Morgan Wallen’s rise from a relatively unknown contestant on The Voice to one of country music’s biggest stars has been remarkable. More than a decade after his appearance on the NBC singing competition, former coach Adam Levine is reflecting on how far the singer has come, admitting he is proud of what his former team member has accomplished.
The moment came during a recent episode of The Voice, when 22-year-old Evan James from Michigan auditioned with Wallen’s hit song “Wasted On You.” His performance caught the attention of three coaches: Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green and Levine, who all turned their chairs.
James ultimately chose Levine, setting the stage for a conversation about Wallen, who once competed on the show himself.
When Levine was asked what it was like to hear a contestant perform a song by someone he had previously coached, he offered a brief but heartfelt response.
“Morgan obviously worked it out. So I’m proud of him.”
Levine went on to explain that Wallen’s journey was exactly the kind of outcome the show hoped to create for its contestants.
“He had some humble beginnings at The Voice on my team. That’s all we want for these guys, is for them to go out there and have a shot and be successful. Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
For Levine, seeing Wallen achieve such success is a reminder of what can happen when an aspiring artist gets an opportunity to pursue a career in music, even if their time on the show does not end with a victory.
Morgan Wallen’s Journey On The Voice Was Only The Beginning
Wallen appeared on The Voice in 2014, when he was around 20 years old. He advanced to the playoffs but ultimately failed to win the competition.
Despite that disappointment, the experience helped introduce him to people who would influence his future in music. In 2015, he moved to Nashville to pursue country music professionally, beginning a journey that would eventually turn him into a major star.
His story is particularly striking because The Voice has often struggled to produce contestants who go on to enjoy sustained success in the music industry. Wallen has become one of the most prominent examples of a contestant building a career far beyond the competition.
He is not the only country star with a connection to the show’s audition process. Luke Combs, who later became a country music superstar in his own right, was rejected during the early stages of The Voice. In a previous interview with Whiskey Riff, Combs recalled being told that he was not interesting enough for the show’s ratings.
Wallen’s experience took a different path. Although he made it onto the program, he initially struggled to find common ground with the producers over his musical direction.
A Childhood Shaped By Music And Baseball
Long before he became a household name, Wallen grew up in Sneedville, Tennessee, in the Appalachian region, where music was part of his early life.
He first became interested in playing instruments as a young child. At five years old, he asked for a violin for Christmas. Growing up around bluegrass music and church performances, he was drawn to the sound of the fiddle, although his lessons focused on classical violin.
During an appearance on Deer Season 25 with Mark Drury in Iowa, Wallen recalled how those early musical experiences unfolded.
“When I was 5, I asked for a violin for Christmas. Which technically, I was probably wanting a fiddle because I was at church and being in the Appalachian mountains, we listened to bluegrass and stuff a lot.”
He continued learning the instrument for two or three years before losing interest. Baseball had become his main passion, and he no longer thought playing violin was particularly cool.
Music nevertheless remained part of his life. At seven, he began learning classical piano and continued with lessons for another two or three years. As baseball increasingly occupied his time, he stopped taking music lessons but would occasionally sit down at the piano and play chords by ear.
“I played piano, starting learning piano when I was 7, so I learned how to classically play piano,” he explained.
Wallen eventually began writing songs in his late teens, around the ages of 18 to 20. But baseball remained his priority until an injury ended his hopes of playing at college.
That setback became a turning point. Unable to continue pursuing baseball as planned, he turned to songwriting as a way to express his feelings and find a new direction.
At first, he mainly played for his mother and friends. Their encouragement helped him recognise that he had a genuine talent for singing, even though he was not yet certain where that talent might lead.
His Mother Signed Him Up For The Show Without Telling Him
Wallen’s opportunity to appear on The Voice came thanks to his mother, Lesli, who recognised his potential and signed him up for the competition.
At the time, Wallen had never even heard of the show. He agreed to audition on the condition that his mother would drive him to St. Louis.
He eventually made it into the competition’s Top 20, but there was one significant disagreement between Wallen and the show’s producers: the music they wanted him to perform.
Wallen wanted to sing country music and also enjoyed Southern rock. The producers, however, initially encouraged him to perform pop songs.
Looking back, he recalled feeling that the people running the show must know what they were doing, so he followed their suggestions until he was finally allowed to choose a song for himself.
“I wanted to sing country music and they wanted me to sing pop music. So I was just like, I guess these people are the smart people, guess I’ll try it.”
When he finally selected a country song, his time on the show came to an end the following week.
“They finally let me pick a song, I picked a country song, then they kicked me off,” he said.
In retrospect, the story has an ironic twist. Wallen would later become known for a country sound that incorporates elements of pop and hip-hop, a blend that has attracted both enormous commercial success and criticism from some country music fans.
Yet Wallen himself does not appear to view his elimination as a failure. In fact, he considers it one of the best things that could have happened to him.
Why Wallen Considers His Elimination A Turning Point
Although he did not win The Voice, Wallen left the competition with valuable connections that helped him take the next step in his career.
Those relationships contributed to his decision to move to Nashville in 2015, where he began working towards his ambitions in country music.
Reflecting on that period, Wallen explained how difficult it was to imagine his eventual success while he was still living at home and writing his earliest songs.
“That was the best thing that ever happened, though. I just met some people through that and ended up moving to Nashville in 2015. So I’ve been there since 2015, it’s been good to me.”
He added that, at the time, he could never have predicted where his life would eventually take him.
“Seriously, I never thought when I was at my parent’s house writing those first songs… never.”
His story offers an unusual example of how a contestant can leave a televised singing competition without winning and still go on to build a successful career. For Wallen, the experience provided an introduction to the industry rather than an immediate breakthrough.
Today, he stands as one of the clearest examples of a former The Voice contestant achieving major success after the show.
Evan James Takes A Chance On One Of Country Music’s Biggest Hits
That history made Evan James’ audition particularly interesting.
The 22-year-old Michigan singer chose Wallen’s “Wasted On You,” a song associated with an artist whose career began on the very same programme. His performance earned chair turns from Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green and Adam Levine.
James ultimately selected Levine as his coach.
Levine, who joined The Voice when it premiered in 2011, is the only original coach still appearing on the programme. Wallen initially competed on Team Usher before Levine stole him during the Battle Rounds.
That connection gave Levine a personal perspective on Wallen’s early development. Although Wallen’s time on his team was only one part of the singer’s story, Levine has now had the opportunity to watch him become a major force in country music.
His comments about Wallen were brief, but they reflected genuine satisfaction at seeing a former contestant succeed.
Levine also expressed hope that the current generation of aspiring singers could follow a similar path, using the opportunities provided by the show to establish themselves beyond television.
For James, choosing a Wallen song was a bold move, given how successful the original artist has become. However, the three chair turns suggested that his audition made the impression he wanted.
Whether James can eventually build a career of comparable longevity remains to be seen. Wallen’s journey, meanwhile, serves as a reminder that a contestant’s future cannot always be measured by how far they advance in a singing competition.
Wallen did not win The Voice in 2014. More than a decade later, his former coach is proud of his achievements, and contestants are still choosing his songs when they step onto the audition stage.
You can watch Evan’s audition here:
If you’ve never seen some of hisMorgan auditioned when was just 20-years-old, and if you’ve never watched his audition, it’s a fun blast from the past: