Huntley took The Voice by storm last season, sweeping the competition to win in the finale. Now, he’s living a whirlwind life, complete with interviews, national anthems, and possibly some new music in the works.
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The champion recently sat down with American Songwriter to talk about the craziness of winning The Voice and how his life has changed since then. In the interview, he also shared his pick for the next winner of the show, giving his thoughts about the season 25 contestants.
When asked who he thought was going to win this season of The Voice, Huntley admitted, “I have my favorites, but I also know these people personally.” He gave a laugh, then joked, “I don’t have no favorites.” When urged to share his true thoughts, Huntley gave an honest answer.
“Asher’s from the DMV [District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia], so I gotta show my boy some love,” he began. “Zoe’s killing it, I really loved her Coldplay song that she did. Maddi, she’s one of the most unique contestants I think that the show has ever had.”
He concluded, “There’s just so many talented people it’s hard to choose one. I had my own favorite in my head but I’m not gonna say it.” Those who have been following The Voice know that Zoe Levert was recently eliminated, along with Nadége and L. Rodgers. However, Asher HaVon and Maddi Jane are still in the running.
Surprisingly, Huntley then revealed his personal Top 3. “My Top 3, if I had to choose,” he said, “would be Maddi, Zoe, and Asher. I just really resonate with what they do, and you can just tell when they’re up there that they’re just being their genuine selves, and that’s just what I connect with. That doesn’t mean they’re better than anyone else, that’s just what I connect to.”
[RELATED: Huntley Gets Candid on His Career Since Winning ‘The Voice’]
Huntley Recently Opened Up About How His Life Has Changed Since Winning The Voice
Elsewhere in the interview, Huntley got candid about how winning The Voice has changed his life, including some struggles he’s dealt with following the milestone. He performed the national anthem at multiple football games, and shared that he wants to retire that particular performance for a while.
“I sang it for the Chargers game and the [Buccaneers] game. Unless they call me for the Super Bowl… I think I want to give the anthem a little rest for a while,” he admitted. “It’s the hardest song to sing. Not only the way you have to sing it but the importance of it,” he continued. Huntley then confessed that he has a personal connection to the anthem.
“To me, the song means so much. I lost my brother-in-law in Afghanistan in 2004. He instilled in me to always follow my dreams,” he shared. “The fact that people like him gave up their lives so that we could be here, so that I could follow a dream like this. I mean, it puts a lot of weight on the song. The red on that flag means a lot more than just a color.”
Featured Image by Tyler Golden/NBC
