'The Voice's Alexa Cappelli "upset" over Hannah Goebel's Battle absence: "It was a little awkward"

The Voice's Alexa Cappelli advanced to the next round by default after her partner, Hannah Goebel, missed their Battle, and now Alexa is sharing her side of the situation.


On behalf of coach Kelly Clarkson's team, Alexa, an 18-year-old from Upland, CA, and Hannah, a 21-year-old musician from Nashville, TN, were paired up to sing "Pray" by Sam Smith for their Battle, which aired last week on The Voice.

However, show host Carson Daly announced before the Battle that Hannah "had to leave" for "personal reasons," allowing Alexa to sing their song alone and then automatically advance to The Voice's Season 14 Knockout Round.

When Reality TV World asked Alexa during a conference call when she discovered she'd be performing alone, Alexa replied, "It was before the performance."

"But I mean, I was a little upset to be honest because I was looking forward to performing with her," she continued.


"We were ready and it was just a good song. We worked well together. Kelly knew what she was doing when she put us together. And working with [adviser Hailee Steinfeld] and Kelly was fun and everything."

Once Alexa learned of Hannah's absence, the pressure was on Alexa to deliver an outstanding solo performance for the studio audience and four coaches -- Kelly, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

"It was a little awkward to be by myself for a Battle Round, but at the same time, I just took it as an opportunity to sing my heart out still," Alexa told Reality TV World.

"And the song is on iTunes and it came out really well, so I'm happy about that. But I'm excited for the Knockouts and just happy to be where I am."

Hannah's exit appeared to be last minute, as she had recorded the "Pray" single in the studio with Alexa and the song was made available on iTunes. In addition, NBC's press materials for the show include photos showing Hannah and Alexa meeting with Kelly and Hailee to discuss their performance.


"It was an interesting experience. It was fun to get to work with her in rehearsals," Alexa told other reporters.

"We both sound good together musically and it was a really good Battle song choice. I could see why Kelly put us together. But as far as my performance, you know, I adapted to what I did onstage, and I'm proud of my performance."

Alexa's performance aired as a brief clip within a montage that also featured two other Battle performances, so most of the coaches' comments were not shown.

"I really was looking forward to performing together with Hannah, but then again, I was proud of my performance and I'm thankful to have gotten feedback from the coaches still," Alexa noted.

If Hannah had stayed in the competition, she had an excellent chance of surviving the Battle Round.


Not only did Hannah's Blind Audition of "If I Ain't Got You" earn her a four-chair turn, but Kelly also used her one "Block" of the season to prevent Hannah from joining Alicia Keys' team. Blake also insisted he'd "go down bleeding" to have Hannah on his team.

Alexa, on the other hand, sang "I've Got the Music In Me" for her Blind Audition, and both Kelly and Adam turned their chairs around.

While Hannah did not disclose the exact reason for her departure, she seems to be in good health. Hannah released a statement shortly after Alexa's performance aired.

"Hey everyone! I want to start off this post by giving my utmost thanks to the @nbcthevoice team, coaches, fellow contestants, fans and friends who provided me with an incredible level of support throughout this entire process," Hannah captioned a photo of herself on Instagram.

"As many of you have now heard, I left this season of The Voice due to personal reasons. I want to assure everyone that I am well; I still have my voice and am looking forward to a long music career and recording original songs in the near future."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski