Sophia Liano’s battle against Mia Knight was one to remember. During The Voice‘s Battle Round, the two members of Team Queen Latifah wowed the coaches with their performance of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman.
Liano and Knight’s performance was already so good in rehearsals that Queen Latifah said it gave her chills. For advisor Patti LaBelle, it was 16-year-old Knight who stood out, so much so that she compared the teen to Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.
When the pair took the stage for their performance, they left Riley Green stunned.
“That was shocking. I didn’t know people sang like that in real life,” Green laughed, before praising Liano’s tone and Knight’s range.
Kelly Clarkson was next to speak, and she was eager to do so given that she leapt out of her chair in awe during the performance.
“It was neck and neck for me until the lord came down. I don’t know what you did, Mia, but that little jab you got in with that little run,” Clarkson marveled as she shook her head.
Adam Levine was likewise impressed, echoing Green in saying that performance was “shocking.” While the Maroon 5 frontman was impressed by Liano’s sheer ability and impressive tone, it was Knight who stood out to him.
“Especially to be 16, it’s incredible,” he said. “To be able to do it with the maturity that you have and the way you attack a vocal is strangely adept for someone your age.”
Queen Latifah’s Teenage Contests Wins Her Battle on ‘The Voice’
Unsurprisingly, Queen Latifah was proud of her contestants, telling them, “What you just did out there, we are all better for it.”
“You got Kelly out that chair,” she said. “I literally had to take my ring off because I cracked the stone on here with one of those notes. So you owe me a ring, but I think you can run me that by winning this show.”
While Queen Latifah praised Liano for the way she displayed her talent, she noted that Knight “leveled up and leveled up.” It’s for that reason, that Queen Latifah declared Knight the winner of the battle.
“They went at it. It was just wow,” Queen Latifah told the cameras after she made her big decision. “I had to pick Mia because she controlled that microphone like this is my mic, this is my stage, this is my song, this is my voice, and this is what I do.”
“Mia is only 16, but my first record came out when I was only 17,” she added. “Some people are ready, and she is ready to move forward in this competition.”
The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.
Photo by: Cory Osborne/NBC
The post “I Didn’t Know People Sang Like That in Real Life”: Riley Green Blown Away By 16-Year-Old’s “Shocking” Battle Round Performance on ‘The Voice’ appeared first on American Songwriter.