Montgomery's Ryley Tate Wilson, 15, a step closer to dreams on 'The Voice'

If you were amazed with 15-year-old Ryley Tate Wilson’s four-chair-turning rendition of “Dancing On My Own” on NBC’s “The Voice,” think about this:

“I’d never sang that song before,” the Montgomery teen singing sensation told the Advertiser.

He’d never sang it in public, that is.

“Dancing On My Own” is almost as old as Ryley Tate, released in 2010 by Swedish singer/songwriter Robyn, and covered by many, including Calum Scott and, interestingly enough, “The Voice” celebrity coach Kelly Clarkson.

Ryley Tate, the son of Kelley and Todd Wilson, sent “The Voice” a list of around 9 songs he’d be interested in singing for the blind auditions. The show picked “Dancing On My Own” from that.

“There was a lot of practicing in my hotel room, running through the song over and over and over again,” Ryley Tate said. “I definitely got tired of it by the end. I told my mom, I’m never going to sing that song again.”

Getting back to the show, fans know that after a cliffhanger, Ryley Tate picked Irish singer/songwriter Niall Horhan as his celebrity coach.

But that almost didn’t happen.

“Before I got to the day of blind auditions, I had planned on Kelly,” he said. “I love Kelly Clarkson, and she’s a really consistent coach. She wins a lot.”

On the show, Chance the Rapper was pleading his case for Ryley Tate, and Blake Shelton even pledged that he’d leave the show after this season if Ryley Tate joined Team Blake. (Shelton was already leaving after season 23.)

But a chance to be on Team Niall was too tempting.

“He was a singer at 15, and he was on a singing competition show at 15,” Ryley Tate said of Horhan. “I thought he could really help me navigate a show like this... He went through a voice change while being a professional singer. I just thought he would be a great coach because he had gone through what I’m going through now.”

As the chairs kept turning, was it distracting while he was trying to perform? Not really.

“I expected it to be loud,” Ryley Tate said. “When you’re in the room, the chairs don’t really make a sound like they do on TV… I wasn’t really distracted. I was just super happy to get a turn. I was hoping for at least one chair turn… They just kept on turning.”

"The Voice" airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

Building friendships with “The Voice”

“I think the main thing that I’ve gained from this experience is the friendships,” Ryley Tate said. “The relationships that have been formed from meeting all the people on the show. Being with a lot of other creative people, and people who think like me and are interested in music, who are talented. It’s great to have relationships with people who share your passions, who will make you smarter and feel your interests, because they share the same interests.”

Some of them also share the same city as Ryley Tate.

Joining him on Team Niall is another Montgomery singer, Jerome Godwin III. There’s also a third singer, Montgomery resident D.Smooth on Team Kelly, who told the Advertiser he considers Ryley Tate his “Little Bro.”

“He’s definitely like a big brother to me,” Ryley Tate said.

The trio didn’t know going in that they’d have so much Montgomery talent on the show.

“Everyone that came from Montgomery thought that they were the only one,” Ryley Tate said. “Me and D.Smooth got really close. Every time we fly out, we travel together. We get on the same planes. We get on the same connecting flights. We’ve gotten really close through that.”

D.Smooth has even been to the Wilson home a few times to visit.

“I’ve gone to see (D.Smooth) perform, and he let me come up and sing a couple of songs, which has been great,” Ryley Tate said.

Making music since he was a toddler

You might be surprised that until he got on “The Voice,” Ryley Tate hadn’t had real vocal lessons.

“My tone, it’s just how I sound when I sing,” he said. “I’m not really overthinking it. I’m just singing, trying to tell a story with the song. People seem to like it.”

He loves R&B and soul music, and said he’d love to show that side of himself on “The Voice.”

“I feel really passionately about R&B music and soul music. It’s really powerful,” he said.

Beyond his voice, Ryley Tate is a multi-instrumental music artist. Music’s been following him around since Ryley Tate was old enough to play drums on pots and pans for his mom.

“She ended up upgrading me to a junior drum set,” he said. “So I played that every single day, until I busted holes on the drumheads. Then I got a real, full-size kit.

These days he’s almost lost track of how many other instruments he knows — ukulele, piano, guitar, cajon (a box drum), and a “little bit” of saxophone.

“It’s just kind of snowballed to the point of where it is today,” Ryley Tate said.

To the many other talented artists in Montgomery, Ryley Tate urged them to not give up on their dreams. Like many, he felt there was too little opportunity to get noticed back home.

“Someday, something will come along,” he said. “You’ll get what you’ve been looking for.”

Home life with Ryley Tate

Back in Montgomery, Ryley Tate’s mom homeschools him and his four siblings.

“We’re incredibly proud,” said Kelley Wilson of her son being on the show.

After this October, his dad will be a 20-year veteran of Montgomery Fire/Rescue, a job which requires a lot of time away from home.

“He works 48 on, 24 off,” Ryley Tate said. “I see him every two days.”

Ryley Tate isn’t the only musical talent in the family. He said one of his siblings, Reed, is also a performer.

“He sings with me a lot,” Ryley Tate said. “Everyone else is really more into sports and stuff.”

Outside of lessons and music, Ryley Tate’s interests stretch into other arts.

“I love photography,” he said, adding that he used to have an Instagram account full of his photos.

“I love art. I draw,” he said. “Anything in the visual arts.”

He’s also a community theater actor in Montgomery and Prattville. He’s even been in the cast of Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

“Theater and art are my other two big interests,” he said.

His mom said that the whole experience with “The Voice” so far is very surreal to their family.

“We never expected the level of attention that this opportunity would bring to Ryley Tate, but we’re really excited for him,” Kelley Wilson said. “We’re hopeful that the Lord will use this to bring about good things for Ryley Tate’s life, and that it’ll lead to him being able to pursue music as a carreer.”

He’s got his sights set on making it to the big time that way.

“Broadway is definitely a huge goal for me,” he said. “To be in musical theater is definitely my career goal. Broadway is the place to do that.”

The idea of being a nationally touring solo artist isn’t too shabby either.

“Anything in the field of music,” he said. “Being able to do my job would just be a blessing.”

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Ryley Tate Wilson, 15, a step closer to dreams with 'The Voice'