Blake Shelton noticed. Kelly Clarkson noticed. Ariana Grande noticed, too.
Alabama’s Berritt Haynes has abundant talent as a singer, and he proved that on Tuesday’s episode of “The Voice.”
Haynes, 19, impressed three celebrity coaches on the NBC reality series with his cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow.” The teen from Pell City was competing in the Battle Rounds, performing a duet with another contestant on Season 21, Kaitlyn Velez.
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Haynes’ duet with Velez was trimmed to a brief clip -- what’s up with that, “Voice” producers? -- but one thing came through loud and clear: “He was wailing.” That was Grande’s reaction to Haynes’ performance, and the pop superstar even sang a few bars of “Yellow” to emphasize what she meant.
“His tone was cool,” Clarkson agreed. “Yeah, I thought that was good.”
Shelton, who chose Haynes for Team Blake -- and selected him as the winner of the Battle -- also offered kudos.
“This competition is going to push you to the edge, you know, and Berritt, way to step up to the plate, dude,” Shelton said. Later, the country star elaborated on his decision: “Berritt had such an incredible performance. There was just no way to not recognize that and hand him the victory.”
Viewers in Alabama haven’t seen much of Haynes on the show this season. Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance, and thus far, neither performance by the teen has aired in full. (Haynes’ Blind Audition for the coaches, covering “Mercy” by Brett Young, was part of a montage on the Sept. 28 episode.)
Let’s hope Haynes gets more screen time as he moves to the next phase of the competition: The Knockouts. He’ll be paired with another contestant from Team Blake, performing solo but vying for the coach’s favor. After both singers perform, Shelton will chose a winner. If Haynes survives elimination, he’ll compete for viewer votes in the live Playoffs. Ed Sheeran will be on hand to offer tips and advice to all contestants in the Knockouts, serving as a “Mega Mentor.”
“I cannot believe this dream of mine is coming true!!” Haynes said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. @kaitlynvelez you are absolutely awesome and so talented. ... I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you!! @blakeshelton Thank you for believing in me and being such an inspiration I really appreciate it!! And to all of my friends and family. I don’t know what I would do without y’all!!”
Here’s Haynes’ biographical info from “The Voice” website:
“Berritt spent his early childhood playing every sport, but sadly at 8 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart condition. It was discovered that Berritt had HCM, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and has to beat harder to compensate for normal blood flow. Doctor’s orders forced him to give up on sports, but luckily his parents enrolled him in guitar lessons and music quickly became his saving grace. Berritt started to blossom as an artist, but at 17, he had to undergo open-heart surgery to save his life. Make-A-Wish was going to allow Berritt to meet ‘The Voice’ coaches, but the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined that opportunity. Berritt decided to audition instead and made it to ‘The Voice’ stage on talent alone.”
Haynes is the only singer from Alabama on “The Voice” this season. He’s following in the footsteps of Emma Caroline Warren, Dexter Roberts, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Kirk Jay, Red Marlow, Josie Jones, Worth the Wait and other “Voice” contestants from Alabama who’ve competed on the show as members of Shelton’s teams.
Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice” during the show’s 10-year history, but three singers from our state have made the finals: Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13.
If you watch: “The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. CT on NBC.