Big news out of night five of The Voice season 21 Blind Auditions: Ariana Grande is a fan of From Justin to Kelly. She calls it “iconic.” As a human adult woman who owns From Justin to Kelly on DVD and has watched it more times than I would care to share (just like so, so many times — the tie skirt, the hovercraft race, TIMELESS, I love it all), this news really made my heart grow three times as big. Kelly Clarkson tried to knock her feature film debut, but we will not allow such blasphemy here. Anyway, there are more auditions to be had and more spots on teams to be filled up. We're getting down to the wire, people. Let's sing.
Ryleigh Plank / 20 / Fort Myers, Fla.
“Anyone” by Demi Lovato
This song choice is certainly a sign of confidence — it's not an easy one to tackle. Ryleigh's voice has so much character and emotion to it; she nails the storytelling element here. By the time she hits the chorus with those big power notes, both Kelly and Ariana have pressed their buttons. Ariana tells Ryleigh that her performance “brought [her] to tears,” and she could tell she was “singing from a really real place.” There were some sharp notes, but nothing they couldn't work on together. John Legend notes similar “execution issues” as to why he didn't turn around. Kelly praises Ryleigh's “rad as hell” look and her “cool vibe,” but Ariana's already won her over. Ryleigh Plank takes the 10th spot on Team Ariana.
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