When Kelly Clarkson requested Jennifer Hudson to be her advisor for Season 29 of The Voice’s Battle Rounds, she knew what she was doing. Jennifer had previously served as a coach on Seasons 13 and 15, so she was able to take over for Kelly, who unexpectedly had to miss her team’s Battle rehearsals following the death from melanoma of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, the father of her two children. Blackstock died on August 7, 2025, which was during the filming of the season.
Monday night’s episode of The Voice begins the Battles when Kelly and her fellow coaches Adam Levine and John Legend will begin pairing off their 10-member teams for duets, which only one will survive.
“I am super stoked,” Kelly says introducing the Battle. “I really hated that I couldn’t be there for Battle rehearsals, but I got to see the video footage. [Jennifer] left these notes for me and things she had the team work on, and it was amazing intel. Nothing beats live music, so that’s what I’m excited about.”
In this sneak peek of Team Kelly’s artists Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown, the two women go head-to-head with a performance of “Focus” by H.E.R.
Following the performance, John was the first to comment. He said, “I love it. Ladies, ladies, ladies, I was out here acting like y’all was on my team! I was getting so excited. You all were silky smooth with those harmonies. Liv, I feel like your range is so impressive. That will give you a lot of advantages as you go forward. But Mikenley, your tone was so sultry. I feel like I might go with Liv. With that range, she has a lot of flexibility.”
Levine also had good things to say, including some very high praise: “You guys were so good at playing off each other. If I’m your coach, that is a dream. That is not something that happens all the time. In my opinion, in the million seasons I’ve been on this show, that’s the best Battle Round I ever heard. I’m not kidding.”
Related:The Voice Season 29 Blind Auditions: Who Went Through and Who Was Eliminated Last Night?
But bottom line, the decision is Kelly’s but first she weighed in on rehearsal because, as mentioned, she wasn’t able to be there.
“JHud stepped in for me and she’s a big fan of both of you,” she said. “Her one note was that they’ll blend so well that sometimes it was hard to hear the individuality. I think you both nailed that today. It was the most respectful choices that both of you made equally. You elevated each other, instead of competing.”
Then it was time for Kelly to make her decision.
“This is going to be really hard, guys,” she told the ladies. “I’m really bummed about having to pick one of you over the other right now. There’s no reason or rhyme.”
Tune in on Monday night to learn who was eliminated and who went through to the Knockouts.
The Voice airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Streams next day on Peacock.
Next, The Voice Returns for Season 29 With New ‘Battle of Champions’ Format and Fan Favorite Judges
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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