Riley Green and Adam Levine Trade Age Jabs After 15-Year-Old Koumba Diallo Stuns ‘The Voice’ Coaches
A 15-year-old singer gave all four coaches a reason to turn their chairs on The Voice, but her remarkable Blind Audition also sparked one of the episode’s funniest exchanges.
Koumba Diallo, a high school freshman and class president from Delano, California, took on Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold” during the second night of The Voice Season 30. Her performance earned chair turns from Queen Latifah, Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green and, at the last possible moment, Adam Levine.
Once all four coaches were facing the stage, the competition for Diallo began. So did the teasing between Green and Levine.
Riley Green Wastes No Time Teasing Adam Levine
Levine was among the first coaches to speak after the performance. Reflecting on what he was like at Diallo’s age, he joked about how much growing he still had to do as a teenager.
Green immediately seized the opportunity.
“The ’60s were tough,” he joked.
Levine quickly understood where the comment was going.
“Oh, I get it because I’m old. Is that it?” he replied.
The jokes did not stop there. Levine turned his attention back to Diallo, telling her that what she had accomplished at 15 made him wonder how much more impressive she could become at 16.
“You’re just amazing,” Levine told her, praising both her talent and her potential.
Queen Latifah then highlighted another part of Diallo’s performance, praising the teenager’s lower register and the way she commanded the stage.
Diallo revealed that she had previously won a talent competition and a pageant title. Latifah immediately connected with that part of the young singer’s story.
“You wanted to be a queen. Well, at 15, that’s what I was doing too,” Latifah said.
Diallo’s background had already made her a standout before she ever stepped onto The Voice. She has performed since childhood, including singing at community and professional sporting events, and had previously taken part in a summer program at the California Institute of the Arts.
Riley Green Calls It the Most Perfect Performance Yet
When it was finally Green’s turn to make his case, the country singer made it clear that Diallo had made a serious impression.
Green called the audition “the most perfect” performance he had seen so far and also described it as the most powerful.
He then returned to the running joke about Levine’s age, pointing out that he remembered what it was like to be young and youthful.
Levine responded with an exaggerated eye roll.
“Who wants wisdom, experience, boring!” he joked.
Green followed with another shot, imagining what it would be like for Diallo to communicate with Levine in the future.
“You’re going to send Adam an email, and he’s not going to have a computer,” Green quipped.
Levine played along.
“Just leave me a message on my answering machine,” he answered.
Green then added one more piece of supposed evidence.
“I tried to call his beeper earlier,” he said.
Kelly Clarkson Turns the Conversation Back to the Competition
Kelly Clarkson eventually brought the conversation back to what mattered: convincing Diallo to join her team.
Clarkson explained that she had intentionally waited before turning her chair. Drawing on her own experience in music competitions, she said she wanted to see whether Diallo could deliver the performance all the way through before making her decision.
That approach also reflected something Diallo’s mother had done during the teenager’s pageant days: making her work for the opportunity rather than giving it to her immediately.
Levine, who had been the final coach to turn, joked that he was actually the one most like Diallo’s mother because he had made her wait until the end.
Green had another answer.
“Actually,” he said, “Adam’s more like your granddad.”
Levine was ready with a response of his own.
“Well, Grandpa won The Voice last season,” he pointed out.
“That’s going to be on the internet,” Green replied. “The world wide web!”
The exchange became one of the episode’s running comedic moments, but Clarkson kept her focus on Diallo. She emphasized the importance of choosing the right songs and told the teenager that The Voice was created for singers like her.
That pitch ultimately won out.
Diallo chose Kelly Clarkson as her coach, joining Team Kelly after all four coaches had competed for her.
Green and Levine Continue Their ‘Frenemy’ Battle
After losing Diallo to Clarkson, Green addressed his relationship with Levine in a behind-the-scenes interview.
“If Adam’s always going to come at me, I’m just going to talk about how he’s the oldest person that’s ever been on The Voice ever,” Green said.
He continued the joke by claiming Levine knew nothing about computers, the internet or TikTok.
“He’s officially Grandpa Adam,” Green declared.
Levine was not about to let Green have the final word.
Speaking to the cameras, he turned the age joke back on his fellow coach.
“Riley’s almost 40. He’s no spring chicken,” Levine said.
Diallo’s four-chair turn was one of two such auditions featured during the September 22 episode. Later in the episode, 23-year-old Lexi Stephens also turned all four coaches with her performance of Sienna Spiro’s “Die on This Hill.”
For Diallo, however, the night ended with a place on Team Kelly after a performance that left all four coaches competing for her.
The Voice Season 30 continues with another Blind Audition episode Wednesday, September 23, on NBC.