The Voice Season 30: BigCountry Sparks a Three-Chair Battle With “I Put a Spell on You”
BigCountry wasted no time making an impression on The Voice Season 30.
The 37-year-old singer from Tacoma, Washington, opened the Blind Auditions with his own rendition of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You,” delivering a performance strong enough to turn three coaches’ chairs. Adam Levine and Queen Latifah turned almost immediately, with Riley Green following soon after, while Kelly Clarkson remained the only coach who did not press her button.
That left BigCountry with three coaches competing for his attention—and gave the season its first major coaching battle.
Kelly Clarkson admits she missed her chance
Once the performance was over, Clarkson acknowledged that she had been waiting for another level in the performance before turning her chair.
“Now I feel like a complete moron,” she admitted, before praising BigCountry as “one helluva singer” and welcoming him to the show.
While Clarkson was out of the running, Levine, Latifah and Green each had a chance to make their case.
Levine immediately pointed out that he had turned first. He also reminded BigCountry that he had won The Voice four times, including Season 29, and said he recognized when a singer had the potential to win the competition.
The pitch quickly became more playful when Green interrupted Levine with his signature duck call. The moment sparked laughter from the coaches before Green teased Levine about his nickname, jokingly contrasting “BigCountry” with “Little City.”
Levine fired back with “average-sized city,” while Green continued the joke with “medium-sized city” and “normal-sized city.”
Beneath the banter, however, Levine was making a serious pitch. He told BigCountry that working together could be something special and that they would have a great time throughout the competition.
Queen Latifah focuses on the emotion
Queen Latifah took a different approach.
She told BigCountry that she could feel how much of himself he had put into the performance and praised him for making the song his own despite the many different versions that have been performed over the years.
“You got it! You got it!” Latifah told him, explaining that she wanted to see him win and would do whatever was necessary to help him make an impact throughout the competition.
Her pitch emphasized the emotional connection she felt during his audition rather than simply the technical aspects of his performance.
Riley Green sees more than country
Green then changed the direction of the conversation. Instead of immediately trying to sell himself as BigCountry’s coach, he asked the singer to explain more about his musical background.
BigCountry described himself as “country bred and country fed,” but made it clear that he sings across genres.
Green immediately embraced that versatility.
He explained that, in his view, country music is not simply about performing country songs. It is about telling stories—where someone grew up, where they come from and what they believe in.
That, Green said, was something he believed BigCountry could do regardless of whether he performed hip-hop, rap, country, soul or another style.
Green also pointed to the performance itself, saying it combined soul with roots he associated with country music. That mixture was what initially drew him to BigCountry.
The performance had clearly struck a chord with BigCountry’s supporters as well. The singer’s family and friends could be heard cheering from backstage, prompting Green and Clarkson to invite them onto the stage. Among them were BigCountry’s wife, his mother and two battle buddies from his military service.
The coaches bring out their best pitches
The competition became even more playful when Green brought out a pair of overalls as a gift for BigCountry.
Latifah countered with a robe of her own, while Levine refused to get distracted by what he called the “shiny objects.”
“I have a hoodie,” Levine joked, adding that he was keeping it hidden because he wanted to focus on the competition.
Green then went onto the stage to show BigCountry the overalls and gave his mother a kiss, giving Latifah another opportunity to highlight her own gift.
Levine, meanwhile, continued making his case, telling BigCountry not to break his heart if he ultimately chose another coach.
By this point, the three coaches had each offered a very different reason for BigCountry to join their teams: Levine leaned on his track record, Latifah focused on the singer’s emotional connection to the song, and Green emphasized BigCountry’s versatility and storytelling ability.
Then Clarkson asked the question everyone had been waiting for: Who would BigCountry choose as his coach?
The answer would determine where the 37-year-old singer’s journey on The Voice would begin. And after three coaches turned their chairs for his very first performance of Season 30, he had plenty of options to consider.