‘Fire and sass’: Singer Kate Cosentino of Johnson County advances on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

Kate Cosentino’s strong stage presence and ability to make “any song her own” propelled her Monday to the next round of competition on NBC’s “The Voice.”

In “The Battle” round, the Overland Park native and teammate Tiana Goss sang a lively rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Both were coached by former One Direction star Niall Horan.

During the battles, the show’s four celebrity coaches pit two of their own team members against each other. The competitors sing a duet, trying to prove why their coach should keep them on for the next round.

Last week, Cosentino, 23, met young aspiring songwriters/musicians in Kansas City, and part of the advice she gave them was the importance of connecting with an audience.

She followed that advice Monday, winking playfully at the “Voice” coaches as she sang her parts of the iconic anthem of girl power.

Cosentino is a Blue Valley West High School graduate who now lives in Nashville, where she performs and writes music.

Last season, Goss, 28, based in Los Angeles, failed to move beyond her blind audition, but took the advice judges gave her and made it past the audition this season.

After their duet, Chance the Rapper repeated what he said about Cosentino after her blind audition: “I think you’re so cool.” He gave the edge to Cosentino.

Judge Kelly Clarkson said Cosentino was entertaining to watch and didn’t think one woman outdid the other. Blake Shelton preferred Goss.

But it was up to Horan to pick the winner. He chose Cosentino based on what she can give the competition, he said, mentioning her “fire and sass.”

“This girl is a ready-made star,” he said, repeating the observation he first made after Cosentino’s blind audition.

“What I love about Kate is she has the ability to make any song her own,” Horan said of Cosentino during rehearsals.

But Goss didn’t lose. Chance used his “steal” power to save her for his team and keep her in the competition.

She and Cosentino now advance to the “Knockout” round, where they’ll go head-to-head, again, against another competitor. But this time no duets; they’ll sing solo.

Cosentino told The Star last week that she doesn’t have the typical story of hard luck and adversity that so many reality TV competitors have.

In fact, on Monday’s episode, she shared that she got engaged after her blind audition to a man she met through an online dating app.

She joked that being on “The Voice” would give her something to talk about at the wedding.

Something else she’ll have to talk about this week: Her own T-shirt.

Charlie Hustle, maker of iconic Kansas City T-shirts, has created a Kate Cosentino shirt. Part of the proceeds will go to Art as Mentorship, which runs the the Rebel Song Academy, the youth music camp Cosentino visited last week. When she was in high school she took a few lessons from the academy’s mentors.

The T-shirt could be available as early as Tuesday on CharlieHustle.com, and possibly in stores by the end of the week, according to store officials who said the website is the best place to check first.

“The Voice” airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC, and the next day on Peacock.