Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Brynn Cartelli and Dylan Hartigan perform during the battle round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

But their battle round match wound up working out as well as one can.

Coach Kelly Clarkson asked Brynn and Dylan to perform Taylor Swift’s hit song “Ready for It?”

They wound up turning in such a crowd-pleasing performance that their version of the song cracked the Top 200 on the iTunes singles chart. Not to mention the Top 40 on the iTunes pop chart.

Kelly declared Brynn the winner. But Dylan advanced too, courtesy of a steal by Blake Shelton.

Dylan said his trepidation stemmed partly from the fact that “the song was way out of my wheelhouse since I’m an indie folk artist” And partly because “I got paired with probably the toughest partner to go up against with that song.”

Brynn said the song choice made her nervous too.

“I remember the night after we found out our song and partners, thinking ‘What can I do to this song so that one, it is different than the original; and two, we both stay on the show?”

Their rehearsal session with Kelly helped calm those nerves.

“When Kelly showed us her idea of what it would sound like with the band, it was such a relieving moment because I knew that there was a lot of thought put into this performance and that we had what it took to make it great.”

Dylan Hartigan and Carson Daly react to a Blake Shelton steal on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Dylan’s came in the form of a pep talk from his father.

“I was stressing out about doing the song and how I was even going to approach it. And he just said to me, ‘Here are your options, you either go up there and do this song to the absolute best of your ability or you go home and wonder what would have happened if you did.’” And that got my head in the game.”

Brynn, the youngest contestant on the show — she was just 14 when she auditioned — said the most helpful advice she got was more technical in nature.

“Kelly and (guest adviser) Hailee (Steinfeld) both gave me advice on grounding myself when I go for the big notes, and that really helped since I was belting in that song a lot before the actual show day.

“I also got advice on moving around the stage with ease and with purpose, which I’m still learning to get a complete grasp on.”

Brynn said she and Dylan also worked hard to make their duet a collaborative performance rather than just two singers swapping lines back and fort.

“We came up with our own story that we could think about and relate to that could make the performance real and emotional,” she said.

Tt worked. Brynn stalked the stage with purpose, hitting glory note after glory note. Dylan dropped to his knees at one point in the performance. And the singers drew high praise from all The Voice coaches.

Then came Kelly’s decision: She proclaimed Brynn, from Longmeadow, Mass., the winner.

Dylan recalls being upset for a moment, “but I thought it was a well-deserved win for Brynn.

“I mean we worked so hard on this song it was crazy,” added the former child actor from Wyckoff, N.J. “And to see all of that pay off for her was fantastic. So what was going through my head was excitement for her. And I wasn’t really thinking about the steal; I was mostly focused on making sure Kelly knew how grateful I was for her having given me this opportunity.

“When the steal came — which was at the very last second — I was baffled!”

Yep, the performance went so well, we’ll see both singers in the knockout round, set to begin April 2 on The Voice. Only Dylan will now be a member of Team Blake Shelton.

“I like being on Blake’s team because country has a close relationship with indie-folk,” he said. “I think he will understand exactly what I want to do and who I want to be. Also he’s the coolest dude. And I like working with people who have a good energy and positive attitude. I hope to focus on my voice, and not my stage presence.”

Brynn says the battle round taught her a valuable lesson.

“I learned that stepping out of your comfort zone is so scary at first, but so worth it… only if you work really hard to make it the best you can.”

Below, I’ve embedded their version of “Ready for It?” for those who might have missed it.

Also see …
Meet Dylan Hartigan
Meet Brynn Cartelli
iTunes results from Night 1 of the battles