Alabama’s Ryley Tate Wilson has been making his mark on “The Voice,” prompting a fight among the coaches during his “insane” blind audition and now, earning kudos for an “incredible” battle round.
Before Wilson’s battle round officially aired yet on the NBC reality series, “The Voice” released a sneak peek video that showed the teen from Montgomery singing Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary” with another contestant, Michael B. Williams. Both singers are on Niall Horan’s team during Season 23. (Watch the clip below.)
Wilson and Williams (known as Michael B. on the show) seemed evenly matched in the duet, and both received praise from the four celebrity coaches.
“That was just insane,” said Chance the Rapper. “That was one of the best performances we’ve seen in the battle rounds so far. It was incredible how you guys bounced off of each other. I loved the arrangement; I loved the lyric splits that you guys did. You guys both have so much control, and Ryley, you’re only 15? That’s crazy. ... Michael, man, you killed that.”
Kelly Clarkson described Wilson’s voice as “a broken angel,” expressing admiration for a “raspy, but beautiful, airy falsetto that is, like, insane.” Clarkson added, “Michael, I don’t know why you weren’t a four-chair turn. That was incredible, Michael. Your runs are effortless for you. ... You two should be in the finale.”
“Ryley, we all knew what to expect from you,” Blake Shelton said. “We knew it was going to be incredible. Michael, for my money, I feel like you won that battle, partly because of how comfortable you were on stage.”
Chance said he’d pick Williams as the winner of the battle, but Clarkson declined to make a choice between the two singers. The decision rests with Horan, who said it was a difficult moment for Team Niall.
“The performance from the two of you was just off the charts,” Horan said. “You sang beautifully together, the riffs, the control, the authenticity, making that song your own.”
On Monday’s episode, Horan picked Williams as the winner of the battle, but that doesn’t mean Wilson is leaving the show. He’s still on Team Niall, because Horan used his one and only “playoff pass” to keep the teen in the competition.
Wilson, as the recipient of a “playoff pass,” will now move directly to the show’s playoffs, and won’t be required to compete in the next round of the competition, known as the knockouts. It’s a vote of confidence from Horan, and a testament to the teen’s promise on the show.
Here’s how the rules work for battle rounds on “The Voice”:
Although only one winner of a battle is chosen -- and that singer moves on to a phase of the competition known as the knockouts -- it’s not a given that the other singer automatically gets sent home. All of the coaches have one “steal” during the battle rounds, allowing them to pick up a singer who’s been eliminated in a battle and place that person on their team.
Also, in a new twist for Season 23, each coach has one “playoff pass” that can be bestowed on a singer, allowing that person to stay in the competition, skip the knockouts and advance directly to a round called the playoffs. (Yes, it’s confusing, but “The Voice” is known for its tricky rules, which are meant to heighten the excitement and keep viewers on their toes.)
For the record, “The Voice” features five stages of competition: Blind auditions, battle rounds, knockouts, playoffs and live performance shows.
And bear in mind: Wilson’s not the only contestant from Alabama on the series this season. Three other singers from the state aced their blind auditions and are competing in the battle rounds: D.Smooth, Jerome Godwin III and JB Somers. Wilson and Godwin are on Team Niall; Somers and D.Smooth are on Team Kelly.
RELATED: Meet 4 Alabama singers competing on Season 23 of ‘The Voice’ (and pick your favorite to win)
D.Smooth, from Birmingham, lost his battle on Monday’s episode to teammate ALI, but his coach, Kelly Clarkson, gave D.Smooth her “playoff pass,” sending him straight to the playoffs, as well.
“He’s one of my favorite people I’ve ever had on the team, ever,” Clarkson said. “And I had to use my playoff pass on D.Smooth, because I just want him to advance. I want him to be in the finals and I want to see what he’s gonna do. He’s hungry for it, y’all. He wants it.”
Godwin and Somers have yet to be featured in the battle rounds; look for them on Tuesday’s episode as the battles continue. Once the battle rounds are finished, country star Reba McEntire will be on hand to mentor “Voice” contestants in the knockouts. (Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance.)
An NBC press release describes the knockouts this way: “Artists are paired against each other, selecting their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Coaches choose the winner and the artist not selected is available for a ‘steal.’ The pressure is on as each coach only has one ‘steal’ during this round.”
“The Voice” airs on NBC twice per week: Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT.
Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.
MORE ON “THE VOICE”:
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