Is This 28-Year-Old ‘The Voice’ Contestant What Country Radio Needs? Blake Shelton Thinks So!

The live rounds of NBC’s The Voice kicked off on Monday evening (Nov. 8), with the Top 20 performing for…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

November 9, 2021

9:58 am

Lana Scott, Blake Shelton

The live rounds of NBC’s The Voice kicked off on Monday evening (Nov. 8), with the Top 20 performing for their chance to advance to the Top 13. Each of the contestants performed before a live audience at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, CA.

Donning a floral dress and a hat, 28-year-old country singer Lana Scott had her coach Blake Shelton praising her country vocals as she performed a cover of Carly Pearce’s “Next Girl,” while also working the stage and interacting with The Voice coaches, allowing her excellent stage presence to shine.

Shelton praised the Virginia native’s performance and even admitted that she is what country radio needs right now.

“That’s it, that’s a heavy load that I put on your shoulders this season. You’re it. You are the country artist on ‘The Voice’ this season and I could not be more proud of you and of that performance,” Shelton gushed of Scott’s performance.

“You’re ready for this. We need you in country music right now. Ask Kelly, we need you on the radio and in country music right now,” added Shelton before Clarkson chimed in, “Amen!”

Following The Voice contestant’s performance, Pearce reacted to Scott’s cover of “Next Girl” via her Instagram stories saying, “WHAT!!!!!!!”

Scott previously performed hits such as Kelsea Ballerini’s “Hole In The Bottle,” Maren Morris’ “Girl” and Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams.”

During earlier episodes of The Voice Scott was applauded by Shelton, Clarkson, John Legend and Ariana Grande.

“I can’t put a value on your tone,” Shelton previously shared of Scott. ”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.”

Lana Scott; Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC

Clarkson even compared her to The Chicks’ Natalie Maines and singer Pam Tillis.

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

The Voice reveals the Top 13 tonight (Nov. 9) at 9/8c on NBC.

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.