The Voice Season 16 kicked off Monday (Feb. 25), featuring veteran coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson, with new coach John Legend joining the crew for the first time, and continued on into the week with a Tuesday airing (Feb. 26) which found the coaches exploring new territory for their eventual teams.

Shelton was charmed by a female teenage singer the previous night, and this night followed suit, as 18-year-old Hannah Kay from Magnolia, Texas managed to grab the country spotlight.

The teen confessed she had a coach in mind. "I've had a crush on [Shelton] since I was six," she admitted. However, she had a darker story to tell: After growing up feeling picked on by other kids for being different, the young singer found someone she could confide in. "I met one friend who really let me notice how special I was, and the love that she gave me was unreal," she related. "We both liked doing music, and we used to say that we were gonna get famous together, but a year and a half ago, she passed away in a car accident."

The young singer wrote a song to honor her friend, but it was a classic country song she sang that ultimately got the attention of both Shelton and fellow coach Clarkson. Kay brought Loretta Lynn's time-honored classic "Coal Miner's Daughter" to the stage, noting, "I would love to bring classic country to my generation. I grew up around it, and it just hits you right in the heart."

She made both Shelton and Clarkson, perhaps predictably, spin. "I get why you're probably inclined to go to Blake's team," Clarkson hastily noted. "I get that he's on country radio. But I will say I dabble in country music. We have the same manager. I have connections. I'd be happy to work with you, but I understand if you don't pick me."

To this, the teen coolly responded, "Hey, I grew up singing 'Since U Been Gone' in my bedroom," with a smile.

As for Shelton, he knew he was treading in his own territory. "I heard Kelly mention the old style, and it's not really out there anymore. And the truth is, it is out there. It's just not being celebrated," he said. "You can be the one. You can be the one that gets those kind of records back in the mainstream and have a huge career in country music. I think you're incredible."

Is it any wonder that the young ingenue went for Team Shelton? We think not!


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