‘The Voice’ Recap: Riley Green Loses a Country Singer to Queen Latifah in Blind Auditions

The Voice Season 30 Blind Auditions continued with the October 5 episode. Coaches Queen Latifah, Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and Riley Green continued to build their teams of 12 artists, and their decisions got harder as the teams filled up.

Heading into the October 5 episode, Levine had five spots left on his team, while the other three coaches all only had four spots left to fill. With no First-In buttons left, it was truly a battle between the celebs to get the best singers on their teams.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to see where all the teams stand now.

Brandon Diaz

Brandon Diaz previously auditioned for The Voice 15 years ago during Season 4. He was only 14 years old at the time and didn’t get any chairs to turn. In the years since then, he married Season 14 contestant Jackie Foster, who finished in eighth place, and has continued his singing career.

For his comeback performance, Brandon sang “Drink You Away” by Justin Timberlake. Queen Latifah turned her chair first, and Clarkson eventually followed.

“You can sing your behind off, sir!” Clarkson raved. “Vocally, you’re insane. I think you are so talented, man. You have the soulfulness going on.” When Clarkson learned that Brandon’s wife was Jackie, who was briefly on her team in Season 14, she made sure to use that to her advantage as well.

“That was a big mistake not to turn around for him immediately,” Latifah pointed out. “He needs some new energy. The vibe is right. He feels the energy coming from the Queen. She’s been there. She’s done that. She knows the people who knows the people to get you there.” Her pitch and decision to turn first won Brandon over, and he chose her as his coach.

Marilyn Hucek

Next up, Marilyn Hucek hit the stage with a rendition of “La Tortura” by Shakira, which she sang in Spanish. Latifah turned immediately, and Levine pushed his button a bit later on.

“I’m a fan,” Levine said. “Shakira’s so different. A very difficult artist to come in and cover. That was amazing. You’re such a breath of fresh air. I’ve heard enough English today, but the power, connection, emotion, the feeling of it, especially some of the vibrato stuff, I loved.”

Latifah agreed, adding, “You did it in your style. You managed to catch that cadence, that pocket. Part of that is real quick tongue. You gotta be able to get those words out and deliver it with that same passion, and you did that.”

The decision ultimately came down to who Marilyn wanted to go with, and she picked Levine as her coach.

Keiyana Osmond

For her audition, Keiyana Osmond sang a unique rendition of “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. Green was intrigued enough to turn around, and since he was the only one, he landed Keiyana on his team.

“I’m so lucky that it’s just me and you,” Green told Keiyana. “I love the song and the fact that you chose to live down here with it, that’s a unique choice. It’s not what everybody would have done and that’s what I think is going to have somebody move on in The Voice and win The Voice.”

Dakota Cohen

Dakota Cohen took the stage next. For her audition, she sang “Changes” by Black Sabbath. It took a while, but at the end of the song, Green and Levine both turned around.

Latifah told Dakota her voice is “astounding” and called her performance “insane.” Green said she picked the “perfect song choice” for her audition. “I loved everything about it,” he added, while Levine made sure to point out that he pressed his button first.

“The song choice for me says so much,” Levine noted. “I’ve never heard anyone cover that song. That’s instantly something out of the gate; before I even heard you sing a note, I want you on my team.” He also compared her voice to Miley Cyrus‘ and said, “I just love what you’re out here doing, and I do believe this is your home.” Dakota picked Adam as her coach.

Luke Cope

For his audition, dad of three Luke Cope sang “Burning House” by Cam. It took until the very end of the performance, but Levine, who has been wanting a country singer on his team, and Latifah pressed their buttons.

Green admitted that he didn’t turn around because of the “little bit of tempo issues” at the beginning of the performance. Levine called Luke “interesting,” adding, “You really grabbed ahold of that other side of me, which was, ‘Listen to what this person feels.’ And that kind of took over. I do think there are things that need work, but the big power, took over at the end. What’s at the core of what you do is something extremely unique and special.”

Latifah gushed over how Luke “sang from the heart” and urged him to “lean all the way into it” with his next performance. She also told him he “moved” her with the song rendition.

Luke had a big decision to make, and he was admittedly “conflicted,” but he picked Queen Latifah as his coach.

Nina Howland

Nina Howland came to the stage next to perform “Love Me Like a Man” by Bonnie Raitt. It started out as a battle of the ladies, with Clarkson and Latifah turning around, but Levine and Green eventually joined in, too.

“We’ve seen a lot of great performances today, but that had the most attitude by far,” Green pointed out. “I don’t think there’s anybody who wasn’t going to turn for that.”

Clarkson praised Nina for her song choice and brought out her record of being a four-time winning coach on The Voice. Levine jumped in to give his pitch, telling Nina, “I’m doing well. Could be doing better, if you choose me to be your coach… You have a big, beautiful voice that can kind of do anything.” He also went through his history of being successful with artists who have powerful, soulful voices on the show.

“One of the things I loved most about this performance was your command of that song,” Latifah gushed, adding, “I believe that together we could command The Voice!” The decision was left in Nina’s hands, and she picked Clarkson as her coach.

Luke Curran

Luke Curran was next to take the stage. For his Blind Audition, he sang “Operator” by Jim Croce. Green pushed his button from the first note, and Levine joined in a bit later.

“I love your voice and I love that you chose that song,” Levine said. “I really felt like I understand you and a lot about your taste and what you want to accomplish.” He also made sure to try and sway Luke away from Green as much as possible, noting that there is more to the song choice than just pure country.

“I want to thank Adam for bringing up who turned first because I did, by quite a bit, might I add,” Green reminded Luke. “I love storytelling, and you told a story. It was great.” He also praised Luke for being in his “own lane” and doing something different from the rest of the contestants this season.

Luke admitted he’s a “day one Voice fan,” which is why he went with Levine as his coach.

Matthew Chiu

Matthew Chiu is used to singing in a group, so being solo on The Voice was a new experience for him. He sang “Home” by Daughtry, and got a chair turn from Clarkson.

“That was a great performance. That one note you took to the sky and brought it around the building, I love that,” Latifah said. “That was amazing. Keep leaning into that.”

Clarkson told Matthew she was “really interested” in working with him because he was “bold enough” to go for the big note in his audition. “He has such an incredible range. I’m excited to get a little more technical with him,” she shared.

Raymn

Raymn came to The Voice super excited about Queen Latifah being a coach. He sang Justin Bieber‘s “Yukon,” which Green immediately noted was “different.” However, it wasn’t enough for one of the coaches to turn around.

“It was an awesome performance. My team’s getting a little big and I gotta start narrowing down who I pick. But that was awesome,” Green assured Raymn.

Clarkson admitted she was “this close” to turning around, but said she was “waiting for the next level” to push her button.

Brandy Neelly

For her audition, Brandy Neelly, who had recently met Green after baking a cake for his birthday, sang “Lesson in Leavin'” by Jo Dee Messina. Newbie coaches Green and Latifah both turned their chairs.

“It was a great performance; it was fun. You’ve got a lot of soul in your voice,” Green told Brandy. “You did it in a way that didn’t sound like anybody else, and that’s exciting to me. You’ve got a sound that’s unique.”

Latifah added, “There’s nothing like a woman who can come out here and rock a song like that.” She said Brandy sounded “beautiful,” and gushed, “I think you’re going to make the world love you!”

Levine urged Brandy to pick Queen because she might get lost in the “country gauntlet” on Green’s team. It didn’t matter, though, because Brandy picked Green and insisted she’d still “stand out” on his team.

Phinley McKee

Phinley McKee was next to hit the stage. He performed “Way Down We Go” by KALEO, and none of the coaches turned their chairs.

“I’m so mad,” Clarkson admitted afterwards. Latifah admitted she was “waiting for something” in the performance, but added, “I don’t know that you didn’t give it to me.”

Clarkson told Phinley, “This one’s on us,” and Green assured him, “It’s only uphill from here.” Levine made sure to tell Phinley to come back for another audition in a future season.

Kayleigh Mathews

Country singer Kayleigh Mathews was up next. She sang “When I Call Your Name” by Vince Gill and all four coaches pressed their buttons.

“I am going to fight as hard as I have ever fought for you right now,” Levine assured Kayleigh. “While I know I should temper my expectations and I know you might be thinking… he’s Riley. But as huge as he is in his world, this show, this is my world. There’s a whole other set of important strategic moves you’re going to have to make going forward. The way you fill the room with that voice, you are such a magnificent talent.”

Latifah told the singer she “deserved to have four chairs turn,” and said her performance was a “spiritual” moment. Green said he “loved every bit” of Kayleigh’s performance. “The vibe of it took me back to growing up in Alabama, so thank you for that on top of everything,” he added.

Finally, Clarkson told Kayleigh she is a “fan” of hers. “You have a musical baby of several female singers that I love,” she said, while also making sure to note that she’s duetted with Gill in the past. Levine continued to fight hard, also letting Kayleigh know that she would “occupy the only” country space on his team, compared to Green, who has a lot of country singers on his roster.

After all that, though, Kayleigh wound up picking Queen Latifah as her coach!

Team Queen Latifah
BigCountry
Marcus Ladden Jr.
Mia Knight (First-In button)
Alt Bloom
Morgan Lett
Bryan James
Sophia Liano
Chari
Brandon Diaz
Luke Cope
Kayleigh Mathews

Team Riley Green
Joe Henley
Ferryn & Brinkley
Caroline Alexis
Harmony McKee
Kenna Elpers
Cade Mower
Allie Rae (First-In button)
Everett Bounds
Keiyana Osmond
Brandy Neelly

Team Kelly Clarkson
Hazel Gerson
Brianna Cameron
Koumba Diallo
Johnnie Kapua (First-In button)
Kyle Davis
Brooklyn Marie
Saade
Anna McElroy
Nina Howland
Matthew Chiu

Team Adam Levine
Destinee Monroe
Owen Uffens
Lexi Stephens
Amanda Mikkel (First-In button)
Connor Closs
Julia Clark
Cal Cook
Marilyn Hucek
Dakota Cohen
Luke Curran

The Voice, Season 30, Mondays, 8/7c, NBC