Keith Urban Baffled by Kaylee Bell’s Elimination on The Voice Australia

Keith Urban was left baffled last night after Jessica Mauboy’s choose to let go of New Zealand’s award-winning country-pop singer-songwriter, Kaylee Bell on The Voice Australia during The Battles round. 

In the Battles (where coaches cut their team from 6 to 3 by pairing two of their artists to sing the same song as a duet), Bell went up against Finnian Johnson on Sunday, May 15. The duo performed Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, with both taking very different approaches to the ballad.

“I’m so super proud of you both. Kaylee you’re just effortless and you just know where you’re going with the song. Coaching you is like setting you up to shine,” Mauboy said. “Finnian, goodness gracious me, that tone that you have, it is meant to tell stories. You have this barrel thing that’s really deep in your gut, this is a really tough decision.”

After pondering her choice, Mauboy declared the winner as Johnson.

Shocked, Urban leaned back in his chair as he said, “Oh, wow!”

“Go Kaylee,” he yelled out as Bell left the stage.

Fellow country artists Ella & Sienna and Freddie Bailey were also eliminated in The Battles. Emerging country artist, Lane Pittman remains as one-of-two competitors left on Urban’s team.  

Urban had previously wanted Bell as part of his team, after she wowed him with a performance of her original song, Keith (a song she wrote for Urban), during the blind auditions. Due to a ‘block’ card technicality, as used by Mauboy, Urban was unable to have Bell join his team. 

Bell also has a history with Urban. She performed We Were Us with Urban on his Light The Fuse World Tour of Australia in 2014 and again on his 2016 ripCORD World Tour in Wellington. 

Despite her departure, Bell continues her rise in the music world, with over 30 million Spotify streams and holding the reigning title of ‘Most Streamed Female Country Artist for Australasia’. Her previous single, Living Free featuring Lindsay Ell spent weeks on the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart, as did Before I Met You featuring The McClymonts (which peaked at #5).

Hailing from Waimate, on the South Island of New Zealand, Bell moved to Australia at the age of 21, where she kick started her career by winning the prestigious Toyota Star Maker award in 2013. She subsequently released her debut album, Heart First, later that year. Her extended play The Red EP and second album Silver Linings both followed in 2021. 

Bell has previously opened for Alan Jackson, Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts, Morgan Evans and The Chicks. She will join headliners Brad Paisley, Kane Brown and Evans for CMC Rocks QLD this September, as well as Paisley’s solo show in Auckland on Saturday 8 October, as part of his Australian/New Zealand tour featuring Evans.

Her song Keith debuted at #25 on the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart last week. 

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Keep up to date with Kaylee Bell and follow her on Facebook here.