Just a few months ago, Huntley was focused on getting even one of the coaches on The Voice to pick him for their team. He went on to dismantle the competition and eventually win Season 24. Although having the spotlight is somewhat new to the singer, the world around him is drastically changing thanks to his newfound success. And marking another milestone in his career, Huntley recently performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles prior to an NFL game.
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Singing the national anthem is no easy feat as many have tried and fumbled numerous times. And singing it in front of tens of thousands of people only makes it harder. But when the Buffalo Bills faced the Los Angeles Chargers on December 23, Huntley confidently made his way through the song.
Fans commented on his performance, with one noting, “That was the best rendition of the anthem I’ve heard in a long time. He didn’t do any of that obnoxious peacocking and just let his strong voice and amazing range give the song all the glory it deserved!” Another person added, “Singing a notoriously difficult anthem without accompaniment at that level of national exposure must be nerve-wracking. He did a great job.”
Huntley Praises Niall Horan
Looking back at his time on The Voice and his win, Huntley explained his nerves going into the finale and how he prepared himself. Speaking with Parade, he said, “It’s insane because I honestly was more prepared for the ‘no’ than I was for the ‘yes.’ I just was so unsure how everything was going to go, but it was definitely the longest minute of my life, I’ll tell you that.”
Huntley has continued to offer high praise for his coach Niall Horan, and how his guidance allowed him to make it to the finale. “I think that every song choice that Niall picked was perfect and I’m super grateful,” he said. “I don’t think that I would be here right now if he wouldn’t have picked the choices that I might have not gravitated toward because I see that he pushed me, but I still was able to represent myself pretty well.”
For fans of The Voice, NBC will air Season 25 beginning on February 26 at 8 p.m. ET.
Photo courtesy of NBC
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