Nina Howland Turns Four Chairs on The Voice with a Soulful Blues Audition

Nina Howland secured a four-chair turn for her Season 30 Blind Audition on The Voice. The 24-year-old singer from New York performed “Love Me Like a Man,” a 1970s blues-rock number written by Chris Smither and later made famous in Bonnie Raitt’s interpretation. Rather than reproduce Raitt’s gritty style, Howland delivered the song with a sharp, soulful character of her own.

The performance quickly prompted Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah, and Riley Green to turn their chairs. The result placed Howland at the center of a recruiting contest between returning coaches Clarkson and Levine and first-time coaches Latifah and Green.

Their pitches focused on different elements of the audition. Clarkson identified the selection as a personal favorite of many years, and Green emphasized Howland’s attitude onstage. Levine pointed to the flexibility of her voice, while Latifah admired how easily she appeared to command the material. Under the pressure of a televised audition, Howland presented the performance as a focused blues showcase.

She entered the competition with extensive professional preparation. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Howland joined the North American touring production of The Great Gatsby. Billed as Nina Michael Howland, she worked in the ensemble and covered the principal part of Daisy Buchanan as an understudy.

Watch the full performance on page two