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Hear Nini Iris “Sing the Roof Off” The Voice in Her “Mesmerizing” Battle Win
Iris fell into a disco groove with fellow Team Niall member Sophia Hoffman while singing Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.”
Team Niall has a hit on its hands with Nini Iris, the native of Georgia (the nation, not the state) who stunned all four Coaches with her Four-Chair Turn during Blind Auditions on The Voice. After appearing more than 10 years ago on her home country’s version of the show and eventually making a life-changing move to the United States, she’s becoming a can’t-miss Artist to keep an eye on — especially after wowing the crowd with her big Battle-round win this week.
Iris and Battle partner Sophia Hoffman — who’s making new waves this time around after failing to turn any Chairs in Season 23 — got into a disco groove singing Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” giving Niall Horan an admittedly tough choice when it finally came time to pick a winner.
RELATED: Hear Why "Potential Winner" Nini Iris’ 4-Chair Audition Was Named Best of the Night
Anguished over having to leave someone behind, Horan confessed “you just have to go with gut” — and Nini’s “mesmerizing” stage presence, coupled with an “incredible” series of sweetly-smooth vocal runs, told his gut that Iris is “something special.”
Nini Iris and Sophia Hoffman sing Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” on The Voice Season 24 Battles
Both Nini and Sophia (who’s still in her teens) left all four Coaches raving, with Gwen Stefani especially impressed at Hoffman’s drive and determination, at so young an age, to defeat the rejection she faced on the show last season.
“Nini, you’re just so incredible — and how you can do those runs so precise and so amazing — it was blowing my mind!” gushed Stefani. “And Sophia — I mean, you’re what — 18? I mean it’s like, ‘What?’ You have such a rich sound and tone to your voice. It’s so pretty and so different from Nini’s. It’s gonna be a really hard decision!”
RELATED: How "Gritty" Sophia Hoffman Got 2 Chair Turns After Striking Out Last Season on The Voice
Niall summed up his dilemma with a clear signal that the duo’s delightful disco duet didn’t leave him a whole lot of wiggle room. “You sung the roof of this place!” he told both Artists. “Sophia, the perseverance that you showed to come back here again is just mind boggling. And Nini? — Super performance. Every time you step up here, it’s mesmerizing; it’s just incredible! But I’m really hoping that someone comes up with a steal here.”
John Legend almost granted Horan his wish, flirting with a momentary urge to steal Hoffman back for his own team. But with so many talented Artists on The Voice this season (and Coaches’ steals more precious than diamonds), he managed to stifle the impulse… just barely. “I was very close to stealing Sophia,” Legend admitted. “She was right there in my mind. But — ugh! — I just wasn’t sure. And I figured, ‘Let’s save my steal for another time.’”
RELATED: An Official Recap of Team Niall on The Voice Season 24
Ah, such is the fateful nature of having to choose. But Niall’s confident, at least, that he has a potential winner in Nini — an Artist who’s so far knocked it out of the park every time she’s stepped on the stage.
“I chose Nini as the winner because Nini’s got something special,” he explained. “She has this thing where you can’t keep your eye off her! There’s a gap in the world of music for someone like Nini, and all she has to do is run in a straight line into it. I cannot wait to see what Nini brings to the Knockouts.”
How high can Nini Iris fly as the competition keeps heating up? Find out by watching The Voice Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
