Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kendra Checketts perfoms during the battle round on The Voce. (NBC Photo)

Kim had been declared the winner following their well-received performance of “Here” by Alessia Cara.

That put Kendra’s Voice fate in limbo.

Instead of being eliminated, the 19-year-old from San Diego wound up being one of just two singers to earn a push of the steal button from multiple coaches during the Season 16 battle round.

She opted to join Team Adam Levine and will be representing his team in the cross battles that begin Monday.

Here’s what Kendra told Voice Views about that battle round.

Voice Views: What do you think made the battle so successful that both you and Kim advanced?

Kendra: Kim and I both worked so hard on the song. We spent around three hours just trying to figure out where in the song we would breathe. “Here” is so wordy and dense, so we had to make sure every annunciation and breath was done in sync.

We also trusted each other a lot. I was so blessed to have a battle partner who was motivating as well as helpful when it came to everything. We both really believed in each other and I think that is what made our performance so successful.

Jim and I actually knew the song before going into the battle round, which was very helpful. We were already familiar with the lyrics and how the song went, so it made it a bit easier to focus on the little things in the song. T

Voice Views: What were you thinking about the possibility of a save after Blake announced the results? And why did you decide to join Team Adam?

Kendra: I honestly was expecting to go home. They didn’t air it, but Kelly said she would pick Kim, and Adam said if he were Blake he would pick Kim. At that point I wasn’t upset at all; I was just excited about the BOMB performance that Kim and I put on for the audience and America. I was so proud of both of us.

When Adam and John pressed to steal, I actually collapsed onto the ground for like a minute. I was crying and couldn’t breathe because to have Adam and John believe in me like that made me so happy. Adam said the only reason he told Blake to pick Kim was because he wanted me on his team, which made me so excited.

I picked Adam because he seemed much more eager to have me on his team than John did. He really wanted to work with me, and I want to work with someone who believes in me and motivates me to believe in myself more.

Voice Views: Are there any facets of yourself as a singer and musician you haven’t gotten to show viewers yet that you’re eager to in upcoming rounds?

Kendra: I definitely want to show myself singing different sub-genres within my genre. I love to flip songs and I think that I would love to show America my versatility within the genre and sing some older songs as well as some new ones. I am also excited to show off my range as both songs I have done haven’t been all I can do. So get ready America!

Editor’s Note: The Voice’s first-ever cross battles begin Monday night at 8 p.m. on NBC.