Kenna Elpers knew exactly what coach she wanted on The Voice. True to her country roots, the 23-year-old contestant auditioned for the show hoping to land Riley Green as her coach.
It wasn’t just their shared love of country that drew Elpers to Green. Before she took the stage, the singer revealed that, back in 2023, she opened for Green at a music festival.
Videos by American Songwriter
He gave her a signed koozie at the time, and she brought the item with her to The Voice in the hopes that she’d soon be able to cheers to winning the show with it.
To convince Green to turn his chair, Elpers opted to sing Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse.” Green did indeed spin around during the performance, as did Queen Latifah. Both coaches, however, noted that they heard some nerves in Elpers’ voice.
“You’re amazing,” Queen Latifah said. “I turned my chair really quickly,”
While both coaches noted that they heard some nerves in Elpers’ voice, neither was concerned about what that meant about her talent.
“You got your nerves out now you’re ready for the rest of this competition,” Queen Latifah said, before Green assured, “I think that’s something you can definitely beat.”
Kenna Elpers Selects Riley Green as Her Coach on The Voice
Though Adam Levine wasn’t involved in the competition for Elpers, he couldn’t help but dub Green “the better looking Blake Shelton.”
“Can we put that on my chair?” Green quipped in response.
Queen Latifah was more focused on business, telling the hopeful, “Country is Riley’s wheelhouse, but I know good singing and good performing and I’d love to have you on my team.”
It was then that Elpers revealed her connection to Green, prompting Kelly Clarkson to remark, “Well, Queen, it was a nice ride.”
“I don’t really know what else we need to talk about,” Green joked, before Elpers, unsurprisingly, selected the country star as her coach.
“Riley is so tough to beat with country, and of course she had a country connection,” Queen Latifah told the cameras after her defeat. “What I’ve come to learn is you’ve got to throw out koozies and all kind of stuff at concerts.”
“I’ve got some bad news for you,” Green joked to his fellow coaches, “I’ve threw out a lot of koozies over the years.”
Following the conclusion of The Voice‘s season 30 premiere week, the competition series will air every Monday on NBC.
Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC
More Latest Music News & Stories
-
MORNINGTON, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 27: Angry Anderson of Rose Tattoo performs on stage at the Red Hot Summer Tour at Mornington Race course on April 27, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Martin Philbey/WireImage) -
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 24: Sturgill Simpson performs at The Greek Theatre on April 24, 2025 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images) -
THE VOICE — "Blind Auditions" Episode 3002 — Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Riley Green, Carson Daly, Kelly Clarkson, Queen Latifah — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images) -
PACOIMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 19, 2026 – – Flowers were left at a makeshift memorial for reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw, with NBC NewsChopper4, at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima on September 19, 2026. Moreno and Marciniw were killed when their helicopter crashed while covering a bus accident in Chatsworth Tuesday evening. The pair flew for together years and provided news coverage for NBC4 and its Spanish-language sister station, Telemundo 52.(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) -
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 17: (L-R) Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert attend the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ACM)
