Lewis Jacobs/NBC The last six contestants on The Voice have been chosen and with their battle rounds came a few surprises.
Will nerves threaten to derail some of the favorites? And what can we expect from next week's live show? We just heard from the remaining hopefuls, including one who's expecting to have a baby in the middle of it all (no big whoop)...
Broadway vet Tony Vincent talks about the exciting changes from the battle rounds: "The production caliber gets a little bit larger. We are adding musicians introducing background vocals. It's going to be a little bit more of a complete solo performance and that I'm really excited about."
But Tony has another reason to be excited: We've seen him talk oh-so-adorably to his wife's baby bump, but what we didn't know was that the due date falls on the day of the first live performance. Um, that could be a busy day! Tony says these two life-changing events are actually a blessing: "The fact that I have two things to think about can actually make me take each role on board in a much more clear-headed way." But adds, "Hopefully those two hours will go rather rapidly and I can get back for the birth."
Some of the contestants battled not only competition but anxiety and the pressure is only going to get worse. James Massone's nerves may have rattled him during rehearsals but he has a game plan for the live performances: "Obviously it's live and a lot of people are going to be watching but I'm just trying to get myself out of my head and be positive about this whole thing."
But James isn't the only one with nerves going into the live performances. Naia Kete says: "What I'm really trying to focus on right now is no matter what I'm feeling, I'm sure I'm going to be nervous, I'm sure I'm going to feel it physically, but [I'll] try and figure out what I can do to overcome those nerves and still do my absolute best." And stepping away from her comfort zone is one way.
Naia is already breaking away from her reggae sound with encouragement from her mentor, Blake Shelton. "What he said was, 'I feel like we've seen that side of you and I sense there is more from you than that and I really want to find those moments where I can tell you're more than just a reggae artist.' And that really resonated with me." Aww Blake, already shaping young artists.
The excitement doesn't end with the battle rounds. Next week's live performances should bring awesome solo productions, some nerves and perhaps a new baby addition to Team Cee Lo. Who do you think is the frontrunner? Sound off in the comments!