The Voice UK 2018 Knockouts Round 1 Live Blog (VIDEO)

Each team of six will be split into two teams. Half the teams will perform this week, the other half next week. After the two week knockouts, the remaining 8 singers will move on to the live semi final. The finale airs on April 8.

Jennifer Hudson will be joined by X Factor season 3 winner, Leona Lewis and her former team member, winner of last year’s X Factor UK, Mo Adeniran. Tom Jones joins forces with Aussie pop star, Kylie Minogue. Will.i.am brings on his fellow Black Eyed Peas and Olly Murs gets a hand from British pop singer Craig David.

TEAM OLLY 

Lauren Bannon – Believer by Imagine Dragons – This is a pretty hard song to sing. She’s doing a solid job. There are a lot of words in this song. It can take all of a singer’s energy just to keep up. However, Lauren is also managing to infuse emotion into the performance. Jennifer didn’t hear an inch of nerves “You slayed that honey.” Will says it sounded fabulous. Olly “loved it…I felt like I was watching somebody come back to the show and do their record.

Kade Smith – Express Yourself By Charles Wright – He cleans windows for a living and rapped part of his audition. Olly stole him from Will. Kade freestyled for Craig. H didn’t seem that thrilled. The performance could use more energy. But he’s staying in tune, and seems to be having a good time on stage. The crowd loves it. Will believes 18 year old Kade will have a great career. Olly feels Kade incorporated all of Craig’s notes during rehearsals. 

Holly Ellison – Perfect by Ed Sheeran – Holly loves the song Olly chose for her.  Craig advises her to make eye contact and be vulnerable. She could have done more dynamically with this song. Tom calls it “beautiful.” Jennifer wanted to hear more of her. “Amazing,” she says. Will thinks Olly has a difficult decision. Will also says he “wanted more.”  The performance needed more substance, actually. 

RESULT: Olly chooses Lauren Bannon. Kade Smith and Holly Ellison are eliminated.  That was the correct choice.

TEAM WILL

Paige Young – Power by Little Mix – Last week, she begged Will to put her through to the Knockouts. She loves her song choice–she feels she’ll be able to show off her voice. Will and his mentors felt she was oversinging though. They advise her to dial it back. Maybe this song should have been sung in a lower key? Her screamy performance sounds strained. THE LOOK ON JHUD’S FACE. This performance is unpleasant. Oh. Olly’s being diplomatic. “That’s a difficult song to sing,” he says. “You’re like a ball of fire…a presence that can’t be missed,” says Jennifer. “You got a stamp from JHud productions,” says Will. That’s it Will? He and the rest of the coaches avoid addressing her out of control vocals. 

Tai – Jolene by Dolly Parton – Tai beat Kade in the Battles. She was shocked to win! She chose her own song after convincing  Will and the Black Eyed Peas  it was a good idea.  Her song choice? An “urban” version of the country classic “Jolene.” Oh boy. She begins the performance up in the stands, in the back of the studio. Ha ha. Changing a beloved country song in the US would spark a major outcry. But it might fly in the UK, especially with Will deciding. Props for taking a risk, but that was messy. “You give me life!” says Jennifer. “You just made that a 2018 hit,” says Olly. “You should record that,” says Tom. Will reminds the audience that she arranged the song herself. “I’m here to be an artist,” says Tai. 

Anna Willison-Holt – Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder – We hear a snip of the 17 year old’s audition. And it wasn’t very good. Will insists she is one of the best vocalists of the season. Hm. Her vocals are a little too mannered. No need for the fake island flavor. But she’s handling a difficult song pretty well. This could be a trainwreck and it’s not. She hits a few well placed high notes for good measure. Olly felt she made the song completely her own. Tom compliments her timing. Agree with Tom. Her timing and pitch were very good. 

RESULTS: Will Chooses Tai. Anna Willison-Holt and Paige Young are eliminated. Eh. I would have chosen Anna. She delivered the best vocal performance.

TEAM JENNIFER

Jake Benson – Sun Comes Up by Rudimental Ft James Arthur – He’s the father of a very cute son. Jennifer wants Jake to step out of his comfort zone–deliver some showmanship. Jake recently lost close relatives. He’s in mourning. Jennifer consoles him. Everybody knows she’s been there. His performance sounds really flat. His whispery voice isn’t cutting through at all. When he opens up on the chorus, it’s better–he recovered near the end of the performance. Tom loves he tone and range, but felt the performance was unsteady. Oh. An actual critique. Jennifer noted the top was shaky, but felt that he eventually brought it home. Well, he’s finished. 

Ross Anderson – Torn by James TW Version – Jennifer thinks nerves get the best of the 17 year old. She acknowledges he wasn’t at his best during the Battles. The team tries to draw Ross out. This kid isn’t ready for prime time. He’s been weak throughout the competition. This is his best performance so far, but he still needs work. He doesn’t know how to phrase a song. But at least he’s singing relatively on key, which is something. Olly says his progress has been amazing. Jennifer feels Ross did an amazing job and is finding his confidence.

Gayatri Nair – This Is Me by Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) – The 16 year old nearly lost her battle, but Jennifer believes in her–so much so, she is brought to tears during rehearsal. “You have such as gift,” says Leona. This editing is giving away the results. C’mon. It’s a perfect competition reality show song choice. Her vulnerability on the break sells the song–the rest is pitchy and oversung. Still, she clearly won the round. “You come with a message,” says Jennifer, “You made team Jhud very proud today.” 

RESULTS: Jennifer Chooses Gayatri Nair. Jake Benson, Ross Anderson are eliminated.

TEAM TOM

Kalon Rae – California Dreamin – Sia Version – Kalon is the fabulous Italian diva with the big rangy voice. Kylie advises him not to over sing. “Less is more,” says Tom. Kalon confesses to being nervous. Wow. He’s wearing quite the outfit, which includes a long, floofy lavender skirt. I love this guy. His range is amazing, he’s dramatic and fun to watch. I hope he advances (But Lucy is the front runner here). “I love you so much! You are your own star,” says Jennifer. Will says he’s more than just outrageous outfits. Tom calls him “an original.” 

Eliza Gutteridge – Don’t Kill My Vibe by Sigrid – She’s yet another teen. I’m not a big fan of her low, nasally tone. She also has pitch problems. This is a good song choice for her, and her particular style. Her best performance so far. Jennifer calls her instrument, “different.” Tom loves the confident way she sings. 

Lucy Milburn – Gravity by Sara Bareilles – Lucy struggled in rehearsal at first. She didn’t know the song. It’s no wonder Team Tom was left until the end. This is the performance of the night. Lucy struggles a bit on the high note, but her voice is strong and range amazing. It’s a very emotional performance. She cries at the end. “That’s an incredible voice,” says Olly. “You’re on your way,” says Jennifer. Tom says he could not have asked for more.

Results: Tom Chooses Lucy Milburn. Kalon Rae, Eliza Gutteridge are eliminated.

Through to the Semi-Final

• Lauren Bannon – Team Olly
• Tai – Team Will
  
• Gayatri Nair – Team Jennifer
• Lucy Milburn – Team Tom

Eliminated

• Kade Smith
• Holly Ellison
• Anna Willison-Holt
• Paige Young
• Jake Benson
• Ross Anderson
• Kalon Rae
• Eliza Gutteridge

*You can watch The Voice UK live, online. ITV streams the show through the ITV Player. However, ITV blocks viewers from outside of the UK. To get around that, you need to use VPN connection. If Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is your preferred browser, install Hola extension and set them to UK server. Then open the ITV Player, make a free account and pick the right channel. The player will ask you for a ZIP code. Find an active UK ZIP code HERE. Make sure you have the cookies enabled. You can also try to find a working ITV stream on MyiPlayer.com, TVPC.com or FilmON.com.