Blake Shelton And Grace West Unite During ‘The Voice’ Finale To Peform ‘Lonely Tonight’
The sentimental song appears on Blake Shelton’s eighth studio album, “Bringing Back The Sunshine.”
Blake Shelton and Grace West teamed up for one final performance during The Voice finale on Tuesday evening (May 23).
The season 23 finalist and her coach joined forces to perform “Lonely Tonight,” a collaboration that originally features Shelton and Ashley Monroe.
Throughout the performance, Shelton and West matched each other’s energy and undeniable talent as they effortlessly traded off singing the opening lines before coming together to belt out the powerful chorus.
“We don’t have to be lonely tonight / Need you, want you, I’m right here / We don’t have to be lonely tonight / I know we shouldn’t, but I don’t care / I don’t wanna be right, I don’t wanna be strong / I just wanna hold you till the heart breaks stone / When the sun comes up, we can both move on / But we don’t have to be lonely tonight,” Shelton and West sang together in perfect harmony while commanding the brightly-lit stage.
Co-written Brent Anderson and Ryan Hurd and produced by Scott Hendricks, “Lonely Tonight” appears on Blake Shelton’s eighth studio album, Bringing Back The Sunshine.
This performance followed West’s emotional delivery of Patsy Cline’s “She’s Got You” during night one of The Voice Season 23 finale. On Monday, May 22, West donned a shimmery, floor-length gown and brilliantly made the chart-topping hit of 1962 her own.
As her voice boomed throughout the packed audience, West confidently connected with the song’s message of accepting heartbreak following a love that left nothing but a memory.
“I’ve got your class ring / That proved you cared / And it still looks the same / As when you gave it, dear / The only thing different / The only thing new / I’ve got these little things / She’s got you,” she sang in the chorus that caused Shelton to sway in approval.
After receiving a standing ovation from her mentor, the budding female songstress first heard from Niall who claimed that she saved her “best two performances of the season for tonight.”
“You’ve really grown into it and we’ve seen the best of you tonight for sure,” he continued. “Some of the stuff that you were doing there, the jump between the top of your range and the bottom was just insane. It’s so hard to do, especially coming from top to bottom. That was so impressive. Two beautiful songs. I love that song.”
Shelton then chimed in as he said, “I feel like a finale just broke out here. Like, this is unbelievable. I’ve been sitting here watching all of this tonight going, ‘man, everybody sounds really good. Everybody’s great. Like, how’s anybody gonna pick?’ And then you just did that and now people are starting to pick out there. That was unbelievable, Grace. Congratulations.”
Earlier on in the night, the Team Blake Shelton kicked things off with an upbeat performance of Reba McEntire’s “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.” Wearing a fiery-red pantsuit, West showed a new side to her artistry as she took Shelton’s advice and sang the track in her “full voice.”
“I grew up on that song. I love hearing you sing. We’ve never heard you sing this kind of song before,” Kelly Clarkson said in response. “You have pretty falsetto, but you also have a lot of power.”
“This season has been such a short season,” Shelton added. “We haven’t gotten to see the artists do everything they can do, but I thought it was really important and a good move for you to do something up-tempo… the way you were able to flow through it and play with it in the pocket a little bit towards the end, it was incredible!”
The two-hour season finale also featured performances from Maroon 5, Toosi, CeeLo Green, as well as Diplo featuring Lily Rose, and more.
In addition, Blake Shelton joined forces with NOIVAS and Grace West, while Kelly Clarkson took to The Voice stage with D. Smooth. Niall Horan performed alongside Gina Miles and Chance The Rapper harmonized with the trio, Sorelle.
The show also included special appearances from John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Jonas, Usher, Pharrell Williams and Dolly Parton.
It was surely an emotional evening as the show marked Blake Shelton final show as a coach on The Voice.
The Voice aired on Tuesday (May 23) at 9/8c via NBC.
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.
You may also like
Country Next
Playlist
On Repeat
Get the latest country music news delivered straight to your inbox.
