— Kelly Clarkson knew it was going to be a hard decision to make when she paired Alexandria’s 14-year-old Brooklyn Marie with 18-year Kavi Nyx from Atlanta, Georgia.
“You both are the most unique singers on my team. You both have a quality to you that is unlike anybody in the competition,” she told the two singers after their battle round Monday night, Oct. 26, on NBC’s The Voice.
But Clarkson made her decision when she said, “The winner of this battle round is Brooklyn Marie.”
Brooklyn Marie from Alexandria sings “Titanium” on NBC’s The Voice during the battle round on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.
Contributed photo / Cory Osborne, NBC
Alexandria’s hometown girl is moving on to what is called “Cut Week,” which Brooklyn’s mom, Kristin Ostlund said, is the biggest cut in Voice history. That episode will air on NBC on Monday, Nov. 2, at 8 p.m.
According to a search on Google, here is how Cut Week works:
Currently, each coach – Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Riley Green – has seven members on their team. Of those seven, each coach will select two artists to advance right to the Live Shows. The five remaining artists from each team will perform and then each coach will select one more to bring to the Live Shows.
“So each team has three for the Lives. That’s 16 people who are cut. That’s huge,” said Kristin.
Mom and daughter shared that there will be a voting element to Monday night’s episode.
Brooklyn said, “It’s election week, so everyone can kick it off the right way and vote on Monday night – whether it’s for me or for one of my friends.”
Her mom chimed in and said, “Somebody’s going to need your vote, whether it’s our girl or not.”
The Live Shows will begin on Monday, Nov. 9. They will be aired live on NBC and are not prerecorded.
Preparing for the battle rounds
The Voice Battle rounds took place this past summer. Going into it, Brooklyn did not know who she was going to be paired up with or what song she would be singing. It was during a meeting with all the contestants from Team Kelly that she found out she would be paired with Kavi.
Brooklyn was excited to be paired with her because, “She has been so sweet and so kind to me.” After they were paired, they found out they would be singing “Titanium” by David Guetta and Sia. The two had no say in what song they were going to sing.
“Kelly picked. Kelly picked the partners. Kelly picked the song,” said Brooklyn.
Brooklyn admitted she was a little scared because she didn’t know if it was going to be a song she knew or one that she was going to have to learn.
“When it was Titanium, I was so happy and relieved because I knew the song in advance,” she said. “I loved the song and I really thought it would be really cool to see how we could interpret it and how we could make it like our own. Kavi didn’t know the song, so it was harder for her.”
Brooklyn said because she and Kavi are more emotionally entwined singers who love to relay a story rather than a beat, they decided to turn the song into a ballad.
Robin Lang, 9, of Ashby has Brooklyn Marie sign a shirt for her during a meet and greet on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Brooklyn is currently competing on Team Kelly on NBC’s The Voice.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
“We kind of turned it into this sad but hopeful song,” she said. “That song is such a good song and when you strip away all of the background stuff, you can really listen to the lyrics.”
Brooklyn said the song for her is about someone standing up for themselves. Brooklyn said the two of them practiced and practiced for about a month.
“We worked on it every day and we just got really comfortable with it,” Brooklyn said. “And when we met with Kelly, she gave us a lot of good feedback. Kavi wanted to include her culture into it and I was really supportive of that. I said, ‘How can we add this into the song to make you shine, but also leave enough space for me to do my thing?’ I feel like we did a good job of making sure we each had our parts to shine. But we also really tried to make it so that we’re not singing a battle, but that we were singing a duet.”
Going into the performance, Brooklyn said she was thinking about how it would be really great if she won, but that she would be happy if Kavi won, too. The best outcome, she said, would have been if one of them won and one of them got a steal. But that didn’t happen.
“I really tried to give it my best performance and I really tried to make it hard on Kelly,” said Brooklyn. “We were trying to give the best performance that we could. I would have been fine either way. I would have loved it if she would have won, but I really wanted to win, too.”
So what happened when her coach said, “The winner of this battle is Brooklyn Marie.”
“I started crying. I’m glad they didn’t show me bursting into tears. I was sobbing,” she said. But she wasn’t the only one crying, her parents were, too, as they got to be there to watch their daughter.
“If nothing else comes from this, Kelly Clarkson said you could win the day of your blind. She said you could win this thing,” Kristin said to Brooklyn. “And then she said you two are the most unique singers on her team. Those are very high compliments. So that’s a pretty unique and exciting experience.”
The Ostlund family hosted a community watch party for the Oct. 26 episode in the Grand Hall at Carlos Creek Winery. She said that the owners, Michelle and Tyler Bredeson, went above and beyond to make it such a special evening for not only them, but also the community.
To work with them and their event coordinator, Kristin said it was just amazing.
“We have such a wonderful community and so many amazing people who are wanting to help through this journey,” she said, noting that they also had a photographer and videographer who were capturing the event for them, which was also special. “We had such an incredible team behind us that I feel like we were able to actually enjoy the night.”
Brooklyn said she was so touched by all the support she received, not just at the watch party, but throughout this whole journey.
“All the support that I’ve been receiving is really incredible and so surreal when I think about it,” she said. “Just that I have this entire town rallying behind my back is really cool. I am so thankful for everyone.”
Comments from the coaches
After the performance, all the coaches provided feedback. Here is some of their comments:
Kelly Clarkson: “Brooklyn, Brooklyn Marie, you have such a purity to your voice that is angelic and it’s nostalgic in a different way. It’s beautiful. It was hard to pick, but Brooklyn Marie has this sound that it breaks your heart in the best of ways and it’s really special. Congrats girl. You have such a gift. Remember that.”
Adam Levine: “Brooklyn, you’re 14? That’s crazy. When you’re hitting those really kind of airy, higher notes in your register, it was done so sweetly and beautifully and with so much purity. All in all, a really, really good job. Brooklyn, I think you are the revelation for me today.”
Queen Latifah: “I heard you today, Brooklyn. I mean, how do you just simply sing like that and hit those notes at 14? I don’t know, man. I am sure you are growing and learning but where you are right now is so wonderful.”
Riley Green: “Brooklyn, your voice is extremely pure and just pleasant, just great to hear. Brooklyn, the fact that you’re 14, I think that’s something that people are really going to just be blown away by. So, I guess I lean toward Brooklyn a little bit, but both of y’all are great.
Brooklyn is one of the youngest contestants to be on The Voice. There is someone younger than her this season, Brianna Cameron, who is 13.
In Season 14, a 15-year-old, Brynn Cartelli, won the show making her the youngest person ever to win the American version of The Voice. Prior to that, Danielle Bradbery, from Season 4, had been the youngest winner at just 16 years old.
Maybe this is the year a 14-year-old, who happens to be from Alexandria, will win.
To stay in the loop, join Brooklyn’s “Inner Circle” at
. More about Brooklyn can be found on her website,
; on her TikTok page,
tiktok.com/discover/brooklyn-marie-music
; on Instagram,
instagram.com/thebrooklynmariemusic
; and on Facebook,
facebook.com/thebrooklynmariemusic
.
Watch for more about Brooklyn in upcoming issues of the Echo Press. We will continue to track her progress. You can watch The Voice on NBC online at
or on your television.
Brooklyn Marie, 14, of Alexandria, left, holds hands with her Battle round partner, Kavi Nyx, as the two of them, along with The Voice host, Carson Daly, wait for their coach, Kelly Clarkson, to make her decision.
Contributed photo / Cory Osborne, NBC
Brooklyn Marie, right, from Alexandria, practices with her battle round partner, Kavi Nyx, on NBC’s The Voice.
Contributed photo / Griffin Nagel, NBC
The Voice contestant from Alexandria, Brooklyn Marie, sings the National Anthem at the Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday, Oct. 25 2026.
Contributed photo / NFL
Brooklyn Marie from Alexandria watches the Minnesota Vikings game in the shirt she was given for singing the National Anthem at the game.
Contributed photo / Kristin Ostlund
The Voice contestant, Brooklyn Marie from Alexandria, thanks everyone who attended the watch party when she performed during the Battle rounds.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
Brooklyn Marie from Alexandria, a contestant on The Voice, gives her mom a hug after Brooklyn was chosen by her coach, Kelly Clarkson, during the Battle rounds.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
Brooklyn Marie gets hugs from her fans after she made it through the Battle rounds on NBC’s The Voice.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
A large crowd listens to Brooklyn Marie, the 14-year-old from Alexandria who is competing on The Voice, during a watch party for her performance during the Battle rounds on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
A large line of fans wait to get an autograph from Brooklyn Marie, 14, of Alexandria. She is a contestant on NBC’s The Voice.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
Hunter Gilbertson, 6, and his brother, Liam, 4, watch as Brooklyn Marie autographs a photo of her for them. She is the 14-year-old from Alexandria who is currently competing on NBC’s The Voice.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
Fans watch NBC’s The Voice on a big screen TV in the Grand Hall at Carlos Creek Winery as Brooklyn Marie competed in the Battle rounds. Brooklyn Marie is from Alexandria and is on Team Kelly.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
Brooklyn Marie, 14, of Alexandria performs Oct. 26 in the Grand Hall at Carlos Creek Winery during a watch party for her Battle round on NBC’s The Voice.
Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press
The following photos were contributed by Susan Brown from
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Photo courtesy of Susan Brown, Colorful Edge Photography
Videos by Celeste Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press