A 'Voice' contestant's daughter struggled to say Kelsea Ballerini's name and her reaction is all of us

Kelsea Ballerini who joined 'The Voice' Season 27 as a full-time coach couldn't help but gush over the child's adorable mistake
PUBLISHED APR 3, 2025
Screenshots of Kelsea Ballerini, and (Inset) contestant Robert Hunter along with his wife and daughter from 'The Voice' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Voice'
Screenshots of Kelsea Ballerini, and (Inset) contestant Robert Hunter along with his wife and daughter from 'The Voice' (Cover Image Source: YouTube | The Voice'

As a rookie mentor on 'The Voice', Kelsea Ballerini is proving to be a tough competitor against her fellow judges. However, in an unexpected but heartwarming moment, a contestant's daughter mispronounced Ballerini's name. Rather than making it awkward, the Grammy nominee embraced the adorable mistake with grace, even jokingly vowing to change her name in response.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Kelsea Ballerini performs on stage during day 1
Kelsea Ballerini performs on stage on day 1 of the 2019 CMA Music Festival  in Nashville, Tennessee. (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jason Kempin)

During 'The Voice' Season 27 blind audition, Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Hunter stunned coaches with his mesmerizing voice. By day, he serves warrants in North Carolina; by night, he sings and plays guitar. But above all, he is a devoted husband and father, and it was his loving family that made Ballerini squeal with delight, as reported by Yahoo! Entertainment. Hunter shared, "Tomorrow is never promised," referencing a fellow law enforcement officer he lost in the line of duty.



 

With that mindset, he delivered a powerful rendition of Kody Johnson’s ''Til You Can't', prompting an enthusiastic chair turn from Ballerini, who immediately told her fellow coaches to stay "out of my way." Hunter's performance also earned a chair turn from Michael Bublé, which of course sparked yet another showdown between the two coaches over a promising artist. John Legend was also impressed and praised Hunter's performance, saying, "I love the power in your voice. It sounded like a passionate performance."


@nbcthevoice @Robert Hunter is belting #CodyJohnson's country classic #TilYouCant. 🤠 #TheVoice ♬ original sound - NBC's The Voice

 

On the other hand, Adam Levine, sharing his long tenure as a coach, put things in perspective, saying, "Eighty [artists] times 17 equals… a lot." He then humorously added, "I've retired from turning around for country artists... country musicians hate me." Bublé then joked about his own track record with country contestants, saying he needs to "learn [his] lesson," before attempting a Southern accent and making up a song about "cowboys in Calgary," a nod to his Canadian roots.


@nbcthevoice It's Kelsea's world and we're just living in it. 💖 Don't miss #TheVoice — watch @NBC on @Peacock ♬ Just Give Me One More Day - Alej

 

Meanwhile, Ballerini, playfully declared, "I'm new here, but I'm also now in the country," before revealing her signature Coach gift for the season, saying, "I'm going to bring out the big guns. I have boots." However, the real decision-maker wasn't Hunter but it was his 3-year-old daughter, Mary Blake. When Hunter brought his wife and daughter on stage, he asked, "Mary Blake, who's your favorite singer?" Without hesitation, she leaned into the microphone and adorably replied, "Kelsea Ballerina." The little girl unintentionally mispronounced Ballerini's name, but the singer jumped out of her seat to hug her. She didn't mind the slip-up at all, joking, "She could have said broccoli and I would have gone by broccoli."



 

Notably, Ballerini joined 'The Voice' as a full-time coach, replacing Gwen Stefani. While Ballerini had previously served as a coach in Season 15's Comeback Stage and temporarily filled in for Kelly Clarkson, this is her first full-time stint. However, she also grabbed major headlines for using the Coach Replay. For the unversed, Coach Replay is a feature that allows coaches to overturn their own decisions. During the premiere, 33-year-old wedding singer Dan Kiernan impressed judges with his performance of 'High Hopes' by Panic! At the Disco, earning chair turns from Bublé and Legend, as reported by Daily Mail.



 

Ballerini, however, didn't turn her chair, later admitting she wasn't sure why. Realizing her mistake, she decided to use the Coach Replay.  She said, "I'm going to do something crazy. There's this thing. I only get one. It’s called the Replay." Legend was surprised by her move, noting, "Kelsea is the first coach to use the Coach Replay to try to steal," calling it "filthy and underhanded." However, the bold strategy paid off as Kiernan chose to join Team Ballerini. Explaining her move, Ballerini said, "The Coach Replay is basically our whoopsie."

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