The Blind auditions are rumbling along on NBC‘s The Voice, and, on Monday night (Oct. 2), one particular contestant got tongues wagging.
Hailing from Wrightsville, Arkansas, Mac Royals stepped into the spotlight and showed he’s in the right place. With a voice coated in caramel, Mac covered John Mayer’s “Gravity,” and was an immediate with the judges. All of them.
Royals has a vision to “build a bridge” from the industry to Arkansas, a place lacking in opportunities for talent. “I want to be there personally to help them, so I’m here doing what I can,” he explained.
Don’t bet against him.
Prior to hitting the stage, Royals remarked: “I hope the coaches can hear my heart and not just my voice,” and that “they can feel the pain in the song that I’m about to deliver, and that’s what’s going to make them turn around.”
Niall Horan didn’t hesitate, as he turned first. John Legend closely followed, then Gwen Stefani, with Reba McEntire bringing up the rear — for a four-chair turn.
“Wow, that was such a beautiful rendition of that song,” Legend later remarked. “You made us forget about the original and just think about who is this person and I was so moved by your performance.” Legend wasted no time in presenting his pitch.
“You have this incredible gifted voice,” explained Stefani. “You weren’t trying got show off your voice, you were showing off you. And your heart. And that was beautiful.”
It was “off the scale, it was amazing,” Horan enthused. “You did everything so well. And brought different variations of your voice, we heard the falsetto, we heard the sick runs in the middle.”
McEntire played the geography card. As an Oklahoman, they’re virtually neighbors. “I had 18 people in my hometown growing up,” she noted, “so I do know about small towns, giving back, helping out.”
The smalltown connection was a winner, as Mac selected Team Reba.
Watch below.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
