Team Adam singers Benji (left) and Sam James (right) battle it out on The Voice – Photo: NBC
During The Voice battle round this past Monday night, Sam James and Benji Kuriakose went head-to-head on the Bon Jovi hit “You Give Love a Bad Name”.
After squaring off for Team Adam in their their first round battle, Sam and Benji impressed all of the coaches this week. Although Sam James is used to a much softer style of singing, he showcased his power alongside Benji who some of the coaches felt power and more range.
In the end this week on The Voice, Sam advanced to the next battle round while Benji was surprisingly sent home without a steal from any of the coaches despite their positive feedback.
So, was Sam surprised when Adam picked him this week?
“Well, obviously I was a little surprised,” Sam told The Deadbolt after being put through to the next battle round. “You’ve got four coaches up there, and they all bear weight on each other. They’re all friends and they respect each other’s opinion. Blake, Christina and Cee Lo, they all complimented me but I thought I was dead in the water. I was really shocked.”
Although both Sam and Benji showcased their vocal power on Monday night, the coaches beyond Adam felt that Benji took his voice to a whole new level. Still, despite Benji’s rocker qualities, Sam held his ground where it counted, with his coach.
Looking back, how does Sam feel now about his performance?
“I thought I gave a good performance, but Benji gave an equally good performance. I really think it could have gone either way. Benji’s a fierce competitor. Obviously I’m happy that Adam went with me.”
And now that Sam has Bon Jovi in his rear-view vocal mirror, it’s on to the next battle round.
So what’s next for Sam on The Voice?
“Moving forward, I hope we bring it back to my genre,” James continued. “It’s different when you go into battle and things are geared more toward one person. I’m not a rocker by any means. I’m a singer – songwriter, so I really need to bring it back to where I think I was during the blind auditions with “Imagine” by John Lennon. That was a lot more in my wheelhouse. I just want to show the country what I’m capable of and stay true to myself.”
How did you feel about the battle between Sam and Benji this week?