‘The Voice’ Contestants Battle It Out With John Legend’s ‘Preach’ – Billboard

Blake Shelton gave his Voice contestants a tough battle on Monday night (Oct. 24), as Hillary Torchiana and Kevin Hawkins went head-to-head on fellow coach John Legend‘s 2019 hit, “Preach.”

The duo traded impressive belts and notes as they performed the track, leading to a standing ovation from Legend himself. “I love it. Thank you for singing my song. I felt your passion, I felt your love,” he told the contestants, before ultimately picking Hawkins as his personal pick to win the battle.

But the decision came down to Coach Shelton, who was visibly stuck on having to choose between two incredibly talented singers. “Well, my first thought is these guys did an incredible job of sticking to the plan and representing the song and giving it what it needed,” he said, noting that Hillary had a “tall glass to go up against” Kevin.

“I mean, he’s unbelievable, but so are you,” Shelton said. “I’m completely shocked at the way you stepped up to the plate. You took all my notes, you walked up here and gave it, I feel like, 100% of what you had to give it. Kevin, you also gave 100% of what you had to give for this performance. Even though that was 100%, I still don’t think we’ve seen your full potential. And, man, that’s saying a lot because that was obviously an incredible performance.”

Shelton ultimately ended up picking Hawkins, to help him live up to his full musical potential. Watch the full performance below.