‘The Voice’: Reba McEntire Fights Back Tears Over Powerful Toni Braxton Cover in First Knockouts Round
Asher HaVon’s emotionally charged cover of ‘Unbreak My Heart’ had Reba drying her eyes on Monday’s new episode.
Reba McEntire knows exactly how much emotion can be contained in a song and how much truth can be communicated through a raw performance.
Monday’s The Voice saw the series reach the first round of Knockouts, and Team Reba’s Asher HaVon and Tae Lewis were the first two artists to face off on the stage.
However, before their performance, the two musical hopefuls first met with this season’s mega-mentor, Keith Urban, who listened to both artists sing and provided feedback on their performances as they geared up for the big showdown.
Asher was the first to show off his skills, and the talented vocalist explained he’d be performing a rendition of Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart.”
“I just went through a breakup, and I love to get on stage and kind of be in character, but this time, there is no character. It’s just me,” Asher explained. “This is my first time facing those emotions.”
“Yeah, music is the best way to do it,” Reba replied. “It’ll heal your heart. It’ll help it.”
“I chose my dreams over my relationship,” Asher said in an interview. And while the decision was gut-wrenching for him, Asher feels he’s gained so much by following his dreams.
What an absolute joy it was to have my friend @keithurban come mentor
#TeamReba and give them some incredible advice. Knockouts start tonight on@nbcthevoice 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ILtXIAV4gA— Reba McEntire (@reba) April 8, 2024
After his powerful first performance for Keith and Reba, the country queen simply asked, “That hurt, didn’t it?” And Asher agreed.
With some guidance from Keith — who praised Asher for his range and runs and suggested he try to hold back in the beginning of the song before really taking off the reins toward the end — Asher was ready to perform again, and this time, it brought Reba to tears.
“Oh, Asher, you got me,” Reba said, her voice shaking as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I felt your heart breaking. That’s what you want, and you got it. So, bravo.”
Tae, meanwhile, promised that his song choice was “not a crying song.” Instead, he showed off his undeniable talent with a performance of Cody Johnson’s “Nothin’ on You” that really suggested their showdown was going to be next-level.
Taking the stage for their Knockouts round, Asher brought the full-force of his incredible vocal range to his heart-wrenching cover of “Unbreak My Heart,” and simply blew all the judges away.
SO 👏 MUCH 👏 POWER in @AsherHaVon's rendition of @tonibraxton's "Unbreak My Heart"! #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/KuskqRErXr
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) April 9, 2024
However, Tae left everything on the stage with his skillful delivery of “Nothin’ on You,” making sure to show just how talented of a country crooner he really is.
“You guys give me chills, make me cry. I felt like a proud mama sitting here. You both got so much soul,” Reba said after the show-stopping performances. “Asher, you open your mouth and this stuff comes out. Like, where did that come from? And I’m in awe. Wow. And then, Tae, you come up here, and you’re a ball of energy.”
When it was time to choose who took keep, however, Reba opted to go with her heart and pick Asher, explaining, “Something about him is different than anybody.”
That being said, this wasn’t the end of the road for Tae. After Asher was declared the winner, all the other judges — John Legend, Chance the Rapper and the judging duo Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay — all used their steals to try and win Tae onto their teams.
While John and Chance both gave him the hard sell, Tae couldn’t help but follow his country dreams and joined Team Dan + Shay.
Meanwhile, ET spoke with Keith ahead of his appearance on The Voice — which marked his first return to the show since he served as a mentor for Blake Shelton back in season 15.
“It’s actually fun, yeah. The teams are strong and I love this part of the journey,” he told ET of returning to the competition series. “I love being around artists. I just- I’m at home around artists.”
The Voice airs Mondays at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC.
