Huntley might honestly be the National Anthem expert at this rate. After winning The Voice on season 24, Huntley went on to spotlight his vocal chops singing the America's national anthem for the NFL only days later.
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He has done this twice now on one of America's grandest stages. He has performed it dozens of times now, on the big stage and in smaller, more intimate settings. Despite being so highly booked for those performances, he actually finds it to be the hardest song he could sing.
Why Huntley Believes The Anthem is So Hard
In an interview with Cindy Watts of American Songwriter, Huntley explained that the national anthem is such a difficult record to perform because of the gravity it holds. He knows that there is a tremendous weight in America's history that must be translated when singing. "It's the hardest song to sing. Not only the way you have to sing it but the importance of it," he tells Watts.
Additionally, he reveals a devastating, personal connection with the anthem. "To me, the song means so much. I lost my brother-in-law in Afghanistan in 2004. He instilled in me to always follow my dreams," he detailed, ""The fact that people like him gave up their lives so that we could be here, so that I could follow a dream like this. I mean, it puts a lot of weight on the song. The red on that flag means a lot more than just a color."
Additionally, Huntley is also keenly aware that given the anthem's gravity, people are more likely to scrutinize his performance of it. "I tend to not care what people think," he shrugs, "But that song is so important to people, there's gonna be people who are going to be really mad and really happy and like it and hate it. I just say, 'To each their own.'"
As good as he is at it, I imagine he's ready to give it a rest on being on speed dial for the national anthem. There is one exception though. "Unless they call me for the Super Bowl... I think I want to give the anthem a little rest for a while," he declared.
