Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Dylan Carter, 20, of Ladson, S.C., sang “I Look to You” by Whitney Houston. His earnest vocal earned a quick chair turn from Gwen Stefani. The other coaches followed. In truth, Dylan hit some bum notes after that, perhaps in the excitement of the moment. Reba McEntire said she felt the emotion in the performance. Niall Horan called the performance “spectacular.” Gwen Stefani said she loves Dylan’s warm and textured vocals. Dylan opted to join Team Reba.

Here’s more about Dylan:

* He was dedicating his blind audition performance to his mother, who passed away in October 2022 at age 47. Every time “I Look to You” came on the radio, Dylan’s mom would tell him she wanted him to sing the song at her funeral.

* “I tried, but I couldn’t make it through it,” he told The Voice. “This was the best second chance. I just made her so proud. This (appearing on a show like The Voice) was her dream before it was mine.”

* Whitney Houston must have been impressed by the audition too. She posted a copy of his audition to Facebook. “My mom’s dreams have been completed,” Dylan wrote in sharing that post. “I saw this and this actually brought tears to my eyes.”

* The audition wasn’t Dylan’s only tribute to his mom. On Oct. 15, the one-year anniversary of her passing,
he posted a cover of “Dancing in the Sky” on Facebook, complete with a touching message about her. “By the way,” he writes, addressing her, “I think I found my voice … and I will continue to use it to bring hope and healing to people all over the world.”

* His bio on The Voice website says Dylan picked up his uncle’s guitar at a young age and discovered his passion for music.

* In an interview with radio station Kickin’ Country, Dylan said he’s done most of his performing in church, traveling all over South Carolina performers with a youth group called The Seekers.

* While he’s also been performing at special events and weddings and even traveled to Nashville with his mother, he didn’t have the confidence to pursue music full-time.

* So he’s been working as a realtor with Carolina Properties in the Sumter, S.C. area and has a second Facebook page for those activities.

* Dylan said he had auditioned virtually for The Voice in two previous seasons, but wasn’t chosen for the show. A friend signed him up for Season 24 after his mother passed.

* After the reception to his blind audition, Dylan said he thinks his future might be in country gospel or Christian music. “I just want to touch people’s hearts, continue to do that,” he told Kickin’ Country.

Dylan on social media:
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