When Nashville native Reed Zingale was in college, one of his favorite songs to play on guitar was “Steal my Girl” by the boy band One Direction. Fast forward a few years later, and Zingale is now part of former band member Niall Horan’s team on the 24th season of the hit reality singing competition The Voice.
Zingale received stellar reviews from the judges during his blind audition when he delivered an acoustic rendition of Noah Cyrus’ “July.” Horan and Gwen Stefani turned around enthusiastically just seconds after Zingal struck the first notes.
Halfway through the audition, John Legend also turned to Zingale.
Horan called Zingale’s performance magical and exciting and noted how much Zingale is adored by his own fans. Although he returned between Stephanie and Horan, Zingale ultimately chose Horan as his mentor.
“Reed is someone to watch,” Horan said. “I always say I look for voices with character, some uniqueness, believability—Reed has all of that in spades.”
After his blind audition of the program, Zingale caught up with The Tennessean to discuss how he got started in music, his experience on The Voice and his hopes for his musical future.
How Reed Zingale found his voice
Zingale was born in Nashville but grew up in Murfreesboro. As a child, he always had a guitar next to him. He tinkered with it, but never thought about singing or songwriting.
It wasn’t until he went to college that he truly fell in love with music. While attending Belmont University, he joined the worship team and began singing to audiences. After studying at Belmont for a year, Zingal transferred to Middle Tennessee State University.
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Zingale said he got much of his songwriting inspiration from the artists he grew up listening to, such as Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles. Today, he remains drawn to artists who tell stories with modern, catchy melodies, such as Noah Kahan and Gregory Alan Isakov.
Since most of his musical experience was in songwriting, Zingal never thought about going into television. However, after getting acquainted with the casting, he was asked to go for it.
Zingale currently works as a data analyst in Birmingham, Alabama. where his wife attends physical therapy school.
‘Such an incredible moment’: Reed Zingale remembers his blind audition
Zingale described the audition process as a very tense and intense moment. According to him, his heart almost stopped. Although he felt overwhelmed with emotion, he knew he needed to continue.
“In my mind I’m thinking, ‘OK, I did it.’ “I’m so excited, these are the two coaches I was hoping to get the most and we’re a line in a song and they’re both looking at me.” He said. “So it was such an incredible moment.”
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Entering the stage, Zingal hoped that at least one chair would turn in his direction. When Horan, Stefani and Legend turned to him, he nearly fainted.
Stephanie was Zingale’s first choice as a mentor. He said he admires the way she navigates the music industry and doesn’t let others box her in.
However, when Horan spoke to him, it seemed right.
“I felt at home,” he said. “I felt like I was talking to a friend and someone who actually cared about where I ended up as an artist. He’s such an amazing person, he’s so genuine and he really cares about all of his artists.”
Zingale’s experience on The Voice so far
Although the show is still in its early stages, Zingal said developing relationships and sharing common connections with other people in the music industry has been amazing, and he was reminded of how important connections are in the industry.
As for his music career, he has his sights set on performing at venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater or the Ryman Auditorium in his hometown. He also wants to write a number one single.
“Whether it’s for me or someone else,” he said. “I just really love writing songs. I’d like to write a number one song.”
Diana Leyva covers breaking news and services for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @_leyvadiana.