Blake Shelton Declares, ‘That Is Country,’ After Lana Scott Covers Kelsea Ballerini On ‘The Voice’

The Blind Auditions continued on the second night of The Voice premiere on Tuesday evening, and country singer Lana Scott’s cover of Kelsea Ballerini had coaches Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson fighting for her to join their teams. 

Scott, a native of Chesapeake, Virginia who now resides in Pasadena, California, earned a two-chair turn with her performance of Ballerini’s chart-topping hit, “Hole In The Bottle.” Sporting a denim dress and knee-high boots Scott showcased her country twang while commanding the stage. 

“That is country!” Shelton exclaimed as she ended her performance.

“I can’t put a value on your tone,” Shelton gushed. ”You have that whiny country thing that we just don’t hear anymore, and the fact that you have so much energy and so much personality on stage, my God, thank you for coming to this show.”

Clarkson was equally impressed. 

“I love your sound, it kind of reminded me of [The Chicks] Natalie Maines mixed with Pam Tillis,” she told her. “You just have that really cool, stylized country sound, which I love. I wouldn’t call it whiny.” 

“People who don’t understand country music, don’t understand how awesome that is,” Shelton chimed in.

Lana Scott’s country vibes are off the charts. 🤠 #VoicePremiere #TeamBlake pic.twitter.com/a88zT7m2mb

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) September 22, 2021

Clarkson and Shelton continued to banter back and forth with hopes to convince Scott to join their respective teams. 

“Oh my God, Lana, I grew up in Texas on country music,” Clarkson went on to say. ”I don’t wear cowboy boots or a belt buckle. I love country music, though. I grew up going to Country Fest and things like that, it is a lifestyle. I think I would be a really good coach for you, and you would look really snazzy in this turquoise number, right here.”

“After 21 seasons of doing this, I don’t show up pandering by trying to gift jackets and first aid kits and robes, I try to offer them a trophy at the end of this thing,” Shelton explained. “That’s my number one gift, I gift people, is the championship.”

Ariana Grande and John Legend exited their coaching seats to grab a snack, while Shelton and Clarkson continue to argue over Scott.

When Grande and Legend returned, they offered their opinions on Scott’s performance. 

“I thought you sounded great, and I really love the higher part of your voice especially,” Legend said. “It like popped and it was vibrant.”

“You sound beautiful, I love your style. I felt like you were so distinctly, iconically, classically country,” Grande added.

Shelton then questioned Scott’s love for country music, asking, “Does it just happen that your voice lends itself to country music, or were you born loving country music?”

While she admitted to singing other genres of music, she shared that country is her favorite. 

“I did grow up with country music and cookouts in Virginia where I’m from, they’ve always had Blake Shelton and Faith Hill in the background,” Scott explained. “My Dad loves you, by the way. I sing a variety of music, but country is my home base.”

Scott ultimately chose to join Team Blake. 

“I love you both so much, I can’t even tell you. So, this is a dream,” Scott said before making her decision. “I have to trust my heart, and this is for me and you Dad — Blake.”

“There’s nothing better than being ganged up by all three of the other coaches and still getting the artist,” Shelton said proudly. 

The Voice returns next Monday at 8/7c on NBC.