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Why Eliza Pryor & Mikaela Ayira’s “Rollercoaster” Battle Hurt Snoop’s Heart
“How do I make a decision when they both sound amazing?" the rookie Coach asked after his team's first Battle.
The Battle stage of The Voice Season 26 is now under way, and for most of it, Snoop Dogg was being pretty chill. It wasn’t until it was time for two of the singers on Team Snoop — Eliza Pryor and Mikaela Ayira — to compete against one another that the rookie coach realized how difficult it is when you can only pick one artist to advance to the next round. And, it’s even harder when those two singers have become best friends.
Pryor and Ayira, who are 17 and 16, respectively, immediately bonded upon joining Team Snoop after they made it past Blind Auditions. Snoop predicted this would be the case, saying, “If they was in school together they would be best friends.”
RELATED: Snoop Dogg's Music Collaborations: Listen to His Best
Snoop had his pair of Voice BFFs sing “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. During rehearsals, he encouraged them to strip down their performance as much as possible. “Your voice is beautiful by itself. Your presence is enough,” Snoop said, instructing them not to go too high or hard with their vocals and to avoid adding little trills or flourishes.
“Y’all sound so beautiful when you’re working together,” he said as rehearsals ended. “Treat this song like y’all’s friendship.”
“Eliza, she can really become something special because she has a great vocal tone,” Snoop told the cameras before the big performance. “And Mikaela, she has a big voice and a great spirit. Once she does the things that her voice is capable of doing, she can go far in this thing.”
The Voice Season 26 Team Snoop Battle: Eliza Pryor vs Mikaela Ayira
Coach Reba McEntire was the first to speak after the two were done singing, and she praised the way Pryor and Ayira's voices complimented each other. Pryor’s voice was softer, and McEntire said the way it contrasted with Ayira’s heavier tones as they traded verses was “like a rollercoaster. I was just totally entertained.”
Coach Gwen Stefani complimented Pyror’s “swag,” stage presence, and confidence, saying that her voice “almost sounded like the record.” She also complimented how Ayira’s tone was deep “but sort of sweet at the same time.”
“I’m just so mesmerized by your guys’ ability to be so cool on this Voice stage and be so young,” Stefani added, though she pointedly declined to say whether she would pick one singer or the other. “There’s no way, Snoop, that I’m going to say who should win after you’ve been no help to me.”
RELATED: Why Snoop Dogg Turned at the Literal Very Last Second for 17-Year-Old Eliza Pryor
“How do I make a decision when they both sound amazing? It’s hurting my heart right now to even try to pick and choose,” lamented Snoop. However, he ultimately did have to make a choice, and went with Ayira.
“It was heartbreaking to let one of them go, but I just felt like Mikaela had a little bit more room to grow,” Snoop explained. “What I love about Mikaela’s voice is that it’s steady. She has control over it but she hasn’t learned how to fully control it. So I think the tutelage I can give her, I can show her how to become a real big vocalist in this music industry.”
So, how did Snoop feel after his team’s first Battle?
“I’ve been joking around with y’all but that hit me right in the heart,” he told the other Coaches.
Where can you watch The Voice?
Catch new episodes of The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. Every episode also arrives on Peacock the next day, so if you missed it the night before, you can always catch up.
