Claws Are Coming Out on Season 21 of ‘The Voice,’ Recap the Feisty Judge Feuds
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
The Voice Season 21 is the gift that keeps on giving. The second episode started out with all of the coaches giving coffee bribes to Ariana Grande to not push her button. It was the most hilarious way to kick off a night full of intense arguments between them. The talent this year is next level and the pressure is on.
Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton Fight for Lana Scott on ‘The Voice’
The night kicked off with a heated battle between Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton to get Lana Scott on their teams. The country artist from Virginia always knew that she wanted to be a singer. Her performance of “hole in the bottle” by Kelsea Ballerini was the perfect song choice for her. This performance was tailormade to capture Shelton’s attention.
Shelton turned his chair which was destined to happen. Clarkson also turned her chair. “That is country,” Shelton declared multiple times after the performance. He proceeded to say that Lana has “that whiny country thing that we just don’t hear anymore.” This sounds like a weird comment to make about someone’s voice but he meant it in the best way possible.
Clarkson said that Lana has a “really cool stylized country sound.” Grande and John Legend actually walked off the set because Shelton and Clarkson would not stop talking. They snacked on little cups of popcorn backstage. I also used this part of the episode as my snack break. Shelton boasted that he has won the show more than twice as many times with country artists than Clarkson has. Has anyone fact-checked this statistic?
They were essentially fighting over who was more country. This is a battle that Shelton will win every time. Lana went with Team Blake. Surprise, surprise. Shelton is going to rub this in Clarkson’s face forever. So far, he has landed a handful of great standout singers on his team to give everyone else a run for their money.
Samuel Harness Has the Perfect Raspy Sound
Samuel Harness is a 26-year-old artist from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was adopted along with all of his siblings. He spoke about having a slight sense of abandonment which caused him to act out towards his adoptive parents. When he was 18, he reached out to his birth mom. The experience was “extremely mind-boggling” for him. His vulnerability was so inspiring.
Samuel is now a father to a 4-year-old son. He performed “Here Without You.” It was full of soul and soft rock vibes. Legend turned his chair followed by Shelton and Grande. When Grande asked if he sang country music, Samuel said “oh no.” His musical influences are Bruno Mars, Lewis Capaldi, and Ed Sheeran. Shelton was totally doomed.
Legend complimented his vibrato and rasp for being so “unique and interesting.” Samuel’s ability to emote so much during the song made this performance one of the big highlights of the night. He chose to join Team John. Legend also scored big time with artist Joshua Vacanti who sang “Into the Uknown.” He blocked Grande during this performance.
This block felt illegal. Grande is a Broadway and musical theater lover. She turned and was totally shook that she got blocked. Welcome to The Voice Season 21! Joshua landed on Legend’s team by default. He loves theater, gospel, and pop. It’s clear that his heart connected more to Grande. Legend knew that he needed to block Grande if he wanted Joshua on his team. It was a fantastic tactic by Legend.
Shelton Secured One Powerhouse Artist But Missed Out on Another
Hailey Green auditioned back in Season 19. Shelton had told her she needed just one more year of experience. The 15-year-old high school football player is back for her second shot. She shaved the side of her head, got her nose pierced, and got a tattoo. Hailey is grateful she had the time to work on herself as an artist. This time around, Hailey performed “Home.”
Shelton hit his button at the very last second, making Hailey a member of Team Blake. Unfortunately, Shelton missed out big time when it came to Jim and Sasha Allen. They are an awesome father-son singing duo. Jim put together a bluegrass band in college. He became a music teacher once he had children. Sasha began playing guitar at the age of 6. Sasha was born female and transitioned to male.
Their harmonies in “Leaving On A Jet Plane” literally sounded like one person and were so in sync. Clarkson and Grande both turned their chairs. I will bet that Jim and Sasha are going to make it to the live shows on Season 21 of The Voice. Sasha had a gift for Shelton, a drawing of the trio together. It was kind of awkward that Shelton did not turn his chair. He seriously missed out. Grande was able to lock them down on her team while Clarkson scored Gymani, another dynamite artist.
