Chloe Kohanski is the Voice
Judge Blake Shelton says she’ll be a star.
LOS ANGELES – It was a party for Team Blake after The Voice finale.
“Hell yes!” shouted coach Blake Shelton, walking backstage Tuesday night with Chloe Kohanski, 23, who won Season 13 under his tutelage, besting Addison Agen, Brooke Simpson and Red Marlow.
Though Kohanski had been a frontrunner much of the season, the raspyvoiced rock vocalist says she never thought winning The Voice was in the bag.
“I had no plan,” she said, adding that before getting stolen by Shelton, (former coach) “Miley (Cyrus) was my only plan.”
And although they are musically different, the Nashville native said she felt comfortable with Shelton, having heard of the country star’s reputation through the grapevine.
“I’m from Nashville, so I’ve heard of you outside of The Voice, just people speaking on your behalf,” Kohanski said, turning to Shelton. “And people speak so highly of you. ... So even if this makes no sense on paper, it works.” “No, actually, it worked,” he cracked. Their friendship isn’t just for the cameras, she added. “I’m very stoked that we won this together, but regardless I think we would have worked together and kept it going. It’s not just for the show, it’s real.”
Shelton recognizes that his last two
Voice winners never had albums released. But he predicts Kohanski, who already has two iTunes No. 1 singles under her belt from The Voice, is set for a different path.
“The record company just needs to give her the platform. If they can really do that it’s going to be easy,” he said, adding, “If we can’t follow through with this thing, then WTF?”
Shelton said Kohanski has the ability to become the show’s first superstar. “I truly think Chloe can go on from here and become the first star that we’ve had come out of this show that can have some hit songs,” he said.
Kohanski’s dream collaborator? “Be- fore, I would have said Billy Idol, but I got to sing with him on the show (tonight),” she said.
Now, “I would love to write with Blake Shelton, and I would love to learn from Stevie Nicks.” And for those wondering, Shelton had one message for his Voice frenemy, fellow coach Adam Levine. Next season, “I’m more worried about somebody more relevant, more recent. Talk to me about Alicia (Keys). Talk to me about Christina (Aguilera). Talk to me about somebody that’s won the show in the last decade,” he taunted.
“I don’t know that Adam’s really on the radar anymore,” Shelton continued, poker-faced. “I mean, look, I’m a Troy Aikman fan, but he’s not going to win any more Super Bowls. He’s out of the game. That’s where I put Adam now.”