Ryley Tate Wilson might be young, but he’s already a gifted performer. The singer from Montgomery, 15, proved it on Monday’s episode of “The Voice,” prompting a four-chair turn from the coaches with his stellar cover of “Dancing On My Own.”
Wilson performed Robyn’s 2010 electro-pop hit as an emotional ballad during the blind auditions -- evidently inspired by Calum Scott’s 2015 version of the song -- and prompted a verbal tussle among Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Blake Shelton and Chance the Rapper. His performance was so impressive, all of the celebrity coaches were determined to get Wilson to join their teams. (Watch Wilson’s performance in the video below.)
Clarkson and Horan immediately turned their chairs for Wilson during the audition, marveling over his vocal prowess. But it took Shelton and Chance a little longer to signal that they wanted to be his coach. In the end, though, all four coaches were thrilled by Wilson, and, with a four-chair turn, the choice of team was his to make.
Selecting a coach on “The Voice” is important, of course, because the coach is a primary mentor, sounding board and cheerleader for each contestant, guiding him or her to a possible victory on the NBC reality series.
“You’re 15 and sounding like that?” Clarkson said. “Oh, my gosh.”
“Ryley, my head nearly exploded,” Horan said. “That was the best audition we’ve seen here, by a long shot. ... It’s so nice to hear a 15-year-old have that confidence in their own ability. It felt like if I was to get you to sing that song again, you wouldn’t sing it the same way twice. And that is an amazing way to keep people on their toes. ... You definitely have that storyteller element to your voice, from the second you open your mouth.”
“I don’t know if you noticed, Ryley, but I pushed (the button to turn the chair), like light years before the others,” Clarkson said. “Because I heard your tone, and I was, like, it’s incredible. Your voice is insane. I love working with young people, too. Actually, I win a lot of time with young talent. ... I think that I could be the best coach for you. ... Your runs were crazy good. They weren’t planned; they were felt. If you’re feeling that at 15, wow! I would love the chance to work with you. I think you are just incredible.”
“Ryley, you’re insanely talented, dude,” Chance said. “That was fire. What really caught me was in the ending where you kind of just improvised with the runs, and really just felt the song out. I love how controlled the runs are. It felt very, like, experimental R&B. ... I would just love the opportunity to work with you in that capacity, and finding the songs you can play with. There’s certain arrangements that will work perfect for what you have, and I would just love to see what you could do in that space.”
“I know that I don’t have much of a shot here, probably,” Shelton said. “I’m probably the fourth choice that you have on this panel. I mean, I’m the country coach, right? But I’ll tell you this. I’ve been coaching here for 23 seasons, and I’ve won with all kinds of artists. You pick me as your coach, and I will quit coaching after this season. I’m telling you right now, I will walk away. I will be satisfied that I got the chance to work with you, Ryley. That’s all I’m gonna say. Pick me, Ryley. Let’s win this thing.”
Laughter erupted, because Shelton already has announced that he’ll be leaving “The Voice” after this season. In the end, though, Wilson decided to go with Horan, an Irish singer-songwriter and veteran of the band One Direction.
Horan celebrated for a few minutes, then predicted the teen would do well during Season 23.
“He’s got so much character, and I could see a lot of myself in there, like we were a match made in heaven.” Horan said. “He’s a real one to watch in this competition.”
Wilson moves on to the battle rounds, where he’ll duet/duel with another contestant on Horan’s team, vying to keep his spot in the competition. He’s the second singer from Alabama to ace the blind auditions on “The Voice” this season. D.Smooth of Birmingham appeared on a previous episode, covering Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and joining Team Kelly.
And that’s not all. Jerome Godwin III, 20, a junior at Auburn University at Montgomery, also was featured on Monday’s episode of “The Voice,” joining Horan’s team.
“The Voice” airs on NBC twice per week: Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT. Early episodes of the show are filmed in advance.
Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.
MORE ON “THE VOICE”:
- Alabama singer’s ‘super soulful’ audition thrills Niall Horan on ‘The Voice’
- Birmingham singer thrills Kelly Clarkson with Ed Sheeran cover on ‘The Voice’
- Watch ‘Voice’ contestant get 4-chair turn with Hank Williams classic