It was a moment that validated two decades of determination and perseverance, of heart and soul dedicated tothe pursuit of musical bliss. It was the moment Huntley stepped onto the stage of The Voice for his blind audition. Seconds into his stunning debut performance, all four judges turned their chairs around to witness his incredible, undeniable talent.
Weeks later, millions of viewers of the longstanding hit television series cast their votes for the singer, crowning him the victor of season 24. Now, Huntley takes the next steps on this amazing journey with the premiere of a pair of independently released, scintillating original singles – “Tell Me When It’s Over” and “Fire and Flames."
A Florida native turned Nashville transplant via small-town Virginia, Huntley discovered his vocal prowess as a teenager. He cultivated his powerful pipes first in heavy metal cover bands, then crafted his own captivating style of songwriting as he learned to play acoustic guitar. After high school, he left Virginia, bound for Music City, and spent a cold winter busking on Nashville streets, camping in Centennial Park, or crashing at a hostel or with friends.
He developed his own material, working out songs or improvising on the spot, collecting enough tips to survive, or sometimes not quite enough. Huntley retreated back to Virginia, continuing to grind away at his musical dream while raising his two children. In 2022, he issued an original track, “Holdin’ On.”
He was 33, making dinner for his family one evening, when the phone rang; a rep from The Voice had seen a video on social media and was calling to ask if he was interested in auditioning. Huntley thought it was a telemarketing scam. It wasn’t.
He toured in the wake of his Voice success, performing for tens of thousands and sharing the stage with his band of exceptionally talented and diverse musicians collected, as well, from the Mid-Atlantic region. In the spring of 2024, Huntley entered the Vault Studio in Hyattsville, Maryland, collaborating with engineer Jake Vicious to assemble the two new singles; a tandem of tunes reflecting on the delicate nature of relationships.
There is “Tell Me When It’s Over,” his latest tantalizer, detailing the desire for fulfillment in life and love, beautifully articulated with acoustic guitar and the blistering vulnerability that can only be Huntley. He explains, “At times, you feel like your own worst enemy in a relationship. But it’s bigger than that, too. I woke up with everything the world is supposed to be, in my hands, and I still felt an emptiness. A feeling of not yet being where I belong.”
It’s a haunting piece, alternately recalling a spate of Huntley’s heroes – from Joe Cocker and Steven Tyler to Ray Charles and Amy Winehouse – that stays with the listener long after the final words fade out.
And there’s “Fire and Flames,” an older entry, a pulsing ballad showcasing a stirring vocal performance that, as the title suggests, ignites and smolders, simmering intensely against a singular guitar and rising chorus. “It’s about being scared to speak up in the moment because you’re afraid of what that could do to the world you’re living in,” Huntley says. “You don’t want to set your world on fire.”
Ironically, perhaps, that’s just what Huntley has done. He’s set the world on fire with his music, with his purity of heart, with his authenticity of soul. It’s been a long road that each day extends remarkably beyond the moment those four chairs turned around.
“I came from nothing. I’ve been through a lot of struggles. Everything can go wrong when things are going right, and everything can go right when things are going wrong. The Voice was an amazing experience, but it’s just part of my journey as to where I’m headed now.”