Brayden Howell brought the Blind Auditions of The Voice Season 30 to a fitting country finish with a performance of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”
The 19-year-old singer from Marshville, North Carolina, stepped onto the stage with plenty of confidence, tackling one of the most recognizable country songs ever recorded.
And it didn’t take long for Riley Green to react.
During Brayden’s first trip through the song’s famous chorus, Riley pressed his button and turned his chair.
The timing made the moment especially important.
By the time Brayden auditioned, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Queen Latifah had already completely filled their Season 30 teams.
Riley was the only coach with an open spot remaining.
That meant as soon as Riley turned, Brayden automatically became the final member of Team Riley and the last singer to earn a place during the Season 30 Blind Auditions.
But the lack of additional chair turns didn’t mean the other coaches were unimpressed.
Queen Latifah made it clear after the performance that she would have turned for Brayden if she had still been allowed to add another singer to her team.
Riley, meanwhile, loved the traditional country energy Brayden brought into the room.
He told the young singer that his voice made the set feel like a honky-tonk, perfectly fitting the atmosphere of “Friends in Low Places.”
Riley also joked that Brayden had already turned the studio into a honky-tonk once and said he wanted to see what the two of them could create together.
For Riley, the audition was an ideal way to fill his final remaining team position.
Throughout the Blind Auditions, the country star had already collected several singers with strong country influences, including Joe Henley, Cade Mower, Allie Rae, Ferryn & Brinkley and Keiyana Osmond.
Brayden now joins that group as the team prepares for the much more difficult Battle Rounds.
His performance also came during an unusually important episode.
The October 6 show officially ended the Blind Auditions and immediately moved into the first Battle of Season 30, meaning there was almost no break between completing the teams and beginning the eliminations.
Brayden therefore entered Team Riley at the very last possible moment.
And although only one chair was available to turn, Queen Latifah’s reaction suggested the result could have looked very different had the audition happened earlier in the season.
Instead, Brayden got exactly the chair he needed.
His country-heavy version of “Friends in Low Places” earned the final available place in the competition — and gave Riley Green one more young country singer to work with as Season 30 moves into the Battles.
