Conor James and Tinika Wyatt lit up The Voice stage with a powerhouse duet of the Bee Gees’ Billboard chart-topper “How Deep Is Your Love,” in a battle round that proved to be one of the most heartfelt and vocally impressive performances of the season.
Representing Team Adam, the two artists blended harmonies, emotion and vocal control — and while Conor was ultimately chosen as the winner, Tinika wasn’t going anywhere.
John Legend said Tinika “lit up the stage” and questioned how she didn’t get any turns in the blinds. “You made a fantastic case for yourself staying on this show,” he told her. Michael Bublé called Conor’s vocal runs “perfectly executed,” and said he couldn’t choose between them.
Coach Adam Levine admitted the decision was brutal, saying, “It’s just energy I want to be around. And so having to make this choice sucks particularly badly because I don’t want to be without either one of you guys.”
He praised Tinika’s growth in the competition, saying, “Tinika, you made a leap — from you were about to go home to me pressing my button for the replay to you getting into the battle rounds with arguably one of the best singers this season has to offer and 1,000% being right there with him, ’cause you are a world-class singer.”
Turning to Conor, Adam added, “The stuff you’re doing in your full voice without even hitting falsetto, it’s pretty astounding. And you somehow managed to make us all feel things. You could go all the way in this thing.”
Before making his choice, Adam summed it up with: “Tinika came in here and made my life hell, because it would be a loss not to have you. So I am in a horrible spot. And before I make this choice, I just want you both to know, from the bottom of my heart, you guys are both incredible. Incredible.”
Then came the moment everyone was hoping for — a steal.
As Tinika began to thank the coaches and prepare to leave the stage, Kelsea hit her button, stealing Tinika for her team. “With my steal, I just wanted to feel something,” she said. “Hearing her voice, I just knew, like, gut girl… Tinika adds a level of soul to Team Kelsea that I’m very excited about.”
Tinika now moves forward on Team Kelsea, while Conor remains on Team Adam — both proving they’re serious contenders this season.