Reba McEntire’s team is full! During The Voice‘s final Blind Auditions of season 28, the country icon completed her team with an incredible singer in her own genre.
Ahead of his audition, Aaron Nichols opened up about growing up in a rough California neighborhood with a mom who worked two jobs to pay for his guitar lessons.
Eventually, thanks to that support, Nichols turned music into a career. Though he did so by playing weddings and parties, after his son was born, Nichols was inspired to work harder and dream bigger.
That brought the Nashville-based singer to The Voice, where he performed a near-perfect rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Cold.” McEntire, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé turned around for Nichols, creating a tough choice for him.
“I turned and I said, ‘I might not have a chance, but Reba McEntire’s going to win The Voice with this dude. At least I want to be able to say I had turned my chair and thrown my hat into the ring,’” Bublé told Nichols.
Snoop’s pitch came next, as he said, ” Double a with the r-o-n, with the d-o double g. For me to have you on my team would be a great representation of who we are as musicians from California and how we make any genre of music relatable and lovable.”
Aaron Nichols Selects Reba McEntire as His Coach on The Voice
Meanwhile, McEntire told Nichols that his performance left her “so excited,” noting, “It was just like homecoming.”
Before he announced his chosen coach, Nichols made it clear that his wife was the one who influenced his decision as he quipped, “I really like being alive.”
It turns out Nichols’ wife is a fan of McEntire, as the singer selected the country icon as his coach and thus completed her team.
“That gravelly voice, very sexy and tough, I just love it,” she told the cameras after the fact.
McEntire previously opened up about her season 28 strategy, stating in a YouTube video, “It doesn’t matter what genre they’re singing. If it touches my heart, I’m going to be turning around.”