Blind Auditions continued on Monday night’s (March 4) episode of The Voice, complete with twists, turns and shocking decisions from both the show’s coaches and its superstar-in-the-making contestants.
One of those surprise twists worked out in coach Reba McEntire‘s favor. She turned her chair for a Mississippi-born singer named Asher HaVon who grew up singing in church and showcased an expert sensibility for gospel runs and stage presence. In addition to all that spine-tingling soul, he brought pop glitz and glamor to his performance of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” — after turning her chair, McEntire even described this contestant as the total package.
But she had some competition when it came to actually wooing HaVon over to her team. Dan + Shay also turned their chair, and Shay Mooney pointed out that they actually had a sweet personal connection to HaVon: He shares a first name with Mooney’s oldest son, Asher.
Even more serious a threat was Chance the Rapper, who was the first coach to turn his chair for HaVon, hitting his button when the young singer was just a few bars into his audition.
“I instantly turned around ’cause I could tell you’re trying to win this competition, and you should. Everything that you did was phenomenal,” Chance raved. “Like, it was next level. I was blown away by it.”
As HaVon weighed his options, Chance seemed like the frontrunner: The singer’s family members, cheering him on from the sidelines, even started chanting “Chance! Chance! Chance!” to show which option they were pulling for.
But the talented young singer threw a curveball: “Chance, I really love you. I really do, I really do. But I gotta choose Reba,” he said, as McEntire clapped her hands and hopped out of her chair in excitement.
It’s not clear exactly what made HaVon pick McEntire — maybe he was just drawn to working with a legendary vocal powerhouse — though if you look closer at his wide-brimmed hat and leopard print sleeve cuffs, it seems entirely possible this singer might have a country side we haven’t seen yet.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes