Grace West scored the last spot on Blake Shelton’s final Team Blake on NBC’s The Voice!
The 19-year-old from Canton, Michigan delivered an impressive cover of Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” and after she belted out the lyrics to the classic country tune, she earned a two chair turn from coaches Blake Shelton and Niall Horan.
“Maybe it was Memphis / Maybe it was southern summer nights / Maybe it was you, maybe it was me / But it sure felt right,” the Nashville resident sang during the tune’s chorus.
Watch Grace West’s Blind Audition On The Voice Below
After West’s impressive blind audition, Shelton and Horan praised her and tried to encourage her to join their respective teams.
“I like her!” Shelton exclaimed.
“I think Blake’s got one spot left,” The Voice host Carson Daly told her relatives, who watched from backstage.
“And just to let you know, I thought it was better than he did,” Niall Horan yelled, poking fun at Shelton.
“Wow! 19? Oh, Lord!! We did this as a gag,” Horan added. “Your voice is impeccable. So many like sweet tones. You are such a real born storyteller. Do you write yourself?”
“Well, I’m actually at a publishing company, so that’s what I do for work and I’m a songwriter,” West replied to Horan.
Horan And Shelton Tried To Persuade Grace West To Join Their Respective Teams
“I’ve got nothing like you and my team. Obviously I’m up against this and he is a country superstar and that’s where you’re probably leaning. But I was brought up on traditional Irish music, which obviously led me to country music and that’s the kind of lane that I’ve fallen into and spent a lot of time in Nashville writing songs of my own with country writers. And I know for a fact people of America are going to love you.”
Jordan then jokingly impersonated Shelton saying, “This is my last season and I would be honored to have you on the last team Niall.”
“Can I talk to Grace now?” Shelton chimed in before trying to convince Grace West to take the final spot on Team Blake.
“I moved to Nashville when I was 17. Same thing, worked for a publishing company there, but I always wanted to just be a country singer,” Shelton said as he attempted to persuade West to join his team. “My dream was to be on the radio one day, so I relate to that so much. And you have this thing that I don’t really feel like any of the artists your age really have anymore. I actually hear Pam Tillis in your voice. Yeah, I have one spot left on my team. I would be honored if you would join the last team Blake, as the last person that I will ever hit this freaking worn out button for.”
“That Was A Strong Pitch”
Horan then sarcastically said, “pretty impressive,” while Chance The Rapper added, “that was a strong pitch.”
Kelly Clarkson then took a moment to praise the contestant’s audition and despite her friendly rivalry with Shelton, she nudged West to join his team.
“I 100% believe in you. I cannot wait to see what you do on this show. And I can’t even believe I’m doing this, but it’s his last team,” Clarkson explained. “I will say Blake is a great coach for you in this sense. I love Niall and I’m going to be honest with you, Niall has been killing it and he is a singer/songwriter and everything you said does ring true. But I also have known Blake for years and he’s the guy that really does help artists out. This is my gift to Blake Shelton.”
“That is one hell of a gift you’ve given him,” Horan added.
Shelton shouted, “I love Kelly Clarkson.”
Grace Earned The Final Spot On Team Blake
Grace West was then tasked to choose to join Team Niall or Team Blake. Ultimately, she decided to become the final member of Team Blake.
“That’s it! That’s it! I’m finished. I’m never doing that again,” Shelton shouted, acknowledging that West is his final member to ever join his team.
After securing his final team member, Blake Shelton sat down with the show’s host to reflect on completing his last blind auditions.
“I don’t normally get wrapped up in these moments, but when I hit my button for Grace, who ended up being the last person that I’ll ever do that for, I was like, ‘oh my God, I can’t believe I just said that.’” Shelton admitted. “I kind of got emotional, you know? I knew coming into this I was trying to take all the moments in and it’s going by so fast. So, when I said that out loud, it became real. Lot of good memories.”
Blake Shelton Will No Longer Be A Coach On The Voice
Earlier this year, Shelton revealed that Season 23 would be his last time serving as a coach on The Voice.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice after next season,” Blake Shelton revealed in October of 2022. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
The Voice airs every Monday and Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.