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Why The Voice's Niall Horan Jokes Blake Shelton Was "Drunk" for This Audition

See the The Voice Battle Rounds performance that was so good it filled Blake Shelton with some regrets about his Auditions decisions in E! News' exclusive sneak peek.

By Brett Malec Mar 31, 2023 4:00 PMTags
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Did Blake Shelton make a big mistake passing on this singing prodigy?

One of The Voice's latest Battle Rounds performances is so unbelievably stellar, the country star realizes he might have made an error in judgment during season 23's Blind Auditions earlier this month.

In E! news' exclusive sneak peek at the singing competition's April 3 episode, Team Niall Horan contestants Michael B and Ryley Tate Wilson face off against each other as they belt out Giveon's "Heartbreak Anniversary" in an attempt to make it to the next round. The duo's vocal chops are so impressive, Niall, Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper all gave standing ovations at the end.

"That was crazy," Kelly applauds while Chance chimes in, "That was just insane."

"That was one of the best performances that we've seen in the Battle Rounds so far," Chance continues in the preview. "It was incredible how you guys bounced off each other. I loved the arrangement, I love the lyric splice that you guys did. You guys both have so much control and, Riley, you're only 15? That's crazy."

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After Kelly compliments Riley's "raspy but beautiful, airy falsetto," she calls out Blake and says, "Michael, I don't know why you weren't a four-chair turn."

The other coaches agree, prompting Blake to joke, "I don't think I was there that day."

Niall lovingly teases his fellow coach, "He was drunk."

In all seriousness, Blake raves of the two hopefuls, "Riley, we all knew what to expect from you, we knew it was going to be incredible. Michael, for my money I feel like you won that battle partly because of how comfortable you were on stage."

The impressive performance makes it nearly impossible for Niall to pick a winner and loser. "If they ask me to come back I'm not coming back because I can't tell you how hard this is," he jokes. "The performance from the two of you was just off the charts. You sung beautifully together."

Fans will have to tune in to find out who makes it to the next round.

The Voice Battle Rounds continue Monday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday at 9 p.m.

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