Team Blake contestants battle it out with Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero' on The Voice — and both move on
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Fans of The Voice — or any singing competition series, really — know that above all, song choice is key. In the Battles, the second round of competition on this show, the coaches get to pick which songs their artists will duet, so really, the pressure's on them. It's why it's so fun to see coach Blake Shelton take a big risk with his song choice for two singer-songwriters on his team tonight.
After pairing up Mary Kate Connor and Kylee Dayne, Blake decides to give them Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" as their Battle match-up song, noting that it easily fits the genre both women are interested in. He also says flat-out that he's "nervous" about the choice, because selecting a current song — let alone a current mega-hit — can sometimes put the contestants at a disadvantage. It's much easier to compare a cover version of a song that's everywhere at the moment than a cover of something that hasn't been in everyone's heads for the past few months.
nbc Kylee Dane and Mary Kate Connor on 'The Voice'
Mary Kate and Kylee feel the pressure, too. Mary Kate calls it "intimidating" to take on Swift. Still, she relates to the message of battling your insecurities and thinks it's "important" to share it; she's ready to take on the challenge. All of this worrying, however, is for naught. Blake is beyond impressed after their rehearsal, noting how prepared Mary Kate and Kylee were, praising their harmonies, and calling it "one of the most pleasant experiences [he's] ever had as a coach on this show."
The two artists keep impressing during their performance. Kylee and Mary Kate stay true to Swift's Midnights single while making some cool stylistic choices both individually and while in harmony. Niall Horan calls it "one of [his] favorite" Battles so far, noting once more how hard it is to tackle a current song "that's huge." Niall assures the pair that they "made it completely [their] own." Chance the Rapper thinks Kylee and Mary Kate could record a cover of "Anti-Hero" right now.
Blake clearly has a tough time with this decision, telling both his artists how "proud and excited" he is to "have a pairing like [them]" and that both can clearly do whatever they want within their singer-songwriter lane. "My heart is cracking," he says. He winds up declaring Kylee Dayne as the Battle winner then hands the coveted Playoff Pass to Mary Kate Connor, meaning she gets to bypass the Knockouts altogether and go directly to the Playoffs.
It looks like sometimes risks really do pay off.
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