In case you missed the season 30 premiere of The Voice last night, the show certainly lived up to its name, kicking things off with some seriously impressive vocalists.
And to absolutely no one’s surprise, viewers outside the country music world have already started falling in love with first-time coach Riley Green. Luckily for the Duckman, despite being the new kid on the block, he wasted no time getting an early advantage, landing a teenage showstopper on his team before the night was even over.
19-year-old Joe Henley wowed the stage with his ’90s cover of Travis Tritt’s No. 1 hit, “Anymore.” And while the classic-country throwback surely helped his case, the real chair-turner for Green and fellow coach Kelly Clarkson was Henley’s rich, deep voice, which had both of them sold from the song’s opening line.
Plenty of viewers are already comparing the teenage singer to a young Scotty McCreery during his American Idol audition. And if McCreery’s eventual crowning win on season 10 of the similar competition show is any indication, Henley could be one to watch this season.
Clarkson immediately went into fight mode, jumping out of her chair to protest Green’s simultaneous flip, saying, “no, no, no, no,” and stepping in front of him. Queen Latifah and Adam Levine both kept their chairs unturned— not because Henley’s stunning vocals weren’t worthy, but more so because they wanted no part in the already-heated battle brewing between Clarkson and Green
And while the “Since You Been Gone” American-Idol winner was very passionately rooting for Henley to join her team, once he admitted he was from Alabama, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind he was bound to join Team Riley. She still put in her own fight, blocking Green’s chair while wearing his wide-brimmed cowboy hat.
It seems Green wasn’t the only country star obsessed with the 19-year-old’s performance either. None other than country music legend Randy Travis commented underneath the now-viral clip of Henley’s audition, extending his admiration for the stellar cover.
While unfortunately Travis doesn’t personally run his account, I have no doubt he and his wife Mary stumbled upon the performance, fueling this heartfelt kudos: “Sure enjoyed this! Joe’s vocals and take on this song are incredible! He’ll go far!”
Henley already seems to have enough charisma and momentum from last night’s well-received performance to carry him pretty far, but I know if THE Randy Travis gave me a compliment like that, it’d be the only confidence boost I’d ever need. Now I’m just gonna need Henley to pay homage to “Forever and Ever, Amen” on the show ASAP.
As for his performance last night, it didn’t just stop at the audition song. Helping fans fall even more in love with Henley’s growing career, Green actually stepped up on stage alongside him to sing his 2026 single “My Way” off of his recently released fourth studio album, That’s Just Me.
While we’ll have to wait to hear more from the Alabama-rising star, The Voice will return once again tonight, September 22, and tomorrow night, September 23, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC for new one-hour-long episodes of more blind auditions, kicking off the anticipated anniversary season. In the meantime, check out Joe’s Randy-Travis approved audition and Riley Green duet below: