Kelsea Ballerini acknowledged a “nerve-wracking” when Jaelen Johnston took the stage on The Voice on Monday night (May 19).

Johnston, the last country artist in the competition and Ballerini’s Super Save, chose a Dierks Bentley anthem for his first of two performances. Johnston covered “What Was I Thinkin’.” Bentley delivered the hit single on his self-titled debut studio record in 2003.

Johnston drew a blank and tripped over the rapidly-paced lyrics seconds into the song; however, Ballerini said his recovery spoke volumes.

“Oh, I just, I’m so proud of you,” she told the 22-year-old country artist from Derby, Kansas. “I know that you had a moment early on where you got nervous. But the thing is, this is like the most nerve-wracking thing you could do, and the way that you recover is the only thing that matters. And you locked back in. And you got back in your body. you got back in your voice and you delivered and you moved and everyone loves you. that was the most impressive part. You really showed up. You really showed up. I’m so proud of you.”

Johnston returned to the stage to close the show with a soulful rendition of award-winning country superstar Chris Stapleton’s “Cold.” Stapleton released “Cold” on his fourth studio album, Starting Over, in 2020. Host Carson Daly asked Ballerini for her reaction to Johnston’s performance. The Patterns star admitted she “was a little bit nervous” that Johnson chose to take on such a powerful song by Stapleton. But she quickly changed her mind when she heard Johnston’s cover during rehearsals.

“I’m out of breath. I’m sweating,” Ballerini said.” I want everyone to know that Jaelen picked this song, and when he did, I was a little bit nervous because it’s such a big song. It’s a big song to take on. And we got to rehearsal and you sang it and I said, ‘I simply digress.’ I didn’t know how good you were until you did that song. Congratulations. You have continued to show up and grow every single time you get on the stage. You’ve always done it with kindness, with grace, with intention, and with a heart to tell the story of country music. I’m so proud to be your coach.”

Johnston has captivated viewers of The Voice throughout the season. The rising country star has taken the stage with Tim McGraw's “If You're Reading This,” Luke Combs' “Where the Wild Things Are,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” (with fellow Team Kelsea artist Hailey Wright), and most recently, a powerful rendition of Lee Brice’s emotional 2012 ballad, “I Drive Your Truck.”

Watch Johnston’s performances of Bentley’s “What Was I Thinkin’” and Stapleton’s “Cold” below. The winner of the 27th season will be revealed during the second part of the finale on Tuesday night (May 20), airing at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on NBC. The show will also be available to stream on Peacock.

Denise Plante