One way to definitely stand out on The Voice is to take a beloved pop hit and completely make it your own. That’s what 25-year-old New Mexico native Lillie Kolich did on The Voice on Monday night’s (Nov. 9) first live show of season 30 on a Y2K-themed episode.
The Team Queen singer who made the cut in the top 13, told the studio audience before her performance that she “loved” Britney Spears and that as a shy kid she looked to Brit for inspiration while pursuing her pop star dreams. Then she hit the stage in a very Spears-coded blood red outfit featuring a low-cut, lingerie-like slip dress, deep red fur shrug and matching leather purse to sing a meditative, slowed-down version of Spears’ 1999 No. 10 Billboard Hot 100 pop banger “(You Drive Me) Crazy.”
Unlike the seductive, mid-tempo …Baby One More Time original, Kolich slowed the beat way down, opting for a sultry ballad approach, singing the longing lyrics to a spare backing track, accompanied by two electric guitar players on the revamp that finally took off in an approximation of the original near the end.
Despite the attempt to shake things up, though, the season 30 contestant who’d earlier been saved by Latifah during Cut Week ended up on the chopping block. Coach Riley Green called her rendition “awesome,” and said it’s a challenge to take such a popular song and make it your own, while Latifah said her charge had “Nailed it!”
But on the night when six singers from Team Queen and Team Adam faced off to move to the next round — Team Kelly and Team Riley performers will sing next Monday (Nov. 16) — Kolich was sent home. Going through to the next round are Team Queen members Mia Knight, BigCountry and Team Adam singers Dakota Cohen, Connor Closs and Lexi Stephens.
The Voice airs on NBC on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Peacock.
Watch Kolich on The Voice below.
