Teen girl sings a Billie Eilish song on ‘The Voice’— but what judges heard was a young Amy Winehouse
It appears that the teens have cracked the code of Blind Auditions! During an episode of 'The Voice' Season 24, which aired on March 20, 2023, Mariah Kalia, a 17-year-old singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, Florida, wowed the judges with her beautiful rendition of 'I Don't Wanna Be You Anymore' by Billie Eilish. At that point, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan instantly turned their chairs for the Florida native; meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton stayed put. Then, Horan was so taken aback by Kalia's performance that he went on to say, “First of all, it made me feel I had no idea what you're going to look like, which is amazing and the best thing about this show, and I was hearing young Amy Winehouse."
As per Billboard, Horan, who is a former member of One Direction, further elaborated, "And usually when someone does a Billie Eilish song, everything would be soft and whispery, and you had all of that, and you had the stuff at the top as well. What you're going to be capable of in the next few years if you were to come with me. We're going to nail the song choices; we're going to be talking about you in the finals for sure."
Following that, Chance gushed over Kalia's vocals and quipped, “I’m just, like, blown away at your tone and your stage presence. Your musical choices are all very mature. I want to spend time finding out your influences and what was the song that you used to sing or that somebody used to sing to you as a kid that America needs to see, so you have to get down with Team Chance. Trust me. You have to come rocking to me."
Later in the episode, Kalia stated that she's into R&B, pop hip hop, and rap. According to NBC, Clarkson chimed in, "Ooh, Niall. You just lost.” In his response, Horan went on to say, “Sometimes the best things in life are from opposite sides.” Then, Clarkson mentioned that the whole contest is “going to be about song selection. Both will be great coaches. But who's going to push you to become the best version of you?”
Shortly afterward, Horan reflected on his musical journey by saying, "When I was still in rooms like this,. I was 17 also, and song selection is vital here, and I can hear them all already, and we’re going to have a good time if you come with me." Then, Chance made some effort to secure Kalia on his team and exclaimed, "I was never in your position. I started touring when I was 17 as an independent artist. Do you know Tems? I know Tems personally. If you want somebody that’s going to take you to that level, get down with Chance." In the end, Kalia joined Team Chance, and he was amused with her decision and shared, “Mariah is a star. She had a flawless performance. And I think it's just crazy that she's 17 years old. Niall really wanted her; I could tell. But I wasn't going for that.”