The Voice’s First Battle Round Introduces Historic Performance

Tonight NBC’s Season 4 of The Voice had its first set of Battle Rounds!

Let’s first refresh on how the battle rounds work! Each of the four coaches places their contestants in pairs. Each pair will then sing a duet (chosen by their coaches), battling each other out in a spot for the Knockout Rounds.

The Voice has also re-implemented the “steals,” which was first introduced last season. When a contestant loses a battle, the three remaining coaches have the option to “steal” them, adding them to their own teams. Each coach is only allowed two steals during the battle rounds.

Each of the coaches had extra help in mentoring their contestants in preparation for the Battle Rounds. Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott joined Team Adam, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden joined Team Shakira, Sheryl Crow joined Team Blake, and Pharrell Williams joined Team Usher.

Season 4’s Battle Round was by far one of the strongest, but there was one battle that had Adam saying it was the best battle he has ever seen on the history of the show!

This historic battle goes to Team Adam’s Judith Hill versus Karina Iglesias, who battled each other out to James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s World.”

Both Hill and Brown showcased their amazingly powerful vocals, while also displaying commanding stage presence. They also both did a great job of telling the story embedded within the song and added incredible depth and emotion.

Blake Shelton stated: “I was freaking out that was just so good. Judith has been a favorite since we first saw her. She’s an incredible talent, but Karina really brought it. Adam is really stupid for putting them against each other.”

Usher expresses, “It was incredible, you both shook this entire room. It truly was a battle that showed both of your talents and highlights why he put the two of you together. This is definitely going to be such a hard decision for Adam to make.”

Shakira explains how taken she was by the female power on stage. She particularly emphasizes how impressed she is with Karina’s trills and high notes.

Adam Levine declares, “This is the best battle I’ve ever seen on this show.” In the end, Adam chooses Judith Hill.

However, Shakira uses her second steal to add Karina Iglesias to her team!

Who was your favorites in tonight’s battle round? Leave your thoughts below!

Photo Credit: Trae Patton/NBC