Riley Green Uses The Voice’s New “First In” Button After 15-Year-Old Allie Rae’s Audition

Riley Green wasted no time turning for 15-year-old Allie Rae — and then made sure she couldn’t join another coach’s team.

Rae’s Season 30 Blind Audition on The Voice began with her performing Alannah Myles’ “Black Velvet.” Green had barely heard her sing the first word when he turned his chair.

Kelly Clarkson followed soon after, and for a moment, it appeared the teenager would have two coaches competing for her. Then Queen Latifah turned as well, giving Rae a three-chair turn.

But Green had something the other coaches didn’t: a brand-new button that could change the outcome completely.

Allie Rae Leaves Three Coaches Wanting Her

Once Rae finished her performance, Clarkson was visibly stunned to learn that the singer was only 15 years old. She was even more excited when Rae revealed that she was from Texas, Clarkson’s home state.

“I love your voice,” Clarkson told her, saying Rae’s sound reminded her at different moments of Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss.

Queen Latifah was equally impressed.

“Your voice sounded exquisite…I just had to see who was singing that song,” she told Rae.

Green also made it clear that he believed Rae had something special.

“The song and everything about it felt real to me,” he said, adding that he had “no doubt” she could stand out among the other contestants.

Clarkson then made her case by pointing out that she had previously won The Voice with young female singers. She even tried to win Rae over with a custom “Team Kelly” jacket, prompting Green and Queen Latifah to show off their own team gear.

Then Green revealed why he had turned so quickly.

Riley Green Unveils The “First In” Button

Green pointed out that he had turned before the other coaches.

“I was just thinking about, when I turned, it was before y’all,” he said.

What happened next introduced viewers to one of the biggest new changes for Season 30.

Green pressed the “First In” button.

The move immediately settled the competition for Rae and gave Green control of where she would go next.

How The New “First In” Button Works

The “First In” button is a new feature introduced in Season 30 of The Voice, replacing the “Block” button used in previous seasons.

According to NBC’s explanation of the new rules, the coach who is first to turn their chair during an audition can use the button to automatically add that contestant to their team, overriding the other coaches.

There is one major limitation: each coach can use the “First In” button only once during the Blind Auditions.

That made Green’s decision to use it on Rae especially significant. After hearing the 15-year-old’s performance, he chose to spend his one opportunity to ensure she would not end up on another coach’s team.

For Rae, what began as a Blind Audition with three coaches turning became something even more decisive the moment Green pressed the season’s powerful new button.