The Voice 24: Nini Iris Delivers a Haunting Cover of the Billie Eilish James Bond Theme song “No Time to Die”
The Voice Season 24 is flying by. Monday night’s show was the SemiFinals performance episode with the Top 9 performing solo songs that were chosen by fans and trio performances from the songbook of Taylor Swift. (Read our Recap)
The song choices were a bit all over the map, but the show ended with the best performances of the
night, including from Team Niall Horan singer, Nini Iris who delivered the showstopper of the evening..
Nini, a singer from the country of Georgia, who resides in Brooklyn, New York is a 27-year-old
who considers herself a dark pop artist. “Georgia is a small country,” Nini shared in her video package, “so I didn’t grow up with big dreams. I didn’t think I would be a successful singer.” She is grateful for her fanbase at The Voice, and was awestruck as she noticed a group of Nini fans in the audience after her
last performance.
Nini performs Billie Eilish’s James Bond theme song “No Time to Die” which is mainstream but
remains in the dark pop realm. Niall believes the song could be on Nini’s record and notes that it is contemporary, and would allow the singer to show herself as an artist. Nini says she is
a huge fan of both Bond theme songs and Billie.
Niall observes that Nini’s “ability to know who she is as an artist is like no one else on the show,” He advises her to build the performance, suggesting that she sing “small first.” People at home want to be “moved” he says. Niall thinks she can get to the finale, telling her “you deserve to be there.”
“Remember the name Nini Iris”
After fans from Nashville introduce her, the performance starts in black and white, similar to Eilish’s
music video. Nini starts with a raspy yet round vocal; her phrasing is masterful. She sells the
line “fool me once, fool me twice,” better than I’ve ever heard it. She hits the low notes with ease
and hits the runs with perfection. She also lets her voice soar as she builds the climax, not
missing a beat. This is her best performance to date, showcasing her tone, phrasing and also
peaking at the right time as this song choice was perfection for her.
Afterward, Gwen Stefani tells Nini, “You’re so tasteful with the way that you build the songs. I feel like I am in an actual film,” adding, “I would root for you outside of the show”. Niall predicts, “remember the name, Nini Iris. It’s going to be around a long time”. He makes up a word, stating that she “Nini-i-fied the song,” joking that he’s bought her “record 15 times.”
Nini showed up in a big way on an important night
Team John Legend’s Lila Forde closed the show with a gorgeous performance of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” While these solos were beautiful, my favorite performance of the night was Nini’s other number, which was a Taylor Swift powerhouse trio performance of “Don’t Blame Me” with fellow Team Niall member, Mara Justine and Team Reba McEntire’s Jacquie Roar.
Mara Justine’s Chris Stapleton cover “Parachute” and Huntley’s rendition of Kaleo’s “Way Down We Go,” weren’t as strong as some of their previous performances, but still impressive. I expect the country voting bloc to vote Ruby Leigh through to the finale. But Nini showed up in a big way on an important night, and deserves a spot in the final.
On Tuesday night (Dec 12) four singers will be voted through and the other five will compete for the fifth spot in an instant save sing-off. The Voice results airs on NBC at 9 pm ET/PT. A recap of the Top 9 performances airs at 8 pm ET/PT.
