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The Voice season 27 released episode 9, the first installment of the Knockouts, on March 31, 2025. The segment featured multiple rounds of two singers (from each team) facing off against each other for a spot in the Playoffs. Among those pairs were BD.ii and Kolby Cordell from John Legend's team. Each put their best foot forward, hoping to steal the spotlight, but only one could advance.
BD.ii wowed the coaches with his rendition of Brian McKnight's Back at One, while Kolby presented the mentors with his take on the Stevie Wonder hit, Lately. Both acts were equally appreciated by the experts, which complicated John's position, as he had to choose one to send to the next round of the competition. After some deliberation, he advanced BD.ii and sent Kolby packing.
However, before Kolby could take his leave, Adam Levine and Michael Bublé hit their Steal buttons, wanting to scout him for their teams. Kolby ultimately joined Adam's team, turning down Michael's offer.
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The Voice fans on X were impressed by the Knockouts winner, BD.ii's performance. They expressed their views on his act, complimenting his voice and stage presence.
"I’m proud of BD…keeping it lowkey and smooth with his voice! Let’s goooooo," a fan wrote.
"BD.ii has that classic RnB vocal, sensual, creamy, liquid. It just flows so easily even when he puts his foot on the gas. Such a tender presence. Magical!" another commented.
"BD.ii is moving on to the live playoffs," a netizen posted.
Many fans of The Voice commended BD.ii's act, while some claimed he outshone Kolby.
"I love BD’s rendition of a Brian McKnight song. I he should advance to the Live Playoffs," a user reacted.
"I wanna say BD did a incredible job of making this Brian Mckinght song his own and delivered a great performance and BD won this knockout," a person commented.
"after bd.ii and kolby's knockout, i think i might as well lean towards bd.ii, even though him and kolby are so good and they deserve to go through. but at the end of the day, there can be only one..." another fan wrote.
"Okay, BD sound better, but they are going to give it to Colby because his voice is more mainstream," a netizen commented.
Other fans of The Voice congratulated Kolby for receiving a double steal.
"AND we have 2 coaches use their STEAL for #KolbyCordell Welcome him to his new coach and #TeamAdam #VoiceKnockouts Congrats Kolby!" one user posted.
"What a way to kick off night 1 of the #VoiceKnockouts than with a double steal. Kolby does deserve to be in the Live Playoffs," a person reacted.
"He's soulful" — The Voice judge John Legend explains why he chose BD.ii over Kolby
During rehearsals, The Voice mentor John told BD.ii and Kolby that he wanted to coach them in such a way that the other coaches would become interested in stealing one of them. That way, he could keep both artists in the competition. BD.ii decided to sing the Brian McKnight song to step "outside his comfort zone."
Similarly, Kolby went with the Stevie Wonder classic because he wanted to present the judges with something other than the up-tempo songs he had sung in the earlier rounds.
While reviewing the acts, Adam confessed he was "transfixed" by BD.ii before calling Kolby a "discovery." The Voice coach Kelsea Ballerini was equally complimentary, praising Kolby's vocal "smokiness" and comparing it to John's voice. However, she felt BD.ii was "more ready" for the Playoffs.
Michael negated Adam's comment about Kolby's "tired" voice and explained it was his natural rasp that he liked. John appreciated Kolby's soulful act and complimented BD.ii for delivering a well-rounded performance. He ultimately advanced BD.ii, while Kolby joined Adam's team with a Steal.
While explaining his decision to save BD.ii, John said:
"I picked BD.ii because he's soulful, he has great control and has shown himself to be one of our best vocalists. I am so excited to have BD.ii on my Playoff team."
The Voice season 27 can be streamed on Peacock.
