Monday night's (March 6) premiere of The Voice featured auditions from plenty of strong country singers, and a contestant named Holly Brand brought out a Faith Hill classic. She performed Hill's 2005 single "Mississippi Girl," and the coaches were swept away.
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Kelly Clarkson was the first to choose the Mississippi native, hitting her button to turn her chair on one of Brand's first notes. Brand confidently sang the tune, hitting all the high notes with ease and even adding her own riffs and flair in the process. This clearly impressed coach Niall Horan, who was the next coach to turn. Chance the Rapper also turned his chair before the singer finished the song with an extra high whistle note in the final chorus.
Although Blake Shelton was listening intently for the entire performance, he neglected to turn his chair -- a move that Clarkson simply couldn't believe. She approached his chair immediately after the performance and asked, "What is wrong with you?"
Brand introduced herself, sharing that she's from Meridian, Mississippi. The judges then shared their thoughts, and Horan said Brand reminds him of his "good friend," country star Maren Morris.
"I've spent a lot of time in the states over the years and become very, very fond of country music," he adds. "Country always leads into storytelling, and I tend to do that. Your voice, the control was just unbelievable."
Chance also complimented Brand's performance, saying she has "crazy control" of her voice.
Clarkson compared Brand to a couple of country superstars — Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood — and made her case for the 22-year-old to join her team.
"We don't have that kind of voice in right now in country music, and I'm such a fan. I grew up on it, and I definitely know a hell of a lot more than these two," she said, pointing to Chance and Horan. "Since Blake's deaf, you can win with me!"
Before choosing a coach, Brand turned her attention to Shelton to share a sweet story. She revealed that she opened for the country star when she was 10 years old, and she brought a photo of her young self with Shelton from the special day.
"That concert was the moment that I realized I wanted to be an artist," she said.
After the coaches gathered around to see the photo, Shelton had one parting word for Brand: "I would choose Niall."
In the end, Brand chose to join Clarkson's team, and she will forge ahead to the next round of the competition as a member of Team Kelly.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
