Bailey Rae Praised For Her ‘Classic Country’ Tone After Performing Billy Currington Hit On ‘The Voice’

18-year-old Bailey Rae impressed The Voice coaches with her cover of Billy Currington’s 2010 hit, “Let Me Down Easy” during…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

November 23, 2020

8:22 pm

Bailey Rae; Photo Courtesy The Voice

18-year-old Bailey Rae impressed The Voice coaches with her cover of Billy Currington’s 2010 hit, “Let Me Down Easy” during the Knockouts on Monday evening (Nov. 23).

The Oklahoma native shared insight into her song choice while working on her performance with coach John Legend and Mega Mentor Usher.

“This song is about taking a leap of faith in love. I personally compare it to taking a leap in life,” she explained, going on to share that she was a senior in high school when she got the official call to join The Voice.

“Country music is something that is connected to the soul. This is your opportunity to introduce who you are as a country artist,” Usher told her.

Bailey Rae competed against fellow Team Legend member Lauren Frihauf.

#TeamLegend‘s @baileyraemusic & @LibraLauren deliver #VoiceKnockouts perfection. 🎶 pic.twitter.com/4bh2ltoj0B

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) November 24, 2020

Kelly Clarkson couldn’t contain her excitement over Bailey Rae’s song selection.

“I love, love, love, love your song choice,” she told her. “You are the reason why I will be covering that on my show.” (In case you missed it Clarkson fulfilled her promise to cover “Let Me Down Easy” today on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

After her performance, Blake Shelton told Legend that it was a “dirty trick by The Voice Gods that she ended up on your team.”

“Bailey, you have clarity, you have range, you have that little dip in your voice. It just sounds like classic country music,” Legend complimented.

It all came down to Legend, who had to select a team member to advance to the next round.

“Both of you are remarkable talented women,” he said. “The winner of this knockout is Bailey.”

Bailey Rae is the first-ever country artist to join Team Legend.

“I’m so excited to continue working with John,” she gushed. “Even though we’re in different genres, we are still connected through music.”

Click above to watch.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.