‘The Voice’ Hopeful’s Kacey Musgraves Cover Inspires Blake Shelton to Bring a Goat Onstage [Watch]
The Voice hopeful Kate Kalvach brought her cover of Kacey Musgraves' "Rainbow" to the season premiere of the show on Monday night (Sept. 19), and impressed the coaches' panel so much that three of them wound up fighting over who got to bring her onto their team.
During Kalvach's performance, it seemed as if no chairs might turn at all. As she sang, the conversation on the other side of the panel was buzzing — "I like her," said Camila Cabello, with Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani also nodding their approval — but it wasn't until the final high note of the song that Cabello officially turned her chair around, with Stefani and Shelton quickly following suit.
"If you could've seen the conversations happening back here while you were singing — it was like, 'Oh, she's real good,'" Shelton told Kalvach after she finished singing. And while the three coaches were hesitant to turn their chairs at first, once they did, it turned into an all-out three-way battle for Kalvach that featured a mute button and even a goat.
Predictably, most of the hijinks came from Shelton. As Cabello, the first coach to turn, made her case, Shelton muted her microphone, and then kept muting mics as Cabello used first Kalvach's mic, then coach John Legend's, in her attempt to win the contestant over.
"I loved your tone. I loved the falsetto. I was like, 'This could be the secret weapon on my team,'" Cabello said, once she was finally able to speak into a working microphone. "... I think we're perfect for each other."
Stefani made a strong case for Kalvach joining her team, too, especially since the rising singer told the coaches that she wants to sing pop music, but likes to blend pop with country. As a pop superstar who's married to Shelton — who has put out two No. 1 country duets with him — Stefani knows plenty about straddling those genres.
"I don't think we've had anyone this season that can go in and out of their chest and head voice that flawlessly," Stefani added. "... I think it's one of these things where we can blend all these styles together and find your own style, so I would love to work with you. Welcome to Team Gwen!"
Then it was time for Shelton to speak his piece, though Cabello threw in some snark beforehand — "You can't pick Blake because he might mute you," she deadpanned — but Shelton had a couple of secret weapons. For one thing, he and Kalvach hail from the same home state of Oklahoma. For another, he brought a goat, with a sign reading "Blake" around its neck, to the side of the stage to woo Kalvach to his team.
Though the goat ultimately chose not to walk out onstage, Shelton's point was clear. "What he's trying to tell you is that he's the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of All Time] of the voice," Legend said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Kate, who do you pick as your coach?" Shelton concluded with a laugh.
"Blake was my first choice, but he didn't even fight for me," Kalvach said on the stage, as dramatic music played and the coaches' panel awaited her decision. To sweeten the deal, Shelton leaned hard into their shared hometown roots.
"You are my Oklahoma City girl!" he replied. "I live in Tishimingo, Okla.! There is an NBC affiliate in Oklahoma City, KFOR, Channel 4. Imagine how exciting it'll be in our home state of Oklahoma on Channel 4 if you choose me as your coach and everybody gets behind you. You cannot separate us fellow Okies!"
To find out which coach Kalvach selected, tune in on Tuesday night (Sept. 20) to catch part two of the season premiere of The Voice.