Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Robert Hunter, 33, Garner, N.C., performed “Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson: His country vocals earned an almost immediate chair turn from Kelsea Ballerini. Robert delivered an impassioned performance. And Michael Buble turned too late in the performance. John loved the power in his voice. Kelsea loved the story-telling aspect of his performance. Michael said he’s desperate for a country artist. Robert brought his wife and daughter to the stage and asked his daughter who her favorite singer is. Her adorable response: Kelsea Ballerini. And so Kelsea landed another country singer.

Here’s more about Robert.

* Robert is from Garner, N.C., now lives in the Raleigh area and is front man for a North Carolina band called Real Rowdy.

* The band calls its music a Molotov cocktail of country, blues and southern rock.

* Real Rowdy has performed at the Carolina Music Festival in Mrytle Beach and opened for Blackberry Smoke.

* According to his web bio, Robert began playing guitar at 15 and attended Appalachian State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

* It was while at college that he began playing solo gigs at college bars and realized his passion for music.

* He already has a bunch of shows scheduled for 2025, both solo and with Real Rowdy. You can check those out on his website.

* Judging from his Instagram, Robert has also performed worship music with his wife Christian singing by his side.

* Oh, and about that criminal justice degree — at the time Robert’s blind audition was filmed, he’d spent six years as a deputy sheriff in the Raleigh, N.C., area with the job of serving warrants.

Update: Robert released his debut single, “Carolina Moon” on March 7. It’s a song he says longtime fans will recognize from his shows. “It only felt right for my first original music release to be one that’s been around for quite some time throughout this music journey,” he writes on Instagram.

Robert on social media
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube