Even months later, Huntley is still checking to make sure he’s not dreaming.
Season 25 of The Voice is still in full swing, and who will win is anyone’s guess. It isn’t over until it’s over, anything could happen between now and the finale. Still, Season 25’s winner is there somewhere, on stage, singing their heart out for the world, not yet aware of the life changing events waiting for them. It wasn’t long ago that Season 24 winner, Huntley, was in the same position.
Huntley’s grizzled, rock-blues performances won him the top spot during Season 24, locking in the second win in a row for Team Niall. There were some incredible moments for Huntley along the way to victory, including bringing his daughter out during the Blinds to choose his Coach for him. Huntley walked away with $100,000 in his pocket and a recording contract with Republic Records, but that was just the beginning.
Huntley on Playing NFL Stadiums, Hugging Gwen Stefani
Since leaving The Voice with the cash prize, the recording contract, and the crown, Huntley has managed a tenuous balance between Rock & Roll and rest. The only downside to winning the show is that every winning performance means more time away from home. It took roughly six months to make the show and that was almost entirely time spent away from loved ones. Huntley’s major focus has been taking a beat to recover with his family and absorb what must be a massive life change.
All of that notwithstanding, Huntley has still managed to find time for rocking out. He’s played a handful of shows at venues around the country, including a couple of performances of the National Anthem at a pair of NFL games. It’s all felt something like a dream, from the way Huntley describes it.
“Definitely the venues and places that I’m playing, but also the recognition from everyday people when I walk the street. People recognize me and I realize I was on a national television show, and it wasn’t a dream, and I got hugged by Gwen Stefani at the end of the season. A lot of ‘pinch myself’ moments. My main ‘pinch myself’ moment was when I got to sing the National Anthem in Tampa Bay [at an NFL Playoff game] and they had me shooting the cannons off the pirate ship,” Huntley told NBC Insider.
Huntley performs at Ole Red in Nashville, TN on March 21, 2024 Photo: Katherine Bomboy/NBC
A month later, Huntley delivered a repeat performance before the wildcard game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That performance was particularly special because of Huntley’s lifelong love of the Buccaneers. An Instagram post in advance of the performance shows a young Huntley in a Buccaneers football uniform, striking an admittedly intimidating pose for a toddler.
“It’s just amazing. This show has given me so many opportunities. I even got to go to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, and got to go to an EA Sports event and play Madden –– it’s just been a really cool experience,” Huntley said.
Details about Huntley’s future musical plans are sparse for now, but we can expect an album sometime in the relatively near future. The timeline is unclear, but we know Huntley is writing. On March 27, he released a snippet of a work in progress, a song called “Tell Me When It’s Over,” on Instagram.
