Riley Green may be brand new to “The Voice,” but the country star entered Season 30 determined not to behave like a nervous first-time Coach. Instead, Green decided to borrow an approach made famous by one of the show’s most successful Coaches: Blake Shelton.
Green joined the milestone season alongside fellow newcomer Queen Latifah, with returning Coaches Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine completing the four-person panel. It didn’t take long for Green to realize that simply turning his chair and waiting for contestants to choose him wouldn’t be enough.
That is where Shelton’s influence came in. Green said he noticed how Shelton used to get out of his chair, walk toward contestants and actively sell himself when he really wanted an Artist on his team. Green decided he wanted to bring that same energy to his own coaching style.
Rather than remaining seated during the recruiting battles, Green has been willing to approach Artists, interact with them and use whatever personal connection he can find. For a rookie Coach competing against experienced winners like Clarkson and Levine, that extra effort could make an important difference.
Shelton actually offered Green some advice before his debut. The longtime former Coach warned him not to focus too much on being nice to his fellow Coaches and encouraged him to approach the competition with one goal in mind: play to win.
Green appears to have taken that message seriously. His strategy is particularly aggressive when a country singer takes the stage because he has openly said he wants to collect as many country Artists as possible. He believes a country performer has a strong opportunity to win Season 30.
He even has an unusual recruiting weapon built directly into his famous red chair. Because Green’s cowboy hat created problems with some of the cameras while he was seated, the show created a small holder on the side of his chair where he can keep it during auditions.
Green quickly realized the hat could become more than a practical solution. When the right country singer appears, he can pull it out as part of his pitch—another playful way of reminding contestants exactly what kind of Artist and Coach they would be joining.
Viewers have already seen how seriously Green takes those battles. When 19-year-old Joe Henley performed Travis Tritt’s “Anymore,” both Green and Clarkson wanted him. Clarkson fought hard, but Henley ultimately chose Green, becoming the first member of his team.
Green has also shown that he is willing to do considerably more than simply talk. During his effort to recruit Army veteran BigCountry, he brought out a duck call and leaned into his country personality while making his case—even though that particular recruiting battle did not ultimately go his way.
The comparisons with Shelton are understandable, but the people behind “The Voice” have emphasized that Green isn’t being brought in simply to imitate him. Executive producer Audrey Morrissey described Green as having his own dry humor and personality, while noting the entertaining dynamic developing between him and Levine.
So Green may have borrowed one important habit from Blake Shelton, but he is quickly putting his own personality behind it. Instead of quietly spending his rookie season learning from the sidelines, he is getting out of the chair, fighting for the singers he wants and treating every coaching battle like one he intends to win.
