“Voice” Singer Lands On Team Blake After “Incredible” Cover Of “Help Me Make It Through The Night”

Season 23 is Blake Shelton‘s last season as a coach on The Voice. He’s hoping to form a strong team so he can leave the show on a high note.

Shelton may have found one of his best competitors in Alex Whalen. The 43-year-old singer is from London, England, and worked for 18 years as a tube driver. The tube is the underground train that services London and other areas in England.

Whalen now lives in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. He’s chasing his musical dreams there, and plays multiple four-hour shows each week.

While performing on The Voice, Whalen covered a song country fans know well, “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” The song was written by Kris Kristofferson, and he released his recording in 1970.

The song was covered by country singer Sammi Smith that same year. Her rendition was a huge hit, as it reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also crossed over to claim the eighth spot on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Voice coaches loved listening to Whalen sing “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” Shelton recognized the song right away, and listened close as Whalen flowed through the lyrics.

While the coaches seemed interested in Whalen’s sound, they all hesitated to turn. Just when it looked like he wasn’t going to get a chair flip, Shelton turned his chair. Chance the Rapper soon followed, giving Whalen two coaches to pick from.

Shelton immediately complimented Whalen’s performance, saying, “That was incredible.”

Although she didn’t turn her chair, Kelly Clarkson made it clear she was a huge fan of Whalen’s sound too. “You have a gorgeous, gorgeous voice,” she said.

Shelton expressed how cool it would be for him to have a country singer on his team that’s from London. He also mentioned how it’s his final season, saying, “This is my last season as a coach on this show, and I want you on my last team.”

Clarkson threw her support behind Chance. She said Whalen would likely stand out on his team, whereas he’d be one of several country singers on Shelton’s. Chance also made an enthusiastic pitch to Whalen, so he was obviously a big fan.

But Whalen knew his home was on Team Blake…so he chose him as his coach!

Head below to watch Whalen’s top-notch cover of “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” Looks like he may be a contestant to watch out for this season!