Huntley with his coach Niall Horan after his win during the live finale on Dec. 19, 2023.Photo:Trae Patton/NBC via Getty
Trae Patton/NBC via Getty
The Voicehas crowned its latest winner: coachNiall Horan’s contestant, Michael Huntley.
Huntley brought it home after performing Bob Dylan’s “Knockin' on Heaven’s Door” in a duet with Horan during the finale. After hostCarson Dalyannounced him as the winner, Huntley broke down into tears and Horan jumped on stage to hug and congratulate him.
He added, “And the top five alone was insane to even think about who was going to walk away with that trophy. The fact that my name was called just meant the world to me.”
As a father of two, Huntley put his music career on the back burner while focusing on a career in bookings for other musicians. Now, he’s ready to claim his status as a singer with a new record deal with Universal Music Group and the $100,000 cash prize.
So who is the winner ofThe Voice? Here’s everything to know about Huntley and his quickly rising star.
He was born in Florida but lives in Virginia
Huntley posing backstage after his win in ‘The Voice’ finale.Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty
Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty
Huntley was born in Spring Hill, Florida, but grew up in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He moved to Nashville after two years of college to pursue music, per hisNBC bio. However, after finding little success in the “Music City,” the singer moved back to Virginia.
Though he took a break from making music, he picked back up again in 2022 as a booking agent for singers and started performing gigs all over Virginia five times a week.
He started singing when he was 4 years old
Huntley performing during the live semi-finals.Trae Patton/NBC via Getty
Huntley was just 4 years old when he started singing, according to his bio, even occasionally impersonatingElvis Presley. It wasn’t until he was 14, however, that he began to take music seriously when a friend overheard him and told him he had talent.
Since then, Huntley committed to a career in music. He auditioned forAmerican Idoltwice, even receiving a golden ticket to Hollywood the second time, but was cut shortly after. However, Huntley did win his hometown’s version of the show, a competition called Fredericksburg Idol.
In addition to performing solo sets in Virginia, Huntley also occasionally performed with a group, Lucy’s Letdowns, according tohis bio on The Renegade, a live music venue in Arlington, Virginia.
He released his first single in 2022
Huntley performing during the “Battles” round.Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty
As he was revisiting music in 2022, Huntley released his first song, “Holdin On,” in April on all streaming platforms, and even made an accompanying music video.
“Thank you all so much for the support over the years!” he wrote on Instagram below anannouncement of the new single. “I have a bunch of releases planned and have been working hard putting an album together of all my songs. This is the first of many.”
He is a father of two
Huntley with his daughter Stella during the blind auditions.ABC
ABC
Huntley became a father in 2016 when he welcomed his daughter, Stella. He expanded his family in 2021 with the birth of his son. Though the mother of his children is unknown, Huntley is currently dating his girlfriend, Hannah Cook, who is in college.
Per his NBC bio, it was important to Huntley to have a strong relationship with his children because he never had one with his own father.
Though he is pursuing a career as a full-time singer, Huntley remains committed to being a dad first — and has even involved his older child in some of his biggest decisions. When it came down to choosing which coach he wanted to work with afterhis audition, Huntley put the onus on Stella to decide.
When she came out on stage, Stella shared that she and her dad watchedThe Voicetogether at home and she thought he gave a “good” performance. As for his judge, she chose her “crush,” Horan, with Huntley’s family joking backstage that it was because he had “nice eyes.”
He received a four-chair turn during the blind auditions
Huntley receiving a four-chair turn during his audition.Greg Gayne/NBC via Getty
Greg Gayne/NBC via Getty
The panel turned around seconds into Huntley’s performance and fought for him after it concluded.
“You sing your own way,” Horan said. “You sing very direct, and so much power, and the control that you have, it’s so beautiful to listen to. You made us feel, and that’s a really important thing.”
“Music is just something that really comes from my soul,” he said. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this so I appreciate that.”
He got close with his fellow contestants and mentor
During his time onThe Voice, Huntley had the opportunity to form bonds with not only his team, but the other contestants on the show — and was in awe of each of their talent.
“I think that everyone sees that justthe season alone is very special,” Huntley told PEOPLE ahead of the finale. “I feel like you can see that not only is Team Niall a powerhouse, but all the other teams have all this artistry that I think America and the world have been looking for a while.”
He added that he felt honored to even compete alongside them and their talent, regardless of whether or not he won.
source: people.com
