Kelly Clarkson has apparently added hair extensions to the list of things she is willing to offer while building a team on The Voice.
During the Sept. 21 Season 30 premiere, 21-year-old Hazel Gerson performed Alex Clare’s “Too Close” and earned chair turns from Clarkson and new coach Riley Green. Clarkson turned first, then immediately found herself having to sell Gerson on Team Kelly once Green joined the fight, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Things took an unexpected turn when Gerson interrupted Clarkson’s coaching pitch to compliment her long hair. Clarkson revealed that the length came from clip-in extensions, pulled out a piece and offered it to the contestant.
Gerson said choosing her coach was an easy decision and joined Clarkson, giving Team Kelly its first artist of the new season.
Clarkson Literally Pulled Out a Piece of Her Hair
Green tried to connect with Gerson first by pointing out her camouflage outfit and joking that her name sounded Southern, even though the San Jose singer had not performed a country song. “It feels right to me,” Green told her, according to Parade, while acknowledging that her performance itself was not country.
She told Gerson that she liked her sound but could hear another level of power, both vocally and personally, that she wanted to help bring out. Then Gerson interrupted the pitch to tell Clarkson that her “long hair looks really beautiful.” “Thank you! I’ll give it to you. It’s clip-in. You can have it!” Clarkson responded before pulling out a piece of the extension.
She then turned the hair into part of her sales pitch. “I will share. Don’t you want a coach that will share with you?” Green immediately countered after getting a closer look at the extension, joking, “I’ll be honest with you. I saw this hair up close and I don’t know if you want it.”
When Adam Levine finally asked Gerson to make her choice, she acknowledged that she was usually bad at decisions but said this one was “easy.” She chose Clarkson.
Riley Green Had Already Beaten Clarkson Once That Night
Clarkson had good reason to take the next coach battle seriously. Earlier in the premiere, she and Green both turned for 19-year-old Alabama singer Joe Henley after he began Travis Tritt’s “Anymore.” Clarkson was actually the first coach to turn, but Henley’s interest in Green quickly became obvious.
Green strengthened his case by taking his guitar onto the stage and joining Henley for a verse of “My Way.” Clarkson even tried singing harmony from her chair, later protesting that Henley had barely looked at her because he was so focused on Green. Henley ultimately chose Team Riley.
The loss left Clarkson joking about why Green might be difficult to beat with country singers. “I don’t know if it’s the Tom Selleck mustache or the Marlboro Man vibe, but I’m over it already,” she said.
The Long Hair Was Already Gone by Premiere Day
The Blind Auditions were taped before viewers saw them. On Sept. 21, the same day the Season 30 premiere aired, Clarkson appeared on Today with a sleek brunette bob falling just below her chin.
The shorter style was not entirely new by premiere day. Clarkson had already appeared publicly with a bob earlier in September, including during a Sept. 11 performance in Atlanta.
Season 30 itself opened with Clarkson and Adam Levine returning to the red chairs alongside first-time coaches Green and Queen Latifah. NBC launched the season as a three-night premiere event. After the two-hour Sept. 21 opener, Blind Auditions continue with one-hour episodes Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT before the series returns to its regular schedule.