Alabama’s Jazz McKenzie stuns ‘Voice’ coaches with ‘wonderful’ Battle: ‘Entertainment at its finest’

Alabama’s Jazz McKenzie continues her stellar run on “The Voice,” delighting the show’s celebrity coaches with her talent and stage presence.

McKenzie, 31, had a big moment in the Battle Rounds of the NBC reality series, covering Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” with teammate Trinity on Monday’s episode. The two singers are on Michael Buble’s team during Season 28, competing for his approval — and an opportunity to continue on the show — with this standout duet.

Their performance was so compelling, in fact, that “The Voice” leaked a video of the duet on social media, three days before the episode aired. (Watch McKenzie’s Battles performance in the Instagram clip below. There’s also a full video on YouTube.)

All four “Voice” coaches offered kudos to McKenzie and Trinity, and both singers seemed destined to continue their journey on the show. Buble would choose the winner of the Battle, but the other coaches had an opportunity to steal the artist who didn’t come out on top, adding that person to their teams. Buble is allowed to save one artist on his team during the Battles, as well.

Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg and Niall Horan made their intentions clear, saying they were ready to steal either McKenzie or Trinity.

“Heavens to Murgatroyd’s,” said Snoop Dogg. “Lord have mercy. I used to be on tour with Jamiroquai. Y’all took that man’s song and put some herbs and spices. .. This right here was what ‘The Voice’ is built on, great showmanship. And y’ all had me up here dancing, doing the freak. That was entertainment at its finest. They both were so strong. Mike. I do know that I have a steal left, and I’m just going to leave it like that.”

“Wowee! You two just brought a different league,” said Niall Horan. “These two cannot leave this competition. Also, if I’m stealing anyone, I want one of you two.”

“OK. so if it was a run competition, you both tied,” McEntire said. “Jazz, your tone is round, powerful. Trinity, wow. I don’t understand how you found all those notes. That was like a jazz (performance) I was trying to follow. Oh, man, if I had to choose one … I’m going to pass.”

“Trinity, I love the jazz thing,” Buble said. “You just were improvising. This is just effortless and easy for you. Jazz, you have this wonderful, powerful voice, and this is the essence of what this show is about. So thank you both so much.”

In the end, Buble chose McKenzie as the winner of the Battle.

“Jazz has a really pitch-perfect voice,” Buble said. “She has no fear and I think it just leads her to have really no ceiling. She is kind, smart and she’s beautiful. There is no reason why at the end of this competition, Jazz isn’t standing there as one of the finalists.”

Trinity, as expected, kept her spot on the show. McEntire, Snoop and Horan all tried to steal her, and Buble hit his “save” button for Trinity. She chose to remain on Team Michael. Both McKenzie and Trinity now move on to the Knockouts round, singing for Buble’s approval as a solo artist.

McKenzie is a Birmingham native who lives in Huntsville, performing at events such as the Panoply Arts Festival. She earned praise from Kelsea Ballerini during rehearsals for her Battle, as the country singer served as an adviser for Buble’s team. “You have this fiery grit that comes out,” Ballerini told McKenzie.

Two more singers from Alabama will compete in the Battle Rounds this season: Alex Brown of New Hope and Kirbi of Florence. Both earned plenty of praise during their Blind Auditions, and are likely to appear on the show over the next few episodes.

A total of 48 artists were chosen for Season 28 of “The Voice” during the Blind Auditions. When the Battles are completed, 32 artists will remain on the show. Each coach has one steal during the Battles, plus the ability to save one singer on their team from elimination.

If you watch:“The Voice” airs at 7 p.m. CT on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. The series also streams on Peacock. Early episodes of the season are filmed in advance.