The Voice Battle Round Preview: 14 Singers To Watch [VIDEO and INTERVIEW] 

The Blind Auditions of The Voice are over, which makes me a bit sad because the chemistry of the coaches seemed to work from the first second season 4 started. No worries, because I almost always love the Battle Round. First of all, it’s here you really get a sense of who has the best voices. And I love the fact that while the contestants are vying against each other, this is also a duet so they have to work together too. The coaches bring other celebrity mentors in as well so that’s fun. And what’s even more fun? The coaches get to utilize the steal option. That helps raise the stakes big time.

But before this next phase of The Voice starts, here are 14 singers to watch out for — they are among our favorites, so far. TV Goodness got the chance to participate in press calls with some of the singers:

Christian Porter

Blind Audition Song: LMFAO “Sexy and I Know It”
Team: Blake Shelton
Assessment: He busted out “Sexy and I Know It” and was weird and quirky and good. I didn’t expect that performance to come from him. I want to see how he’s going to do performing other songs. He has to be good. He sings cover tunes for a living.

Christian talks about where he got the arrangement for his version of “Sexy and I Know It”:

The version was influenced by a YouTube star by the name of Noah Guthrie. And I didn’t necessarily steal it from him in any way, I took his version and I covered his version. A lot of people might say that I stole the version and in the (end run) it’s – I didn’t cover LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It,” I covered Noah Guthrie’s version of “Sexy and I Know It.” And that’s where the whole concept of the song came. But I really took it into my hands in a way and really worked with the band and definitely made it my own.

Savannah Berry

Team: Blake Shelton
Blind Audition Song: Taylor Swift “Safe and Sound”
Assessment: She’s 17 but her voice is sick. She sang Swift’s single off the Hunger Games soundtrack and did it beautifully. I get why The Voice producers saved her for last the night she performed. She killed it. And Blake’s the perfect coach to guide her.

Savannah talks about her vocal training

Well, I started taking vocal lessons when I was about 13 and that’s kind of when I really decided that music is the career that I wanted to pursue. And I started just performing around, like, local coffee shops and everything and I definitely love to sing country. And I think something that people can expect later in the show is I really enjoy taking songs that aren’t country or as pop songs and really putting kind of a country twist on it. So I’m really excited to see what people think about that.

Caroline Glaser

Blind Audition Song: Elton John “Tiny Dancer”
Team: Blake Shelton
Assessment: She country-fied Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and she did a good job with it. Her voice is a little bit different and I liked it. Plus, she’s from St. Louis like I am. So I’m a little biased. But her voice was so low-key, I’m wondering if she’ll be able to hold up to some of the other voices in the competition.

Caroline talks about her time on The Voice so far

It’s been absolutely insane. I still haven’t really completely wrapped my head around it. But it’s been absolutely life-changing already. I cant really believe I’m here. It’s been amazing.

Grace Askew

Blind Audition Song: Nancy Sinatra “These Boots are Made for Walkin’”
Team: Blake Shelton
Assessment: She’s just a cool customer singing her “bluntry” for the whole world. I instantly liked her and could see her actually make it as an artist someday. Like Shakira said, she does have an edge to her and she has tons of experience. It’s going to be fun to see what she does as she goes on to the next level.

Jeff Lewis

Blind Audition Song: Usher “U Got it Bad”
Team: Usher
Assessment: He made Usher’s “U Got it Bad” his own. Loved his spin on the song. It took guts and he scored big. In fact, he scored a spot on Usher’s team. Good choice.

Jeff on singing “U Got it Bad” for Usher

It was nerve-wracking. It was a choice that [was] either going to get me in big trouble or end me up on his team. So that’s the way, one way or the other. But I like to take songs and kind of change them and I played acoustic on it. So I thought it was different enough from his version. I wasn’t trying to be him. He’s one of my influences. I thought it was a good mix of taking it and breaking it down on acoustic. I thought I changed it enough so I wasn’t biting and hopefully he appreciated it. I felt confident in it, but you never know. It could have backfired.

Ryan Innes

Blind Audition Song: John Mayer “Gravity”
Team: Usher
Assessment: He sings with soul and could be one of the performers that’ll be there at the end. Usher was definitely the way to go for him. I feel like he’ll sail through the Battle Round and people will fall in love with him in the Live phase of this competition.

On what Ryan hopes Usher will bring out in him

I’m used to sitting behind a piano. I’m used to playing in that scenario, so I’m not really up and about and on a stage and working an audience in that type of environment. So he obviously has some chops in that department and I really hope that he can help me discover a little bit more of what it’s like to work an audience as Ryan Innes not behind a piano.

Jessica Childress

Blind Audition Song: Bruno Mars “Marry You”
Team: Usher
Assessment: Everything about her is fierce. She’s got a bit of a rasp to her voice when she really wants to and she can belt tunes big time. She’s the perfect singer that Usher needed. She instantly became one of his powerful weapons. Childress is adorable in every sense. Looove her. 

Michelle Chamuel

Blind Audition Song: Katy Perry “I Kissed a Girl”
Team: Usher
Assessment: This nerdycool singer is simply memorable. She has a unique look, a unique sound and she’s positively a demon on stage. She became one of my favorites from note one.

Michelle on choosing Usher

When I first got up there, honestly, I was like, if Adam turns early, I’m going to pick him. And so [I] did have this plan…they all started talking and it wasn’t really a logical thing that made me pick Usher, it was just a really intense clear gut feeling that it just – it was, like, almost like a hand inside my gut pointing toward Usher just like a pull. And I was like, all right, I’m learning to trust myself and if I could ever hear that voice loud and clear it’s now. So, definitely a gut thing. I mean, he’s amazing.

Monique Abbadie

Blind Audition Song: Shakira “Loca”
Team: Shakira
Assessment: She’s Shakira’s best shot at winning this thing. She took on a difficult song and she nailed it. She has experience on the stage having starred in Sábado Gigante. She has stage presence, the voice, the looks and now she’s got Shakira as a coach. It’s going to be a great combination since she sang one of Shakira’s songs and blew that coach away. It was one of my favorite moments of the blind auditions, actually. It didn’t hurt that she was kind of crushin’ on Usher too.

Monique on whether it was always her intention to go with Shakira

Always from the beginning, ever since I knew that Shakira was going to be a coach I inclined more towards her because of the fact that I am a fan of hers, I’ve been a fan since I was a very little girl. But, yes, there was never a doubt in my mind that I would go with her. But, I mean, of course, being in front of such amazing artists, such as Usher and Adam and Blake  – it kind of does go through your mind what if, what if. But, no, I would never let my girl down, I love Shakira and I’m so glad to be on her team.

Judith Hill

Blind Audition Song: Christina Aguilera “What a Girl Wants”
Team: Adam
Assessment: She’s just fierce. A big voice. A great look. She sang Christina Aguilera and tore it up. It was not a shock that all four judges turned around for her and it was not a shock that she closed the first night of Blind Auditions. They saved the best for last. She was Adam’s only get on that premiere edition of the fourth season of The Voice and he still made out better than any of his fellow coaches.

Judith on whether she’s sad or relieved she didn’t get to sing “What a Girl Wants” for Voice Coach Christina Aguilera

Kind of a little bit of both. I would’ve loved for her to be there, but I would’ve been really worried because I’d be like, ‘Oh, maybe she doesn’t like my version.’ She’s thinking, ‘Oh, you messed up my song.’ So I’m kind of like a little relieved, but I love Christina and I think she’s an amazing vocalist. So, at the same time, I would love for her to be there. So I don’t know, I’m a little torn. It was intimidating to sing – to cover a big song like that.

Midas Whale

Blind Audition Song: Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”
Team: Adam
Assessment: I like their name. They sound good as a duo. I don’t like that Jon Peter Lewis made it to the top ten of American Idol and is now on this show. But I want to see what these guys do in the Battle Round. They’re Adam’s first duo ever. That has to mean something.

Former Idol Jon Peter Lewis on having all four judges turn around for Midas Whale

It’s really validating, you know? I mean, it’s kind of one of these things where you’re up there and you’re singing and you’re doing your thing. And I remember just having like at first, you know, when I started singing and no one was turning, I mean, I was having like this mini panic attack and thinking oh great this is going to be the worst night of my life. And then suddenly, Usher turns around and then by the time they had all four turned around I just – it was overwhelming, validating, it was a phenomenal feeling.

Sarah Simmons

Blind Audition Song: Joan Osborne’s “One of Us”
Team: Adam
Assessment: For some reason, I was ready to write her off. But she showed me. She was really strong. I loved what she did with the Joan Osborne tune. There’s no reason why she shouldn’t survive the Battle Round. There are only a handful of other competitors that could really take her on and give her a massive challenge. Let’s hope she doesn’t have to face any of them this coming week. 

Warren Stone

Blind Audition Song: Zac Brown Band “Colder Weather”
Team: Adam
Assessment: He’s country yet he chose Team Adam even though Blake did turn his chair around for him. That means he has Blake’s approval. He’s got a great voice but I feel like he has even more to offer. And that’s exciting.

Warren talks about what it’s going to take for a pure country artist to win The Voice

Me, personally, I would say being true. Country music fans, they can — if you’re being fake — they will weed you out and rake you over the coals. I’ve lived these songs 110% and I felt that, even the younger country artists, they believe in this. And I said it in an old video that country is – it’s a way of life. It’s just who you are, you know, it’s engraved in your mind and you bleed it and that’s all you know is being country. So I feel that if the country artists are true to their self and they don’t put on a front just for the TV show and don’t try to be somebody you’re not, just be yourself and that’s going to be nothing but just catapult us country artists to where we need to be.

Sasha Allen

Blind Audition Song: Dixie Chicks “Not Ready to Make Nice”
Team: Adam
Assessment: Picking a country song was a really brave choice for her. I didn’t know the song so I didn’t think I’d dig it as much as I did. This backup singer got everyone to turn around for her. And she chose Adam as a coach. Wise move. She’s definitely one of the ones to beat.

Sasha on whether backup singers (and former Voice contestants) Jermaine Paul and Amanda Brown played a part in her coming on the show

I actually know both of them very well, they’re very good friends of mine. I think watching Amanda was really encouraging. I found that people are really appreciating what she has to offer and that hopefully they’ll appreciate what I have to offer as well. So absolutely, they both did. And different friends in the industry really pushed and said that this is the way it’s going. You know, do a live show where people can really see what you’ve got.

Others on my watch list:

Team Blake’s The Morgan Twins, Danielle Bradbery and The Swon Brothers
Team Usher’s Josiah Hawley and Taylor Beckham
Team Shakira’s Mark Andrew, Brandon Roush and Luke Edgemon

As usual, I’m Team Adam until one of the other coaches can sway me their way. And I’m hoping one of the celeb coaches has their contestants dual/duet Pink/Fun’s Nate Ruess song “Just Give Me a Reason.” The Battle Round of NBC’s The Voice begins tonight at 8/7c.

A Sneak Peek of one of tonight’s battles