Michael Huntley, a 33-year-old dad from Fredericksburg who goes by the stage name Huntley, moves on to the next round of The Voice on NBC after wowing the judges in a Battle that aired Monday night.
Huntley performed “Hold My Hand” by Hootie & The Blowfish with Brailey Lenderman, also 33, of Nashville.
Their coach, Niall Horan, had to choose just one of the singers to win the Battle to move on to the next stage of the contest.
Horan and competing coach Gwen Stefani were on their feet by the end of the performance, and all of the celebrity coaches were impressed with both of the singers, but especially with Huntley.
“Huntley, like, I’m worried that you might win this show,” Stefani said.
“There’s something special about that crackle in your voice. Dude you’re great,” said John Legend.
“You’re a force of nature on stage,” said Reba McEntire.
Horan praised Lenderman and said his decision was tough. “Huntley, your stage presence is just insane,” Horan said. “I genuinely think that Huntley could win this competition outright. He had the room on the edge of their seats.”
Huntley said he was excited to call his 7-year-old daughter and tell her, “Unfortunately, Dad’s going to have to be gone a little bit longer.” He’ll now move on to the Knockouts, where three members of the same team are pitted against each other.
Another NoVA native, Claudia Swope, who goes by stage name Claudia B., also advanced to the Knockout round last week. She lost her Battle to Mara Justine when they performed “Son of a Preacher Man,” but Horan used a steal to save her. Claudia B. is a McLean native who moved to Nashville.
The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.
Feature image of Huntley (right) and Brailey Lenderman (left) courtesy The Voice/YouTube)
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