Idol Chatter & Voice Views

They were the youngest winners in the knockout rounds on The Voice.

And they turned in two of the most impressive performances.

Jacquie Lee performs during the battle round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Singing “Stompa,” 16-year-old Jacquie Lee proved yet again how apt the description was when coach Christina Aguilera called her a tiger in a kitten’s body.

Singing “The Way I Am,” 17-year-old Caroline Pennell had Blake Shelton proclaiming her one of the best singer-songwriter types in the competition.

Oh, and that song just happened to be the second most popular from the knockout round on iTunes.

And so Jacquie Lee and Caroline Pennell breezed into the live rounds, which begin Monday night.

It’s where the competition will get tougher.

Because after a week in which they were pitted against singers about their own age, Jacquie Lee and Caroline will be going up against the four other artists from their respective teams, vying for one of three spots per team in The Voice finals.

And nearly everyone else has more experience.

For instance, over on Team Cee Lo, Caroline will be going up against the likes of Kat Robichaud, 29, who fronted a rock band called The Design for several years.

Over on Team Christina, Jacquie Lee’s teammates include Josh Logan, 33, who described himself as a “six-nights-a-week, three-sets-a-night” performer prior to the show.

Will their youth put them at a disadvantage?

“There are two ways you can look at every situation, but I think that my age can be a disadvantage, but it can also give me an advantage depending on what way I look at it,” Jacquie Lee said during a conference call with the media last week.

“If I just look at it in a way, like I’m only 16 and hopefully (they) see that there’s so much that they can do with me and how much that they can advance me and make me grow, then that would be awesome. But if they look at me like, ‘Oh, she’s only 16, like she doesn’t know what she wants to do yet. She’s not really an artist,’ that could be a disadvantage.

“But you know, it’s all good.”

Caroline Pennell performs during the knockout round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Caroline says her philosophy for the live rounds is simple. She wants to work on her weaknesses and make each performance better than the last.

“I’d love to show some growth and diversity and maybe, you know, sing a little bit of an upbeat tune and have some more fun,” she added.

Of course, as teenagers, Jacquie Lee and Caroline have picked the toughest singing competition to participate in. A certain show that airs on FOX each spring typically shies away from the Josh Logans and the Kat Robichauds of the music world.

So why The Voice?

“The Voice is just a better vibe,” Jacquie Lee said. “I mean, the coaches are turned around so it doesn’t matter about your image or your appearance, so it’s truly about your voice when you’re on an audition.

“And the show just makes you look your best in front of everyone,” she added. “There’s no need to embarrass on the show and, even behind the scenes, the crew, everyone is amazing and so supportive and nice.”

Caroline echoed those thoughts.

“Just the show in general, you know, the crew and everybody, they’re so kind and positive and it’s more just the environment that attracted me — the really positive and nice environment where everybody’s so talented and so deserving to be here.”

Next up for the two teens from New Jersey: Proving they belong in the final 12.