on country music offerings!
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