A four-chair turn was eliminated by Coach Niall Horan after an intense country Knockout round performance on The Voice.
With roughly one month until a new The Voice champion is crowned, the pressure is on. During Monday night’s episode, eight of the remaining acts went head-to-head against a member of their team in hopes of advancing to the Playoffs.
Four members of each team will survive the Knockout round and advance to the Playoffs. In the Playoffs, each coach picks one artist to advance to the live shows. Viewer votes will determine which two additional artists will move on, meaning only six will make it to the Playoffs.
The latest episode pitted two country acts against each other for a coveted spot in the Playoffs.
DEK of Hearts and Kayleigh Clark, both members of Team Niall, pulled out all the stops with songs of their own choosing in hopes of impressing their coach.
DEK of Hearts, a Nashville-based trio, wowed the coaches during their Blind Audition with a stunning cover of JoDee Messina’s 1996 hit, “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” The group earned a 4-chair turn, and in one of the biggest surprises of the season, chose to join Team Niall over the obvious country choice, Reba McEntire.
Mississippi-born and raised, Kayleigh Clark also earned a 4-chair turn with her powerful performance of “Stay” by Sugarland. Following in the footsteps of DEK of Hearts, Kayleigh also shocked the coaches and viewers when she chose Team Niall over Team Reba.
For their Knockout round performance, DEK of Hearts sang “What If I Never Get Over You” by Lady A, and Kayleigh Clark stayed true to her country roots with a cover of LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue.”
The coaches praised both acts’ performances, leaving Niall with a difficult decision.
“Kayleigh, that was wonderful. LeAnn will be so proud. Your yodels were really, really perfect,” Reba said, then turned her attention to DEK of Hearts. “I grew up singing with the Singing McEntires and y’all’s harmony, and y’all aren’t even kin, is so good.”
Snoop Dogg agreed, calling DEK of Hearts’ harmonies “magic.”
Coach Niall admitted that this was the most difficult decision he’s had to make this season, saying, “This is what it looks like when two 4-chair turns get into a Knockout together.” He ultimately chose to take DEK of Hearts to the Playoffs, sending Kaleigh Clark home. His choice was based on “a feeling” and knowledge that “There’s not many vocal groups you hear these days where all three can sing.”
In addition, Niall used his Mic Drop button on the trio. The new feature allows each coach to choose one act from their team to be considered as a performer for the Tournament of Roses Parade. Once each coach has implemented their Mic Drop, the public will vote for who get the honor of singing at the legendary event.
Watch DEK of Hearts sing “What If I Never Get Over You” and Kayleigh Clark sing “Blue” in the videos below.