Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Huntley, 33, Fredericksburg, Va., performed “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes. Huntley’s deep, raspy vocals prompted almost immediate chair turns from all four judges. Niall Horan called him a really exciting prospect in the competition and said he could tell the music came from his soul. John praised Huntley for his polished vocal. Reba compared him to Chris Stapleton. Huntley had his 6-year-old daughter Stella help him pick a coach. They chose to join Team Niall.

Here’s more about Huntley.

* He’s singer-songwriter Michael Huntley, based in Fredericksburg, Va.

* And he has some singing show experience, having competed on American Idol three times and earning a gold ticket on at least one of those occasions.

* In a 2022 interview, he said Season 2 champ Ruben Studdard encouraged him to audition for the show. Ruben was the celebrity judge as a Fredericksburg Idol competition Huntley won in 2011.

* He released his debut solo single “Holdin’ On” in April 2022. You can check out the music video below.

* On Instagram, he describes himself as a county soul artist and says he’s been working on a project called “Fire and Flames,” set for release sometime this year.

* That’s also the name of another Huntley original you can check out on his Instagram.

* He’s also fronted a Fredericksburg, Va., based rock band called Lucys Letdown.

* The band released a 2020 single called “Loose Cannon,” but its social media went silent in 2021.

* Huntley is from Florida, but moved to Virginia around the time he started high school.

* He’s also a graduate of Full Sail University in Florida and spent some time pursuing music in Nashville.

* In the 2022 interview with Fredericksburg.com, he described his music this way: “I would say I’m singer-songwriter country, definitely southern blues rock ’n’ roll. All my favorite types of music -— a little bit of Joe Cocker, a little bit of John Mayer, a little bit of Bob Marley.”

Huntley on social media:
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