Lillie Kolich Puts a Slower Spin on Britney Spears Hit During The Voice Live Show
One way to make an impression on The Voice is to take a well-known pop song and give it a completely different feel. That was the approach taken by 25-year-old New Mexico native Lillie Kolich during the show’s first live episode of Season 30 on Monday night (Nov. 9), which featured a Y2K theme.
The Team Queen singer had secured a place in the Top 13 and told the studio audience before performing that she “loved” Britney Spears. As a shy child, Kolich had looked to the pop star for inspiration while dreaming of pursuing a career in music. She also paid tribute to Spears through her outfit, wearing a deep red look consisting of a low-cut, lingerie-inspired slip dress, a matching fur shrug and a leather purse.
For her performance, Kolich chose Spears’ 1999 hit “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rather than recreate the original’s seductive, mid-tempo pop sound, she transformed it into a slower, more atmospheric ballad. Singing the song’s longing lyrics over a stripped-back arrangement accompanied by two electric guitarists, Kolich gradually brought the performance closer to the energy of the original toward the end.
However, the reimagined version wasn’t enough to keep her in the competition. Coach Riley Green praised the performance as “awesome,” noting how difficult it can be to take such a popular song and make it your own. Queen Latifah also showed her support, telling her contestant she had “Nailed it!”
Despite the positive feedback, Kolich found herself eliminated on a night when six singers from Team Queen and Team Adam competed for places in the next round. Team Kelly and Team Riley contestants are scheduled to perform next Monday (Nov. 16).
Moving forward from Team Queen are Mia Knight and BigCountry. Team Adam will be represented by Dakota Cohen, Connor Closs and Lexi Stephens.
The Voice airs on NBC on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET, with episodes available to stream on Peacock the following day.
Watch Lillie Kolich’s performance on The Voice below.
Source: Various
