pride of baytown
Native Texan, and noted "badass," RaeLynn departs The Voice: Not even a Biebercameo can keep spirits up
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RaeLynn/Facebook
Say it ain't so . . . fans of Native Texan RaeLynn from NBC's The Voice suffered a major blow last night, thanks to the singer's untimely departure.
It was a tough week for the spunky singer as she competed against Erin Willett and Jermaine Paul to represent Team Blake in the semifinals.
"You make me want to sing county," Christina Aguilera told RaeLynn. "You are a little badass, man."
While RaeLynn's tweaks of contemporary country hits has earned her a sizable fan base — and major accolades from the judges — the singer's rockin' performance of Jason Aldean's "She's Country" couldn't hold up to Willett's impassioned twist on Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" or Paul's take on the Phil Collins classic "Against all Odds."
Listening to the judges after RaeLynn's song on Monday night, one would've thought she was heading straight to the finals with coach Blake Shelton declaring it one of the proudest moments of the season for him. Christina Aguilera went so far as to say, "You make me want to sing county . . . You are a little badass, man."
After America's votes were tallied on Tuesday, however, Paul managed to sail onto the next round, leaving RaeLynn and Willett to perform another song each. Willett sang a show-stopping rendition of the Ike & Tina version of "Proud Mary" while RaeLynn chose a rather macabre song by The Band Perry called "If I Die Young "— which, based on title alone, may not have been the best song choice for her last ditch effort.
As the final seconds of the show ran out, Shelton stammered to announce his final decision — Willett . . . Not even the exciting surprise appearance from Justin Beiber could keep spirits up.
Shelton later admitted he was surprised by his own decision and indictated that he thought RaeLynn had a better overall season than Willett.
