Hayden Grove sings National Anthem at Cleveland Guardians game. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Local crooner and cleveland.com social media producer Hayden Grove will compete on season 27 of “The Voice.” The 31-year-old Westlake resident taped his blind audition for NBC’s singing competition series this past summer, performing for judges Kelsea Ballerini, Michael Bublé, John Legend and Adam Levine.
“It means everything,” he said. “It’s a lifetime of work that has gone into music, and this is most unbelievable thing to ever happen to me. I’m so blessed.”
Grove can’t say yet whether or not he convinced any of them to turn their chairs around and coach him. The new season premieres on Feb. 3, though it isn’t yet known when his episode will air.
“To have an opportunity to go on the show and audition in front of your hero, Michael Bublé, as well as Adam Levine, whose songs I sang way back when before my voice changed. It’s just wild,” he added.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Grove moved to Cleveland, his grandfather’s hometown, following his graduation from Ohio State University in 2016. He joined cleveland.com that year, reporting primarily on Cleveland’s sports teams. When he wasn’t firing missives from the press box, Grove, a performer since grade school, moonlighted as a singer, gradually making a name for himself by performing big-band standards at local jazz clubs, shopping centers and nursing homes— wherever he could get experience on stage.
“I’ve loved music as long as I can remember,” he said.
Describing his style as big band but with a younger, more energetic flair, Grove has recorded three albums, “Hayden: The Album,” “Feeling Good” and a holiday EP simply titled, “Christmas.” In 2022, he caught the attention of his idol, Bublé, who saw some of his performances on TikTok. The five-time Grammy winner gave Grove a shoutout at a concert in Pittsburgh. He calls it a turning point in his career.
“It gave me confidence to be like, okay, ‘I can do this,’” Grove said. “I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to audition (on ‘The Voice’) without Michael.
“They say don’t meet your heroes, but then your heroes end up being way better than you could have even imagined them to be. Michael is certainly that.”
Whatever happens on “The Voice,” Grove said he wants to pursue singing as far as it can take him, introducing his brand of modern big band to a wider audience.
“I just want to bring my music to all corners of the world and share it with people,” he said.
