See ‘Voice’ Hopeful Taylor Alexander’s Country Take on Cher’s ‘Believe’
The Voice blind auditions are always good for an out-of-left-field cover or two. And Monday’s episode had a doozy: 25-year-old country singer Taylor Alexander’s twangy take on Cher‘s 1998 chart-topping dance anthem “Believe.”
Alexander, who hails from Flowery Branch, Georgia, and resides in Nashville, shared that he’s no stranger to mixing genres. He grew up on Garth Brooks and country music, but formed a punk band in high school and, later, founded the country roots band Young America.
For his audition, donning a cowboy hat and gently strumming his acoustic guitar, Alexander delivered a performance of “Believe” that was equal parts subdued and assertive. With a hint of Hank Williams nasal quality in his voice, Alexander transformed the song into a honky-tonk crowd-pleaser.
“That was the single craziest thing I’ve ever heard,” said judge Adam Levine, who spun his chair around. “I pressed my button because I thought, ‘This dude is really good, and he’s doing Cher … you are so weird and wonderful!'”
Though the other judges didn’t turn their chairs, Blake Shelton admitted, “People always look at me when a country singer auditions and, just to be completely honest, when I saw Adam hit his button and [you have] a wide-open lane, that’s the best thing for you. And I think I know the lane you’re in for country music, the BR549 type thing, so when it’s time. … I’m here for both of y’all.”
The Voice continues its 12th season blind auditions tonight, March 7th, at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC.