Congratulations are in order for Huntley!
The 33-year-old father of two was crowned the Season 24 winner of The Voice on Tuesday (Dec 19) after stealing the nation’s heart for his outstanding talent week after week.
Despite facing tough competition from the other finalists, all five of whom earned a four-chair turn during their blind auditions, it comes as no surprise that Huntley emerged as the new reigning champ.
“It just feels kind of surreal and I’m just trying to take it all in honestly,” Huntley tells Celeb Secrets reporter Jasmine Vazquez exclusively in a virtual interview the morning after his big win. “I never really thought that I was going to be given the opportunity to show the world what I can do and just getting all those nos, I felt like no matter how good I did that there was always a chance that I was going to get denied. And that the fact that I got up on that stage and I still felt like I was going to get a no but I got that yes, was just insane.”
@nbcthevoice 🔥 SPOILERS AHEAD 🔥 #TheVoice #Winner announced in 3, 2, 1… #finale
“The Viking of The Voice,” as Huntley was first referred to by host Carson Daly, charmed the coaches right from the get-go when he took the stage and delivered a captivating performance of “She Talks To Angels” during his blind audition, prompting all four coaches to fight for him. Yet, being the caring father that he is, he chose Niall Horan as his coach per his daughter’s suggestion.
“I love meeting up with Niall because it always feels like I’m just hanging out with an old friend. I would say he’s like a younger brother, but he’s like a younger, smarter brother and every time we’ve interacted with each other, we just have a lot of fun,” Huntley shares about the bond between him and the former One Direction member.
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With the bar already set quite high based on his blind audition alone, he continued to impress all four coaches and the 6.4 million viewers that Season 24 attracted each time he performed stellar songs. These included “Hold My Hand” by Hootie & the Blowfish, Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” David Kushner’s “Daylight” during the playoffs, “With a Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles (which earned him a spot in the semifinals), “exile” by Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver, “Way Down We Go” by KALEO, “Higher” by Creed, “Another Love” by Tom Odell, wrapping up his journey on a high with a touching duet, performed alongside his coach-turned-pal, Niall, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan.
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Huntley’s star power lit up the show’s social media this season, capturing a whopping 46.6 million views across The Voice pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube — same star energy he hopes to maintain when it comes to his future plans.
“I want to get started on putting my team together, and not only my team, but my band, and also a set list that is going to bring all the elements that I brought to the show to life during my sets,” said the dynamic vocalist.
Luckily, we might catch a glimpse much sooner than anticipated as he will be performing at this weekend’s Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Chargers game with a rendition of the National Anthem and a special halftime performance, streaming exclusively on Peacock.
You can relive Huntley’s and the rest of the contestants’ best moments by watching The Voice on Peacock before season 25 begins early next year (February 2024).
