When Adam Levine turns his chair one line into a blind audition on The Voice, you know it’s gonna be a special one. Pennsylvania folk singer Ethan Eckenroad kicked off his audition in style with a heartfelt rendition of Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude,” and his yearning voice turned not only Levine’s chair, but also Kelsea Ballerini’s chair immediately afterward.
Soon after John Legend turned for the 27-year-old singer-songwriter, and after he hit the chorus, Michael Bublé came around to give him a four-chair turn smash hit audition. Levine spoke for everyone in the room when he told Eckenroad that “you have an effortless thing that you do that is so soulful and so simple.” He added that Eckenroad was his favorite singer so far in the audition process. The Music Man is confident in saying that Eckenroad is one of the best prospects to emerge from The Voice in 2025.
The Voice uploaded Eckenroad’s audition on February 4, 2025, and in the six weeks since then, it’s gained 1.1 million views. Fans were just as enamored as the judges, and added comments such as “I didn’t want Ethan’s audition to stop. LOVE his skill. I’m ready to go to his concert now!” and “Wow! If this were the finale, Ethan would have won, hands down. His soulful take on this nice song was extraordinary. He has that singing voice that just simply wraps you in it. A keeper!”
Eckenroad returned in March to sing with Fran Polsa in the battles round. The pair were quite a good match, as Polsa’s country twang was a natural fit for Eckenroad’s folk stylings in their cover of Noah Cyrus’s “July.” Eckenroad initially struggled a little to find his groove while supporting Polsa’s lead vocal, but when it came time to take the lead, he really soared, clinching him the round. Levine’s call to send Polsa home proved to be controversial, though, as many fans believed her performance was very strong.
Eckenroad was the final performer to hit the stage during the blind auditions this season, and The Music Man has to say that the last was certainly not the least. After Eckenroad turned all four judges’ chairs, the judges entered into a bidding war to get him on their teams. Levine made an emotional appeal to Eckenroad in his opening comments, which Legend quipped was “emotional blackmail.” Legend wasn’t above pulling some tricks himself, though, as he called on a dancer who performed wild acrobatic moves while spinning around a “team Legend” sign. Eckenroad must have been more of a Maroon 5 fan, though, as he eventually picked Levine as his coach.