A second Arkansas native advanced beyond blind auditions on competition show The Voice in an episode broadcast Monday night.
Marybeth Byrd, of Armorel, sang “Angel from Montgomery” written by John Prine and popularized by Bonnie Raitt.
Within a few seconds of the performance, three of the four judges turned to face Byrd, showing they wanted to become her coach for the season.
The final judge, Blake Shelton, also turned around, but Kelly Clarkson “blocked” his chance to vie for Byrd, a once-per-season opportunity for each of the judges.
Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and John Legend all made their case for why Byrd should choose them to guide her through the competition. Byrd said she had “to go with her gut” and chose Legend to be her coach.
In a previous episode, Cory Jackson, who grew up near Jonesboro, advanced past blind auditions and joined Shelton’s team.
Once auditions finish, the rest of the competition show includes performances after which singers can be eliminated, until a winner is selected.
The winner receives a recording contract and a cash prize.
Byrd’s and Jackson’s next chance to appear on the show will be after blind auditions, which are set to continue airing through at least Oct. 8.