The Voice Judges STUNNED by Darius J's 'Hey Ya!' Twist!

 

We thought we knew OutKast's hit "Hey Ya!," but the slowed down, bluesy version that The Voice contestant Darius J performed Monday was a whole other animal.

The member of coach Kelsea Ballerini's team went into the first night of the Playoffs with a "very unique, ʼ60s version" of the song, the 35-year-old from Pahokee, Fla., explained in rehearsals with Ballerini and mega mentor Sheryl Crow,

"With this version, I wanna show that Darius J likes to have fun, but is also a serious contender," he said.

The coaches — Ballerini, as well as Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Adam Levine — were blown away with his singular performance.

"There's only one Darius J," Levine, his former coach, said in his evaluation. "It was so different and so cool. It was almost like 'Bublé Ya!' I'm just really proud of you, man, Excellent job tonight, dude."

Bublé commented on the singer's look, which consisted of a striped suit, green-dyed beard, and a wide-brimmed hat.

"I wanna come live with you under that hat. It'd be cozy!" the "Haven't Met You Yet" crooner joked. "Man, you inspire me to go and look at the kinda songs I might not have thought of before, so thank you so much for blessing us. It's gonna be hard.

Legend complimented the contestant's voice, saying, "It sounded so rich and reminded me of like an Otis Redding or Sam Cooke." He added, "You made such a strong case for yourself today, Darius. Well done."

When it was her turn to weigh in, Ballerini noted that she had been fighting for Darius J to be part of her team since his Blind Auditions.

"I'm like a moth to a flame with you," Ballerini said. "I'm just so attracted to your artistry. And I wish that I could jump through all the TVs right now and just watch everyone fall in love with you, because I know that's what’s happening. You just make everyone feel like a warm hug."

The country music star said she felt "so proud to be alongside" the contestant in that moment.