Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Austin Gilbert, 25, of Eugene, Oregon, performed ”The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs. Austin performed with lots of enthusiasm. He’s a great showman. But he was deep into the performance before chairs start turning. Once they did, he got chair turns from Niall Horan and Michael Bublé. Both were probably thrilled that Reba McEntire stayed put, giving them a better chance to land a country artist. Niall complimented him on having a wonderful tone and a powerful voice. Michael said Austin was too good not to make the show. He loves Austin’s unique tone. Austin decided to join Team Michael.

Here’s more about Austin:

* He also recently released a new single, “8 Seconds in a Song,” and celebrated what he calls his radio debut on Sept. 9 by posting to social media.

* He also posted a photo of himself singing a cover song at age 15. “10 years ago, I was just a 15-year-old kid with big dreams,” Austin wrote at the time. “Now, I’m gearing up for Season 28 of @nbcthevoice and released a new original song that’s playing on the radio! Life is wild, but keep pushing forward, you never know what’s possible.”

* The new single is Austin’s third on streaming sites. Back in 2021, he released a pair of originals, “She Used to Be” and “Bonnie and Clyde.

* In his voice bio segment, Austin showed off his handle bar mustache and explained that his dad was a blue collar worker who taught him you have to work for everything you want.

* Austin took that to include music. “My vocals. My guitar. I taught myself everything. I watched a lot of YouTube videos. I’d sit there for hours and hours and hours. I never quit.”

* In late 2017, he was performing with two male friends in a country band called First Generation. The band performed regularly through the summer of 2018 when guitarist Allen Colby left for boot camp with the U.S. Marines.

* Austin spent time in the U.S. Army as a multiple launch rocket system crew member. He’s since returned to a 9-to-5 job, playing music whenever time allows. He’s nearing the end of a fall tour that included five show dates.

* He and his fiancée Brittni are also awaiting the birth of their son. They met at one of Austin’s shows.

Austin on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube