THE VOICE: Riley Green’s Former Birthday Cake Baker Turns 2 Chairs, Including His
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Riley Green has witnessed some pretty unbelievable auditions in his first season as a coach on The Voice. One of those performances came from 31-year-old singer Brandy Neelly. But her audition was unbelievable not only for her vocal talent, but for another reason entirely…
Neelly auditioned for Season 30 of The Voice with a cover of an iconic country tune, “Lesson in Leavin’.” The track was originally released by Dottie West in 1980, and it was a #1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Jo Dee Messina released a cover in 1999. Her version peaked at #2 on the Hot Country Songs chart and also crossed over to the 28th slot on the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
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Riley Green was the first coach to turn for Brandy Neelly’s spunky cover of “Lesson in Leavin'” on The Voice. Her audition ended as a two-chair turn after Queen Latifah also flipped around.
Everyone automatically assumed that Neelly would land on Team Riley. But once they learned about their surprising past connection, that assumption seemed even more on the nose.
Who Did Brandy Neelly Choose To Be Her Coach On The Voice?
Singing isn’t Neelly’s only passion. She told the coaches that she also bakes cakes.
Then, she shared that she once baked Riley Green’s birthday cake! She brought out a photo of the cake, which was decorated to resemble a duck pond and featured Green’s nickname, “Duckman.”
Green immediately remembered the cake, remarking, “It was delicious!”
Although it’s unclear exactly when Neelly made the cake, Green joked it was for his 23rd birthday (he’s actually 37). His quip prompted Kelly Clarkson to shout, “Shut up!” as she laughed.
Getting serious for a moment, Green shared why he turned his chair for Neelly’s performance. He said it was “fun” and had a “traditional feel,” but she still managed to make her cover unique.
“The best you can be is different,” Green said, “and you’ve certainly got your own sound.”
Queen Latifah spoke next. She was clearly a huge fan of Neelly’s performance, telling her, “There is nothing like a woman who can come out here and rock a song like that.“
Adam Levine went to bat for Queen Latifah, trying to convince Neelly to pick her so she could stand out on her team. Levine argued that if she joined Team Riley, she’d be in a “country gauntlet.”
But Neelly felt confident she could still make a name for herself on Green’s team, so she picked him as her coach! Check out the video below to watch her blind audition and to see how Green reacted when he realized she made his birthday cake.
