Kelly Clarkson took her pitch for a new The Voice contestant to an entirely unexpected level when she literally pulled out a handful of her own hair while trying to convince 21-year-old Hazel Gerson to join her team.
Gerson, a singer from San Jose, California, performed Alex Clare’s “Too Close” during the Blind Auditions for Season 30 of NBC’s singing competition. Her performance was enough to turn two chairs—but the battle between the coaches quickly became much more entertaining than anyone expected.
Kelly Clarkson and Riley Green both turn for Hazel
Gerson’s performance immediately caught Clarkson’s attention, with the longtime coach turning her chair first.
Country star Riley Green soon followed, giving the young singer two coaches to choose from.
Green praised the performance, even though he acknowledged that the song was not country.
“It was awesome,” Green said, before joking that Hazel was “a very Alabama name” and pointing to several things about her look that he felt gave off a Southern vibe.
He then made his case by focusing on the emotional power of music.
“It definitely was not country, but there’s something really cool about music that just touches people,” Green said.
Clarkson, meanwhile, had a different reason for wanting Hazel on her team.
Clarkson wants Hazel to “let it out”
Clarkson told Gerson that she was impressed by her voice but believed there was another level of performance still waiting to emerge.
“I loved your sound,” Clarkson said. “There’s so much more in there — not only vocally — I mean like your actual spirit.”
The singer encouraged Hazel to open up and show more of her personality onstage.
“When I was watching you, I was like, ‘Just let it out.’ I just want that lion in there,” Clarkson told her.
But Hazel unexpectedly interrupted the pitch with a compliment of her own.
“I love that. Also the long hair looks really beautiful by the way,” she told Clarkson.
That innocent comment sent the audition in a completely different direction.
“I will give it to you”
Clarkson immediately joked that Hazel could have some of her hair.
“Thank you. I will give it to you. It’s clipped in. You can have it,” she said.
She then pulled out a section of hair and continued making her case in characteristically playful fashion.
“I will share. Don’t you want a coach who will share with you?” Clarkson joked, before drawing attention to her jacket as well.
The bizarre but hilarious moment left the other coaches reacting as the competition for Hazel became increasingly animated.
Riley Green joins the battle
Green quickly jumped back into the conversation, showing Hazel what he could offer as a coach.
“You would look really good in overalls,” he told her.
As the coaches continued their playful attempts to win Hazel over, Adam Levine stepped in and tried to restore some order, telling everyone to sit down.
Green wasn’t quite ready to give up, though.
“I’ll be honest with you. I saw this hair up close and I don’t know if you want it,” he joked.
The exchange turned what had already been a strong Blind Audition into one of the more memorable early moments of the season.
Hazel faces an “easy” decision
Eventually, Levine attempted to bring the focus back to the decision Hazel had to make.
“I’m going to ask you a hard question right now. Who do you think is your coach?” he asked.
Hazel admitted that she was “really bad with decisions” before adding that this particular choice was different.
“This is an easy one…” she said.
Viewers would have to watch the Season 30 premiere to discover which coach ultimately won her over.
The Voice returns for Season 30
Season 30 of The Voice premiered on NBC with a three-night launch beginning Monday, September 21, followed by episodes on Tuesday, September 22, and Wednesday, September 23.
Clarkson and Levine returned to the famous red chairs, while Queen Latifah and Riley Green joined the coaching panel.
For Hazel Gerson, the Blind Audition provided an early opportunity to introduce herself to a national television audience—and her unexpected exchange with Clarkson ensured that her audition would be remembered for more than just her performance of “Too Close.”
