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Reba McEntire had to choose between two artists who could “be a great duo” during the latest Knockout rounds on The Voice.
Team Reba’s Aaron Nichols and Cori Kennedy took the stage with powerful renditions of “Hurricane” by The Band of Heathens and Lady Gaga’s “Yoü and I,” respectively. McEntire said before the Knockout performances, “Aaron and Cori…are totally different in their inflections. Cori’s got great range, as Aaron has great range. I mean, they’d be a great duo, to tell you the truth.” Both country singers earned praise from coaches Michael Bublé, Niall Horan and Snoop Dogg, in addition to McEntire.
“Cori, you are a powerhouse. When you hit the stage, everybody knows you mean business. And Aaron, all your hours in Nashville performing has paid off ‘cause you are a seasoned veteran up on the stage. You both are so good. I’m so proud to have you on my team,” McEntire said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a save or a steal.”
McEntire selected the winner of the Knockout round, and used her Mic Drop, a feature that nominates an artist for the opportunity to perform at the Rose Parade. Each coach gets one Mic Drop during the Knockout Rounds.
“I love to encourage,” McEntire said of The Voice in an interview with iHeartCountry earlier this year. “I can’t tell anybody, ‘Don’t do this. Go get a job. You’re not suited for this.’ But the way that we get to do the – I don’t say critique – advice, it’s helpful advice. It’s not tear-down. We want to lift up. We want to inspire. We want to encourage, not tear down. They get enough of that out there in the world.”
Watch the two performances here, and scroll below to find out which artist won the Knockout round (warning: spoiler).
Cori Kennedy
“The winner of this knockout round is Aaron,” McEntire declared. “I chose Aaron to move forward because he knows his lane, he’s very powerful in his lane and he says in it.”
Horan agreed that Nichols’ performance was “so powerful,” and “so captivating.”
“You’re perfect for the Rose Parade,” McEntire told Nichols. “Congratulations. I’m so proud of you.”
