“The Voice” contestant makes Britney Spears hit unrecognizable on Y2K-themed episode

Raechal ShewfeltTue, November 10, 2026 at 5:14 AM UTC

0

‘The Voice’ contestant Lillie Kolich and host Carson DalyCredit: Trae Patton/NBCKey Points -

The Voice kicked off its live episodes Monday with a Y2K-themed show.

Queen Latifah and Adam Levine’s teams performed for a spot in the Top 10, and one contestant was eliminated per votes from viewers.

Host Carson Daly introduced the nostalgic songs, just like he did decades ago on MTV’s TRL.

Host Carson Daly was firmly back in his element Monday on The Voice.

The reality competition kicked off its Live Shows with a Y2K night that featured the Top 13 — the coaches’ picks plus fan-voted Kyle Davis — all performing “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by the Backstreet Boys.

It was reminiscent of Daly’s days hosting MTV’s Total Request Live, with competing contestants covering songs from artists such as Avril Lavigne, Aerosmith, NSYNC, and Bon Jovi.

And, of course, there was some Britney Spears. Team Queen Latifah’s Lillie Kolich put her own spin on the pop star’s 1999 hit, “(You Drive Me) Crazy.”

‘The Voice’ contestants sing the Backstreet BoysCredit: Trae Patton/NBC

Daly, who referred to Spears as “the queen,” pointed out that the song was her second Top 10 hit in the U.S. In the background flashed a photo of Daly and Spears, which he joked was them “playing some sort of dumb game.”

“The one thing I always remember,” he said, “is fans always showed up for Britney and they still do.”

Ahead of Kolich’s performance, the 25-year-old from Albuquerque, N.M., gushed that she “loved Britney Spears” and as a shy young kid, the singer had inspired her “to want to be a pop star.” Kolich called her song choice “very special and full circle.”

Queen, who used her “save” on Kolich during Cut Week, mused that the contestant is “so special” and “so unique.”

“She makes some choices that no one really thinks of,” said the rapper-actress. “It’s kind of like, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’”

She teased that her team member’s take on the song would be “like you’ve never heard before.” And it was.

Advertisement

Kolich’s rendition was slower, haunting even, making it sound like an ‘80s ballad in the vein of Roxette’s “Listen to Your Heart.”

At the end of it, Coach Riley Green was impressed.

“It was awesome,” Green said. “To take a song that’s that popular and that well known and make it sound that different, that unique to you.”

Of course, Queen Latifah was a fan. She said Kolich had “nailed it!”

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

But viewers weren’t as enamored. After the night’s six performances, she was eliminated.

Team Queen’s BigCountry (Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”) and Mia Knight (“Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkson) moved forward in the competition, as did Team Adam Levine’s Connor Closs (“This I Promise You” by NSYNC), Dakota Cohen (“I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith), and Lexi Stephens (“I’m With You” by Avril Lavigne).

Members of teams for Green and Kelly Clarkson will compete next week.

The Voice airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”