Stepping onto The Voice’s stage for its 27th season audition rounds, Hayden Grove had an opportunity to sing in front of one of his longtime heroes, Michael Bublé. Wearing a blue suit, the Cleveland-based crooner snapped his fingers and belted out an inspired version of “Mack the Knife” for the competition show’s judges: Bublé, Kelsea Ballerini, John Legend and Adam Levine.
Despite Grove's similarity to Bublé's repertoire, Levine ended up pressing his buzzer during the audition and selecting Grove to be a part of his team in the popular NBC competition show. That means that Grove will continue forward in the show, which airs on Monday nights at 8 p.m.
Grove, who has interacted with Bublé in past concerts and on social media, says that he's on Team Michael Bublé "in the show of life," and during his time on The Voice, he gets to be on Team Adam Levine — another artist who's had an impact on his singing career.
Beyond his appearance on The Voice, Grove has numerous upcoming live performances in Northeast Ohio, slated at restaurants and venues like Leo’s Italian Social, Corleone’s, Triv’s and more. He also says he will continue to work as a local cycling instructor and cleveland.com social media reporter.
We caught up with Grove to hear more about his first step on the show, and what comes next.
Cleveland Magazine: I’d love to just hear about what that audition was like; what was that whole process like for you?
Hayden Grove: The whole process was so incredibly beautiful, but difficult, but unpredictable, but crazy. It was a really incredible thing. I think God had a lot to do with it and I thank him for the opportunity to put me in this position and without him, I wouldn't be here. I mean, going on the stage, you put in so much work, you know. I've been singing for my whole life, so to walk on that stage, to sing a song that I've sung since I was in sixth grade, it was just incredibly full-circle. And I was very comfortable with the song, but still, you're singing in front of four titans of the industry, and, for me, you're singing in front of somebody you've considered a hero, and somebody that has taken an interest in you for whatever reason, and there's just a lot at stake. So I just tried to make it about the music, and my heart was beating about a million miles an hour. But once it started, once I started to snap my fingers, that was just back to Cleveland, singing in a restaurant somewhere.
CM: It must have been so special to have your parents there, too.
HG: Yeah, to have them there was just incredible. That's what made it for me. I don't think they showed it, but just to walk off the stage and give them the biggest hug, and my mom is bawling, and my dad is calm, cool and collected. He's not the emotional one, but you could even tell he was tearing up. It was the most incredible thing to give them. They've supported me through everything. My mom — I've been very open and vocal about my mental health issues. And they were there; they were the ones that got me through. They were the ones that sought the help to help me out. My mom drove me to every voice lesson. My mom drove me to every rehearsal. My dad busted his butt at the Cleveland Clinic for 35 years, coming home or getting woken up at five and maybe not coming home for a couple days sometimes. So the sacrifices they make, for them to experience that moment with me, to be there with me, I just could not be more happy they were there. They deserve the love and the credit as much as anybody else.
CM: You’re the busiest person I know, between gigging and cycle classes and reporting at cleveland.com. Are you expecting to keep all those things going too?
HG: I love to be busy. It's a blessing to be busy. It's an opportunity to be busy. I think that the more you're able to do, the more I feel blessed. Like, I don't know, we have one life. You've gotta give it everything you got, every day. So the more stuff on my plate, the better. Yes, yes, of course, we all need downtime. We need time to recharge and relax, but at the same time, if I'm out there singing, or if I'm out there cycling, or if I'm out there doing sports, I'm doing something that I love. So I feel very blessed that God has given me those opportunities to do what I love and has given me the work ethic of wanting to go out there and doing it.
CM: On the show, you're on Team Adam. I know Michael Bublé is your longtime hero, and you've had these interactions with him. What's it like to end up on Team Adam? You shared a moment with Michael on stage at your audition, which was so cool to see, too.
HG: I think it's a new and exciting opportunity. I feel like I’m on Team Bublé in the show of life, and now I get to be on Team Adam in the show of The Voice, which is incredible. I get to experience an artist that I really love and know very well, from way back. I mean, I was playing Songs About Jane on my red Sony Walkman, and then just loving that music. I think one of the first songs I ever sang on stage was “She Will Be Loved.” So it was really a cool, really, really, incredible, full-circle moment. I think I said it every time, but God definitely had his hands and guided me through this to this point. There was a reason that Adam was there, and there's a reason that I loved Adam way back when, and there's a reason all this happened. I'm so thrilled to be on Team Adam. It's such a blessing. It's such an honor, and I’m excited to work with him. I mean, Mike [Bublé] — like I said, it’s an opportunity to grow as an artist, to learn something new, to get a new perspective from somebody who’s done it just so incredibly well for the past 25 years.
CM: You released an album a few years back. Do you plan on recording anything in the future?
HG: Yeah, I would love to. I'm planning some stuff, working on originals. I'm just not the best writer. I just don't love what I write. So, trying to find the balance of what I like to hear and what I want to say. It's just tough, but definitely working out some recording stuff, be they originals or be they covers. I definitely do want to try to get some music out there in the next year, in the next couple of months, and I definitely want to put some more stuff out.
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