Bryce Leatherwood Recalls The Moment ‘Queen’ Reba McEntire Made His Day

Bryce Leatherwood is reflecting on the moment he got to meet country legend Reba McEntire for the first time while appearing as a guest performer on night one of the Season 24 finale of The Voice. 

This marked the second time the emerging artist was asked to return to the set of the popular NBC singing competition show since being crowned the winner in 2022. 

On top of delivering a show-stopping performance of his major label debut single, “The Finger,” Leatherwood took the opportunity to meet McEntire, the coach who replaced his Team leader on Season 22, Blake Shelton. 

Today, he honored that memory with a photo of him and McEntire sitting in her red coaching chair. In the caption he shared the shocking moment he found out the “Seven Minutes In Heaven” singer has become a fan of his growing career. 

“Throwback to meeting the Queen herself Miss @reba,” Leatherwood began. “I was so surprised when she told me that she’d been following my career for the past year and how much she was looking forward to what I do next. Thank you for making my day that day Miss Reba! God is Good,” he said in conclusion.

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Reba McEntire Earns The Stamp Of Approval

While previously talking to Country Now about this unforgettable experience, Leatherwood also expressed great pride for watching McEntire serve on her first season of The Voice alongside coaches Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, and John Legend.

“If there’s anyone who could fill the boots of Blake, it’s Reba McEntire,” Leatherwood said. 

He went on to confirm that her personality is just as warm and lively as it appears on screen. “She’s as sweet, as humble, and as caring as any country music act I’ve ever met in my life. She is as genuine as a woman could ever be,” the Georgia native gushed. “I’m just very, very blessed I got the chance to be in her presence.”

After the most recent season, Team Niall’s Huntley took home the ultimate win, but Reba McEntire will get the chance to reclaim her role and possibly earn the next win on the upcoming season of The Voice. During the next run, her title of being the newest coach will be replaced by Dan + Shay, the country music duo who will take on the challenge of being the first coaches in the U.S. version of the show to experience the new double chair. Season 25 will also welcome the return of John Legend, Reba McEntire, and Chance the Rapper. 

Season 25 of The Voice premieres on February 26, followed by a second episode on February 27. These new episodes will both air on NBC and will be available for streaming on Peacock the next day.

Bryce Leatherwood Admits He’s “Living The Dream”

As the next round of hopeful contestants await the opportunity to showcase their talent on the show, Bryce Leatherwood continues to serve as a great example of how life-changing The Voice can be for an artist. 

He started off 2023, by taking a major leap of faith and moving from his home in Woodstock, GA to Nashville, TN to continue pursuing music full-time. While spending most of his time writing new songs and performing around the country, Leatherwood admitted to having to live on a coach for five months before securing a room of his own. 

In addition to gaining new experiences and writing around 78 songs in just one year, he landed his very first record deal with Universal Music Group Nashville in alliance with Republic Records. This new chapter was then celebrated with the release of his first single, “The Finger.” This breakup track has already been streamed over half a million times and peaked at No. 12 on the iTunes country songs chart as of December 19. 

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“I’m living the dream. It makes me wanna cry seeing the hard work paying off and we’re just gonna keep that going,” Leatherwood said honestly.

By next month, Leatherwood plans to drop his next single, which he teased will be a love-filled two-stepping anthem. This song will also give fans a taste of what to expect on his forthcoming debut album.

“We’re working on a record here, hopefully in September. Like I said, with 78 songs, you gotta whittle ’em down, but man, we got some great songs – great songs I’ve written and great songs we’ve been shown. We’re just gonna pick the best out of the bunch that tell the story of me,” he prefaced. 

As his first full-length collection, the project will lay the groundwork for Leatherwood’s future in the music industry. He shared that he has made it a goal to produce music that will provide fans with a deeper understanding of his artistry using “all different kinds of vocalizations (and) all kinds of different instrumentation.”

“I think some songs will take you by surprise,” he hinted.

Previews Unreleased Song, “God and Grandpa”

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The country crooner has been using his social media platforms to give fans a sneak peek into what he’s got in the works and his most recent offering is an unreleased original titled “God and Grandpa.” 

The black and white clip posted on Saturday (Jan. 6) appears to be a soulful song written as a tribute to a person who he considers to be “one of my heroes.” As he strums the acoustic guitar, Leatherwood recounts stories from his childhood and hearing his grandfather discuss his relationship with faith.

“God and grandpa / They only met because of grandma / At least that’s what he said when I was 8 years old / Ridin’ down the road / With that bible and his Braves hat on the dash / Both windows open / He said don’t let me catch ya smokin’ / As he lit up another one / Said boy look over there / Only the man upstairs can make the sky look like he painted it by hand,” he sang in the clip. 

Click HERE to see which stage Bryce Leatherwood will be bringing his music to next.