Denton Musician Josh Halverson Advances to Battle Rounds on The Voice

Josh Halverson, a cattle rancher in Denton, recently wowed the judges of NBC's The Voice. His passionate performance of Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" turned the chairs of Miley Cyrus, Blake Shelton, and Alicia Keys during blind auditions that aired late September.

Halverson decided earlier this year to utilize his musical talents to help support his family. Born on a reservation in Minnesota, Halverson later moved to and was raised in the Panhandle and West Texas. Halverson, his wife Rexana, and their son Thunderbird moved to Denton about three years ago. Halverson says that they love the community.

When Halverson received an email inviting him to audition for The Voice, he said it was a surreal experience. He treated the path to perform on stage at The Voice as if he were preparing for any other gig.

A seasoned musician with 11 years under his belt, Halverson struggles to keep his nerves at bay sometimes. Stepping under the lights and wanting only to project his heart, use his music, and "all the love I have behind it to counterbalance the hate in the world,” is the mission supporting his art. The normal gig vibes shifted to the desire to play for the judges chairs so they turn around.

“I still wanted to project my heart, who I am honestly,” says Halverson. “I opened my eyes and three chairs had turned around.” We think choosing a beer to drink is difficult - he had to pick his partner in this musical journey, and he had quite a selection to choose from. Miley Cyrus was the first to press the buzzer, followed by Blake Shelton and then Alicia Keys. His ultimate decision (and an incredibly clear no-brainer to us at least) was to work with the extremely talented Alicia Keys.

“She spoke to me, we were compatible," he says. "We want to impact the world through speaking the truth.” 

It’s hard work to achieve your dreams and Halverson emphasizes persistence and maintaining who he are as an individual. He hits the stage for the Battle Rounds, which is the 2nd of five stages, this Monday night, and Backyard on Bell is opening their doors to host the official watch party, with a live set performed by Halverson afterward. The party starts at 5pm.

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