Another season of The Voice is underway with one Mississippian wasting no time having his voice heard.
Tanner Frick, originally from Brandon but now living and working in Tennessee, took the stage Monday night and had all four judges turning their chairs during his blind audition for season 26. Frick sang the hit song, “Thought You Should Know,” an original from former Voice contestant and now-country music star Morgan Wallen.
Before the 26-year-old could even get into his first chorus, the judges were reacting with Snoop Dogg being the first to turn his chair. Reba McEntire quickly did the same with Gwen Stefani and Michael Bublé following suit as all four sat back and admired the rest of Frick’s performance.
As Frick finished up, the judges were ready to not only praise him but fight over whose team he should join. While Snoop reminded Frick that he was the first to turn his chair and Bublé pointed out that he wrote Blake Shelton’s first country hit, the answer quickly became clear that Frick was going to choose the “Queen of Country” to team up with. And that he did.
“Oh my gosh, to win a four-chair, heck yeah. That’s a great feeling,” McEntire said afterward, comparing Frick’s voice to Chris Stapleton. “Tanner had a great style [and] the gravel in his voice – it’s sexy, it’s country. The other coaches, they can try. But I’m country, and Tanner’s country. So, that just makes perfect sense for him to go with me, right?”
Frick, who works days as a maintenance foreman and nights playing gigs anywhere that will have him, explained on-stage that the reason he chose Wallen’s song is a dream that the ACM Award winner represents for him. Wallen competed on season six of the hit show before going on the become one of the biggest names in the modern era of country music.
“I picked his song because it is very inspiring that he started here, and now look at him, he’s one of the biggest country artists in the world,” Frick said. “If he can do it, anybody can do it. … The hand I’ve been dealt in life is not the greatest. I’d love to stop doing physical labor and do what I love. Maybe I can make something of myself here.”
Frick is the latest with Mississippi ties to start what he hopes will be a deep run on The Voice. During season 25, Southern Miss alumnus Karen Waldrup made it to the finals after former Miss Mississippi Holly Brand advanced to the top eight in season 24. Meridian pastor Todd Tilghman won the entire competition during season 18.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. central on NBC.
