Courtney Harrell earned "mad respect" from The Voice coach Blake Shelton, but her Blind Audition and touching story actually brought Alicia Keys to tears. So why did the artist join "Team Blake?"
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"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I supposedly came to the decision, but it's hard," Courtney told Reality TV World on Tuesday.
Courtney, a 36-year-old from Los Angeles, CA, focused on raising her son for the last 18 years, but now that he's grown, she's ready to do something for herself and pursue her passion of singing.
On Tuesday night's show, Alicia connected with Courtney through her performance of "Let It Go" by James Bay more than viewers have seen the coach bond with any artist so far in the Season 11 competition.
Alicia said she felt Courtney's soul in the song, and because of how invested Alicia seemed, it was safe to assume Courtney's choice was clear-cut. However, she picked Blake, surprising even Blake himself!
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"Coming into [the audition], I did give some thought to which coach would be a better fit for me. I'm a songwriter, and I do that professionally, and so, what I appreciate about Blake and just the world that he comes from is that country music has some of the greatest songwriters and greatest songs ever," Courtney explained.
The artist apparently feels Blake will test her boundaries and provide her with the knowledge she thirsts for.
"I wanted to be welcomed into a world that was so dear to my heart, that would also stretch me out musically in terms of my performance vocally but also my understanding on how to interpret songs that are different than my writing style," Courtney said.
"And so, I really just felt like this was a chance for me to kind of dive into the deep. I was already taking a chance by showing up anyway, so why not go big?"
Courtney told Reality TV World that she's ready to fight for what she wants.
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"I threw myself into it and just hope I can swim. That was kind of my main motivation in making that choice," she revealed.
"But in addition to that, Blake seems to have a great reverent for true artistry and great voices, and -- as great as he is -- he finds a way to nurture and respect the sound and craft of someone who is completely unlike himself, without stripping that artist of who they truly are."
Courtney also suggested she's excited about the fact Blake tends to remain in touch with his team members long after The Voice ends. Blake, for example, is known to invite his artists onstage with him at concerts or attend their weddings.
"I can see that he has a great way of nurturing and fostering artists," Courtney said. "He has an amazing track record, and I just wanted to be a part of that legacy with him."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski