The arrival of Rihanna as
an adviser for the Season 9 knockout rounds brought out the best in
everyone — it got the artists thinking about their body movement and
confidence levels, and it got Blake flexing his flirting muscles after a period of dormancy.
In rehearsals, the country singer asked Rihanna for a nickname,
suggesting that if they kept working together the tabloids would start
to tag them as Blianna.
Rihanna feigned feeling flattered, but she was much more focused on helping Monday night's crop of singers reach new heights.
That was not an unrealistic goal in this opening bout of knockouts, as
the singers were picking their own songs and were unaware of who their
opponents would be before stepping onstage.
Highlights of the night included a Braiden Sunshine makeover, a fierce
battle between two unique female vocalists and the disappointing
departure of a staple of this season so far.
If there was one can't miss performance, it had to be — surprise,
surprise — Jordan Smith's. Something new and unbelievable comes out of
him every time he sings.
Here are the results of the first round of knockouts, as the winners have booked a ticket to the live shows.
