‘The Voice’ Contestant Jordan Rainer Performs ‘Fancy’ In Front Of ‘The Queen’ Reba McEntire, Earns Impressive Four-Chair Turn
This epic audition marked the first of the season.
Jordan Rainer; Photo Courtesy of The Voice
Jordan Rainer, a 33-year-old from Atoka, Jordan Rainer, earned a four-chair turn on NBC’s The Voice season 24 premiere with an impressive cover of Reba McEntire’s hit, “Fancy.”
On Monday (Sept. 25), the Oklahoma native, who currently resides in Nashville, took to the stage to deliver a show-stopping performance of the McEntire tune, which was penned by Bobbie Gentry and first recorded by Gentry in 1969.
Donning an all-black ensemble complete with a wide-brim hat and circular sunglasses, Rainer strummed her acoustic guitar while belting out the lyrics to the iconic country hit.
“She said, ‘here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down / Here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down,’” Rainer sings on the tune’s chorus.
Four-Chair Turn
Her stunning rendition of the McEntire track impressed all four coaches: Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend. McEntire was the first to turn her big red chair followed by Horan, Stefani and Legend.
Following Rainer’s blind audition, she detailed why she chose to audition with McEntire’s “Fancy,” explaining that it’s “because it’s the best and honestly, it was written by a strong woman.”
Rainer continued, “It was made famous by a strong woman. And it represents lyrically what women do to survive. And I’m a woman who has done what I’ve had to do to survive, and so I feel that song in every bone in my body.”
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After offering Rainer a standing ovation, Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend then praised her strong audition.
Horan admitted the delivery gave him “goosebumps” before Gwen Stefani chimed in, pointing out the risky choice of performing a McEntire song in front of “the queen” herself.
Stefani commented on Rainer’s bold move. “This is really difficult. The queen is here. You sing her song and I’m Gwen Stefani doing ska music from Anaheim, California,” Stefani continued. ”I am new to country music. Eight years ago I met Blake and that got me into the genre more, but it’s really about how do I get you to grow and compete with everybody else that’s on this show. One thing I also could help you with is obviously song choices. I could just be like Blake.”
“Honestly, I would love to work with you. You’re very gifted,” she said in conclusion.
Horan then added, “When we turned and it all matched up. The energy in your vocal to the energy and the performance, the sunglasses, the hat. Being Irish, there’s an element of our music that really feeds into country music. A lot of folk, A lot of that finger picks up. Oh my gosh. I’ve really fallen in love with country music and you are definitely a country star. I would be an absolute honor to work with you.”
Further attempting to have Rainer join his team, Horan pulled an unexpected stunt as he hit his button again. The button played a recording of Blake Shelton, a former coach on The Voice, which found Shelton praising Horan, calling him “a global superstar,” among other persuading terms.
Next, it was McEntire’s turn to try and convince the contestant to join her team by discussing the shared aspects of their lives. This prompted Rainer to reveal that she recently performed in McEntire’s newly opened restaurant, bar, retail store, and live music venue located in her home state of Oklahoma.
“If you did choose me as your coach, you know we’d have a blast,” McEntire said before later adding, “We would have such a good time together talking about old times in Atoka, Oklahoma. And I would keep you away from Niall the whole time because he’s a wild man.”
“Wait a second, I have one other thing to say… I also do TV and we love to do a little acting and you would be perfect for that.”
Legend went on to boast about Rainer’s vocals and ability to entertain.
“Real Deal”
“You’re a real deal singer with great range, great charisma, great stage presence. You’re going to do fantastically on the show,” he gushed.
Rainer’s audition marked the first of Season 24 of The Voice.
Tune into the singing competition show on Monday, September 25 at 8/7c on NBC to find out who Jordan Rainer chose as her coach.
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.
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