Kelsea Ballerini won over Adam Levine during her first season as “The Voice” coach. “We got along famously instantly — like a nice, friendly, sweet version of when I met Blake [Shelton],” Levine told People on April 7.
The “Maroon 5” frontman recalled recording a performance with the other coaches and getting teased by Ballerini.
“I’ve only really ever sung with an ensemble group of people on ‘The Voice’ so it’s still foreign to me a little bit,” he shared to People.
Levine continued, “And I go in my feelings, go inside a little bit, close my eyes, whatever — and we did a take of this song for the coaches’ performance, and then she looked up at me, and she’d be like, ‘Hey, you going to pretend you like us?’”
The “Payphone” singer found the ribbing hilarious and thought Ballerini was cool for poking fun at him. “What I like about her is that what you see is what you get,” he said.
Ballerini Was Nervous About Meeting Levine
During the February 24 episode of “The Voice,” Ballerini revealed that she had some anxiety about Levine prior to meeting him because of what Shelton had told her.
“He was like, ‘Adam’s tough. Sometimes, he’s mean. He’s competitive. He’s ruthless,’” Ballerini told Levine. “He was wrong. You’re lovely. You’re really nice,” she added.
Levine joked, “Thank you. I feel like Blake was, like, hazing you. Something like that. He’s mean. He’s not a nice guy. He’s not a nice person. If he’s being nice to you, that means he’s lying.”
It was clear Levine was still fond of his friend when he said, “I miss Blake. I’m in his mangy, musty chair.”
Ballerini Got Used to Being the ‘New Girl’
In a January 30 interview with Extra TV, Ballerini expressed her excitement about being a coach on “The Voice.”
“I’m the new girl. I love it!” she exclaimed. “I feel like now, by this point, my nerves are gone, I kind of know the ropes.
“We have all of our vibes, and I just feel comfortable. I’m so happy to be here,” Ballerini gushed.
Levine, who had been absent from “The Voice” since season 17, said of his return, “It feels great to be back with my ‘Voice’ family. Turning to his castmates, he added, “I love these guys so much.”
John Legend returned the love and said, “He was there for my first season and then we hadn’t been together as coaches since then, and he just came right back in like he never left.”
