“The Battle starts right now.”
With that declaration by “The Voice” host Carson Daly, University of Virginia third-year student Simone Marijic and her friend Iris Herrera began their duet, which, paradoxically, was also a faceoff.
Performing on Season 27 of NBC’s singing competition, the pair quietly leaned into their enchanting rendition of “Ceilings,” by Lizzy McAlpine.
“We were really excited to sing this song because we could relate to it and it’s beautiful,” Marijic said afterward. “We have very different voices, Iris and I. I think we have completely different textures and colors to our voices, but they really work together beautifully.”
Carson Daly:
The battle starts right now.
[♪ Simone Marijic and Iris Herrera sing “Ceilings,” by Lizzy McAlpine ♪]
Ceilings, plaster
Can’t you just make it move faster?
Lovely to be sitting here with you
You’re kinda cute but it’s raining harder
My shoes are now full of water
Lovely to be rained on with you
It’s kinda cute but it’s so short
Then you’re drivin’ me home
And I don’t wanna leave
But I have to go
You kiss me in your car
And it feels like the start of a movie I’ve seen before
Before
Bedsheets, no clothes
Touch me like nobody else does
Lovely to just lay here with you
You’re kinda cute and I would say all of this
But I don’t wanna ruin the moment
Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos
But it’s over
Then you’re drivin’ me home
And it kinda comes out as I get up to go
You kiss me in your car
And it feels like the start of a movie I’ve seen before
But it’s not real
And you don’t exist
And I can’t recall the last time I was kissed
It hits me in the car
And it feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before
Before
[Kelsea Ballerini cheers]
John Legend:
All right!
Michael Bublé:
Iris, Simone, great job both of you.
Kelsea honored you by choosing a really great song.
It starts off very exposed and I thought both of you sang so beautifully in those more tender parts.
Iris, your voice has this wonderful kind of grit and there’s a depth to it that I love.
Simone, I love your little lilt. I love the little accents.
And by the way – loved the harmony. Both your voices sound so great together.
Ballerini:
Yeah.
Bublé:
I had hoped both of you would join my team. And both of you chose Kelsea Ballerini.
I’m going to make it harder for her by not saying who I think should be the one.
Ballerini:
Nice, nice, nice, nice. That’s helpful, thank you.
Legend:
Simone, I agree with Michael about the lilt in your voice. It was really compelling to hear you navigate all those really difficult parts at the beginning.
Marijic:
Thank you.
Legend:
And then, Iris, your tone is really glorious. I love the power in it. I love the rasp in it. Your style.
I think you carry yourself on stage with the presence of a star.
Herrera:
Thank you.
Legend:
Stay that way. It’s very compelling.
Herrera:
Thank you.
Adam Levine:
It’s funny how I didn’t turn for you guys. And all I’ve been doing is regretting that. Because the transition for the blind auditions to now is always so surprising, which is a great thing because that means you guys are evolving and getting stronger.
And it’s a testament to Kelsea. It’s a testament to you guys.
Herrera:
Thank you so much.
Marijic:
Thank you.
Levine:
I’ll be as helpful as I can to Kelsea. I would go with Iris just because I am a sucker for tone and there was a moment in that performance where I looked over at Kelsea and I was like, “Oh, yeah.”
That’s kind of where I would lean, but who knows? And only we can find out from here.
Herrera:
Thank you so much.
Marijic:
Thank you.
Daly:
Thank you, coaches.
Kelsea, before you tell us who won the battle, give us some thoughts, please.
Ballerini:
I’ve missed you guys. You look beautiful.
Marijic:
Thank you.
Herrera:
So do you.
Legend:
Oh my gosh. The love fest.
Ballerini:
Simone, your voice to me is like a feather, because you have this really strong, meaty part to it. But then you have these edges that just fray off. It feels light and fluffy sometimes, and then it feels really strong and powerful sometimes. It was really beautiful.
And Iris, I’ve said this so many times to her that it’s gonna get weird. And if it is, just tell me.
Herrera:
I love it. I’m weird. It’s fine.
Ballerini:
I am too. That’s why we’re friends.
Herrera:
Yes.
Ballerini:
The vibrato on the end of some of her notes is so …
Legend:
Tasty.
Ballerini:
It’s so tasty. It’s a trademark to your voice.
You’re both so talented and you’re both so bold and brave for being here at the age that you are.
As your older sister by 10 years …. [chuckling] I’m fine.
Um. Can I pass? What do I do?
Levine:
Just implode.
Ballerini:
Do I have to do this?
Daly:
You do. Soon.
Ballerini:
Right.
Daly:
Kelsea, two great singers. And awesome battle. That makes for a difficult decision. But, the time has come. Hands are being held.
Herrera:
We’re holding hands.
Daly:
Kelsea, who is the winner of this battle?
Ballerini:
Uh … the winner of this battle …
[♪ Suspenseful Music ♪]
Celebrity coaches John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Bublé and Adam Levine all agreed.
“Loved the harmony,” enthused Bublé after their performance. “Both your voices sounded so great together.”
Now it was time for Ballerini, their coach, to choose which one of the singers would advance on the show.
Marijic says she worked with producers to select her outfit. “They really like putting me in the boots. But it’s nice because I got to keep them,” she said. “So, I’m all stocked up.” (Photo courtesy of NBC)
“Simone, your voice to me is like a feather, because you have this really strong, meaty part to it,” Ballerini observed. “But then you have these edges that just fray off. It feels light and fluffy sometimes, and then it feels really strong and powerful sometimes.”
In the end, Ballerini chose Marijic’s new friend, Herrera.
“There were just so many thoughts in my head,” Marijic said on hearing the decision. “First it was that I was obviously sad and disappointed. I hadn’t felt like I’d given my all yet and really showed what I can do up until that point.”
She and her duet partner had grown close as they competed on the show and lived in the same hotel for several weeks. And they spent days rehearsing their performance.
“I felt like we both did a great job. And as a friend, I would have been happy either way. Going against a friend, you can’t really lose,” Marijic said.
The Steal
After Ballerini’s decision, the member of UVA’s a cappella group The Virginia Belles turned to leave the stage. “Then he hits his button,” she said of Bublé. “I just collapsed a little because I was so shocked. He seriously waited for the last minute to do it, too.”
Under show rules, coaches have an opportunity to “steal” someone and place them on their team. By pressing his button, that is what Bublé did.
Members of the band Big Little Town mentor Marijic and her duet partner, Herrera, before their performance. (Photo courtesy of NBC)
“I was hoping that Simone would be available for the steal,” the singer said. “She obviously has a great work ethic. I think, literally, I have a dark horse on my team that could be the winner of ‘The Voice.’”
So, Marijic’s run on the show continues to the “Knockout” rounds, when coaches pit one singer against another, each singing a song, and then decide who advances from there. Her next appearance has not been announced.
Marijic has other news. She’s just released a single called “Until the Morning Dew Arrives.”
[♪ “Until the Morning Dew Arrives” by Simone Marijic ♪]
Until the Morning Dew Arrives
by Simone Marijic
I’ve been running
For so long
I’ve forgotten the shape of my face
And the name of this song
And I’ve been searching
For the key
That little bronze glimmer of freedom
Bound to set me free
And I thought I found it once
Dressed in all corduroy
But truth is not a teenage boy
Who loves you like he’s got a choice
Aah
And I thought I found it then
Hidden in a library
But truth is not a book you read
Like some pre-written prophecy
Aah
Until the morning dew arrives
When I can say with glowing pride
I finally know why I’m alive
I’ll keep running
’Til I can’t
’Til my brain and my lungs and my heart
Are some kind of plant
And I’ll keep searching
For the key
That missing, wishing, living
Part of me
And I thought I found it once
Leaning on a misty rail
But truth is not a southern sail
Cutting ties and blazing trails
Aah
And I thought I found it then
Buried in my childhood home
But truth is not the warmth I’ve known
My mother’s smile, my father’s word
Aah
Until the morning dew arrives
When I can say with glowing pride
I finally know why I’m alive
I’ll keep running
On and on
What’s a girl to do but yearn
Arms stretched to the sky?
Yesterday, I was born
Today, I find out why
“It’s a very special song to me,” she said. “I actually wrote it while I was in the hotel on ‘The Voice.’”
The message of the song, she said, is to give yourself grace as you decide what to do with your life. “I wanted it to be my first release because I think the message was very fitting, and it’s about new beginnings,” she said.
