The coaches compared him to artists such as Chris Stapleton, Australian singer Daniel Merriweather, Bradley Nowell from Sublime, and Radiohead. The DMV is full of talent, and one Virginia man decided to put his to the test — using his unique, yet beautiful voice — literally to enter a popular music competition.
Huntley, who introduced himself on The Voice with just the singular name, is Michael Huntley. He is 33 years old and from Fredericksburg. He took to the stage with a raspy voice, performing “She Talks To Angels” by The Black Crowes to the backside of four turned red chairs during the blind audition portion of the show. In those chairs are the coaches for the show’s 24th season — Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani.
Within seconds of him singing, Stefani can be seen saying, “That’s pretty. That’s a pretty voice.” By the beginning of the third line in the song, all four coaches hit their red button, turning their chair around — entering them into a fight for Huntley to be on their team.
“We turned at the same time,” McEntire said enthusiastically. The coaches are then able to see Huntley, with his flare of a performance and style, which included his two braids. When the performance ended — the stage lit up showing that he had a four chair turn, which is the max amount for the blind auditions. “Four chairs, baby,” Legend said as he stood up to cheer, holding up four fingers.
When it was time for the coaches to battle it out for Huntley, the audience and the four coaches got to learn a little more about him. This included him saying he has probably been singing his whole life. “I used to practice like I was Elvis and tell my parents, and they had no idea why.” He also stated that he sings anything from reggae to rock to pop and R&B. “Music is just something that really comes from my soul,” Huntley said after stating the different genres he explores.
The coaches compared him to artists such as Chris Stapleton, Australian R&B singer Daniel Merriweather, Bradley Nowell from Sublime and Radiohead.
Legend complimented him by stating that his voice has ‘so much polish’ and it sounds like has performed on big stages before, yet he is very humble. He continued by saying his voice is ready for the world and radio.
“You sing your own way. You sing very direct. And so much power, and the control that you have, it’s so beautiful to listen to,” Horan said. “I would like you to go to the Battles with me, dude, ’cause, like, you made us feel, and that’s a really important thing, and I would absolutely love to have you on Team Niall.”
When it was time to make a decision on the episode that aired Monday night, Huntley opted in for help from his 6-year-old daughter Stella, who was brought on stage with him. She took the mic, and *spoiler alert*, she picked Team Niall. Huntley’s new coach said that he is a “really exciting prospect” in the competition.
“Letting his daughter pick his coach, how can you not love this man,” one YouTube commenter said.
Another predicted Huntley will get signed, regardless of how far he makes it in the competition.
“This guy can literally just leave the competition now. This voice is ready to go. Somebody will sign him,” the commenter said.
Before his moment on The Voice, Michael Huntley performed in a Fredericksburg-based band called Lucys Letdown. The band stopped performing in 2021, and Huntley released his first solo single, “Holdin’ On” in 2022.
The Voice is not Huntley’s only big moment on a televised singing competition. Huntley auditioned for American Idol and even received a golden ticket — sending him straight to Hollywood in the competition — back in 2017.