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Why Lila Forde Got an Instant 4-Chair Turn After Her “Full-On Joni Mitchell” Audition
Gwen Stefani was so floored, that she literally shot right out of her shoes.
Seattle transplant Lila Forde commanded The Voice stage Monday night with an absolutely transcendent cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home," which prompted an immediate turn from all four Coaches. Gwen Stefani was sold from the very first note, quickly followed by John Legend, Reba McEntire, and Niall Horan.
"That song could not be more perfect for you if you tried, and you look so comfortable up there on that piano," gushed Horan, who took home the top prize last season alongside mentee Gina Miles. "Your tone has got so many parts. It was like listening to full-on Joni Mitchell stuff, where Joni would sing that real deep stuff and then just [go into a higher register]. That reminds of everything I love about music. I would absolutely love you on my team."
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"I'm frickin' fighting right now," Stefani declared, getting out of her chair and leaving her shoes behind as she approached Forde with an impassioned appeal to join her crew. "This is what the world needs. We want a singer-songwriter with a true point-of-view that's original, unique; that's not trying to be like anyone else. The way you performed it, the confidence — it's everything that I love. It was so good, it was so beautiful ... You're my dream Voice girl to work with. I love you!"
John and Reba had equally nice things to say about the performance, throwing out such complimentary phrases as "completely under your control" and "mature beyond your years." Faced with four incredible choices, Forde ended up choosing Legend as her Coach. "I'm so sad!" exclaimed a dismayed Stefani, who will have a chance to steal the talented contestant away during Battles.
Watch Lila Forde land an instant 4-Chair Turn on The Voice
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Forde moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue a full-time career in music. "My mom's a musician, she's a pianist, so straight out the womb, all of us were playing, doing something" she told the Coaches.
When not auditioning on national television, she performs freelance gigs around LA — mostly covering classic songs by Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and The Beatles. Forde returns home often to visit the isolated property her parents own on San Juan Island in Washington State.
"It's really, really special," she said. "You can be in the woods and feel the energy of the trees and the nature and hear the owls at night ... I always have the best song ideas come to me when I'm away from my instrument, meditating. It makes you blossom in ways that I don't find accessible in the rush of the city. But I did have to move to LA to follow this dream of mine. That decision has really rewarded me and led me to The Voice."
Watch The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
