Asher HaVon is The Voice’s season 25 champion. The 31-year-old Selma, Alabama native earned a three-chair turn with his blind audition performance of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.” He ultimately joined Reba McEntire’s team, giving the “Fancy” singer her first coaching victory in two seasons. However, the gospel singer’s victory is significant for another reason. HaVon is the first openly LGBTQ+ winner of The Voice. It’s a major accomplishment, and one HaVon says he could never have accomplished without the unwavering support of his coach.
“I Tried To Leave a Couple of Times”: Asher HaVon Opens Up About His Journey on ‘The Voice’
HaVon’s bold style and show-stopping performances of songs like Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” made him a fan favorite. Ever since his blind audition, the soulful powerhouse has given viewers his authentic self. But it wasn’t always easy, he admitted.
HaVon was still grappling with the decision to live openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Also, he hadn’t sung a note in more than two years. The rising star couldn’t help but feel as though “I wasn’t supposed to be here.”
“I tried to leave a couple times! When I got here,” HaVon told Music Times. “I cried to so many producers. … I practiced for my Blind [Audition] and I was like, ‘I can’t set fire to the rain! I’m just so hurt and broken!'”
That all changed for him when Reba— turned her chair, HaVon said. “I felt unstoppable,” he said of meeting his coach. “And so, if it wasn’t for this lady standing beside me, I don’t know…”
Reba Thanks Her LGBTQ+ Fans For Watershed Victory
Reba has long embraced her LGBTQ+ fanbase. The three-time GRAMMY Award winner told Music Times that their support on The Voice “means everything.”
“God created every snowflake different. Why wouldn’t he create us different?” the sitcom star said. “And if we are different, it’s a challenge: What we’re supposed to do is love each other, love our God with all our hearts, and love each other as we love Him… Let’s just get along and be nice. It’s not that hard.”
[RELATED: Reba McEntire Shares Proud First Words for Asher HaVon After Winning ‘The Voice’
Reba was a “safe space” for HaVon throughout his experience on The Voice, he said. That safety allowed him to flourish.
“The moment I felt safe, I wanted to stay there,” the season 25 champion said. “And I just pray that other LGBTQIA people can find their Reba McEntire, so they can feel safe and they can come out and be whoever they want to be.”
Featured photo via Instagram
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