Kata Hay Shows Off A New Side On 'The Voice'

Team Christina is the one to beat this season on The Voice, and contestant Kata Hay is one of the reasons for that. The country gal swapped her cowgirl boots for stilettos in the Live Playoffs to deliver a powerful, soulful performance of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." She showed off a side of her talent that we've never seen before and it completely paid off. Hay won the affection of both the coaches and America with her Live Playoff performance. There's no doubt that her showing tonight earned her a one-way ticket to the Top 12.

Hay is best known as the girl who kissed Christina Aguilera in the Blind Auditions. To be honest, if that was my claim to fame, I totally wouldn't hate it. She made herself unforgettable from the start, because how could you forget the contestant that lived out your childhood dream? Kidding. (Kind of.) But Hay's steamy kiss with her soon-to-be coach didn't only prove that she was awesome, it also proved that she's not afraid to take chances and put herself out there. That's a trait that so many other contestants lack, and they suffer because of it. But thankfully for Hay, she does possess this trait and it will give her an edge in this competition.

It was that fearlessness that helped Hay turn away from her country wheelhouse and try something different. And not only did she decide to do something different, she decided to do Aretha — and that's no easy feat. Hay did it with ease, though. The song revealed the sheer power of her voice, while she used her personality and stage presence to deliver the feeling of the song. Both Hay and the song itself worked together to highlight each other's best assets and deliver an A+ performance. The song was a risk that certainly paid off. With this as her Live Playoff performance, there's no doubt Hay will make it into the Top 12 and probably much farther beyond that.

Image: Trae Patton/NBC