Mullet-Bearing Country Singer Lands Four-Chair Turn on ‘The Voice’ With Keith Whitley Cover

NBC’s The Voice is back and Season 20 kicked off with a bang as Florida native Kenzie Wheeler opened the…

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Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

March 1, 2021

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7:35 pm

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Kenzie Wheeler; Photo Courtesy the Voice

NBC’s The Voice is back and Season 20 kicked off with a bang as Florida native Kenzie Wheeler opened the show with a performance of Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”

The mullet-bearing country singer, who is a self-admitted “momma’s boy,” shared that he’s a longtime fan of Blake Shelton and that he previously opened for the late Charlie Daniels. 

Wheeler took the stage singing the Keith Whitley classic and earned an impressive four-chair turn from Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas and John Legend. Clarkson immediately blocked Shelton, however, so Wheeler was unable to join Team Blake. 

“I was blocked by Kelly,” Shelton said. “This guy has the triple threat mullet. First he has the party in the back, he’s got the shaved side, but then the rare widow’s peak, the rarest of all mullets. This guy is a unicorn!”

Each of the coaches fought hard for Wheeler to join their team.

“Kenzie, nothing has brought me more pleasure than hearing your voice,” Jonas shared. 

Legend, who had a country singer on his team last season, begged, “Please give me a shot.” 

But, it was Clarkson who ultimately won Wheeler over. 

“I have won the voice with two country singers, just saying…I used my only block,” Clarkson pleaded. 

Wheeler, who Clarkson deemed a “punk rock cowboy,” joined Team Kelly. 

Re-live his performance above. 

The Voice returns each Monday at 8/7 c and Tuesday at 9/8 c on NBC.

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Lauren Jo Black

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.