Blake Shelton used his personal connection to Gwen Stefani in an attempt to land a reggae singer for his team during The Voice blind auditions.
The country superstar, who has won seven out of the show’s 19 completed seasons, believed he could help advance mother of two, Pia Renee, to the finals.
The reggae singer auditioned for Blake, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Nick Jonas, with a musical style clearly out of Blake’s wheelhouse. He was intrigued enough by her talent to turn around and was the sole coach to acknowledge her talent until John spun his chair in a last-ditch effort to win Pia for his team.
In a The Voice sneak peek, Blake and John sweet-talked the contestant, using their own tactics to try and win Pia for their team to the delight of Nick and Kelly. They added their own reasons why she should pick one coach over the other.
“That was so good,” Blake said to Pia. “You were singing fast, I couldn’t even tell what was going on. This might seem like an odd pairing, but I have a lot of experience on this show.”
Nick agreed with Blake. He told Pia that picking the country crooner would be an odd choice but a good fit.
Nick’s comments were followed by some good-natured ribbing from Kelly and John, who trolled Blake on his knowledge of reggae artists.
Blake had a trick up his sleeve
Undeterred, Blake pulled out a major weapon in his arsenal, his fiancée Gwen, who merged reggae and ska music as the lead singer of No Doubt.
“Who knows, by the time this airs, Gwen Stefani, she could even be my wife!” Blake joked. He added that Gwen was “pushing out twins right now” while he was working.
John joked that it might have best benefitted Pia if Gwen were there to coach her instead of Blake.
Pia chose to be a part of Team Legend, which disappointed Blake but led to more good-natured ribbing from his fellow coaches.
“Blake trying to use the reggae/ska card was maybe the saddest display ever,” Kelly quipped. “We’re still waiting on that reggae hit from Shelton.”
What happens after the audition rounds are over?
The Blind Auditions are followed by the Battle Rounds, Knockouts, and, finally, the Live Performance Shows.
Once the teams are set, the battle is on to win the season.
The coaches will diligently work to develop their teams along with help from their celebrity advisers who will assist in the preparation of the performers for the Battle Rounds.
This season’s Battle Advisors include Grammy-Award-winning artist Luis Fonsi (Team Kelly), Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor and musician Darren Criss (Team Nick), Grammy-winning R&B singer Brandy (Team Legend), and Grammy-winning country music duo Dan + Shay (Team Blake).
Season 20 of The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.