If the old adage “if at first you don’t succeed try, try again” were personified, it might be 16-year-old Liv Ciara.

On Monday (Feb. 23), The Voice returned to NBC for its 29th season. This season, dubbed “The Battle of Champions,” sees the return of coaches John Legend, Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson—all of whom have previously mentored competitors to victory. Host Carson Daly also came back for his 29th consecutive turn on the show.

The judges and host were not the only ones to return to The Voice this season. On Monday’s premiere, 16-year-old hopeful Liv Ciara took to the stage with a slowed-down rendition of Ariana Grande’s 2024 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” Ciara first auditioned for the 28th season of the series with a cover of “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Unfortunately, none of the judges turned their chair for her last season. This time, however, was different.

Less than 20 seconds after Ciara started her audition, she received not one but two “I WANT YOU”s from the judges. Clarkson was the first to hit the red button. Not even a full beat later, Levine followed suit.

“Two of them,” screamed Daly as he and Ciara’s mother watched the audition unfold from backstage. As Ciara continued her performance, Clarkson repeated one simple word: “Wow.”

Immediately upon finishing, the weight of what just happened came crashing down and Ciara broke down into tears. “All the emotions, they’re all happening,” Levine said in response. “I want to hug you but I don’t want it to look like I’m trying to win your vote with that,” Clarkson said.

Levine began the praise for the audition by remarking on how mature her voice sounded. Unfortunately for the Maroon 5 singer, the contestant and Clarkson had immediate chemistry. The duo spoke about how they emotionally connect to songs in the same way, joking about how they both cry when singing sometimes.

“I’m so dead in the water,” Levine stated when he realized the conversation was not going the way he’d hoped.

The final nail in the coffin for Levine came when Clarkson leaned into her American Idol history, saying that she knows what it’s like to compete as a teenager. “You weren’t alive, but I won,” said Clarkson. The judge also noted that she’s won The Voice with teenage competitors in the past.

As the debate on which team to pick progressed, Ciara went on to mention her rejection from the previous season.

“I got a ‘no’ but I turned it into an opportunity to work,” she said. “Honestly, you’re gonna need that kind of grit,” Clarkson responded. “We’ve all been doing this for years, and it’s still a hustle.”

To no one’s surprise on the panel’s surprise, Ciara picked Clarkson, saying that she’s picking the coach who can “really help progress.”

Ciara was one of 11 hopefuls to audition during Monday’s episode. In the end, 10 contestants were selected by the coaches to progress further into the competition, with five on Clarkson’s team, three on Levine’s and two on Legend’s.

The Voice airs on NBC every Monday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and is available for streaming the next day on Peacock.