West Dundee's Riley Elmore advances on 'The Voice'
Dundee-Crown junior Riley Elmore won his first battle on NBC's "The Voice" Monday night, advancing to the next round of competition.
Elmore, 16, of West Dundee, sang a duet of "Cry Me a River" with competitor Natasha Bure. Even though most judges thought Bure won the singing competition, team captain Adam Levine had the final say and chose Elmore as the winner.
"If we all closed our eyes and listened to people sing that are left on the show, yours would be the one voice that we could all recognize immediately. That is extremely valuable to have," Levine told him.
Afterward, rocker Sammy Hagar was among those to tweet congratulations to Elmore, who is known for his Frank Sinatra-like singing style. Hagar wrote, "At 16 I wouldn't know what to do with a voice like that, but you've got a shot. Roll over Frank!"
Since the show was taped, Elmore and Bure, 18 - who lives in California and is the daughter of Full House star Candace Cameron Bure - have talked every day. When asked if they were a couple, Elmore hemmed and hawed before giving an answer.
"Everybody wishes that we were more," he said, "but at the moment, we're just really good friends. I help her with her guy problems, and she helps me with my girl problems."
Elmore has tens of thousands of new friends on social media since appearing on "The Voice," most of whom are female.
"The female (fan base) is a little bit larger. I'm blushing now," he said.
He's also getting a lot of attention at Dundee-Crown High School, where he's a junior, including a march around the building, where he high-fived people as the band's drum line followed behind him.
Elmore's been watching "The Voice," which was taped earlier this year, at home. Even though he knows the outcome, he said it's still nerve-wracking.
"When I watched (Monday) night, I think I stopped breathing, because I was analyzing myself so much. I just want to make sure I sound good. I just analyze too much," he said.
During the performance, he had his lucky Frank Sinatra pin, given to him by his grandparents, in his back pocket.
"I never go without it," he said.
Elmore's songs from "The Voice" are topping iTunes jazz charts, and he semi-seriously thinks about starting a #BringBackJazz movement. He did impromptu jazz performance last weekend, wearing jeans and a hoodie, at Riverbottom Ice Cream in Algonquin.
"The only thing I'd be afraid to sing is hard core heavy metal," he said, recognizing that at some point on "The Voice," he might have to sing outside of his comfort zone.
Elmore wanted to share an inspirational message with his fans: "Be you. Be unique. Because obviously, people like it."
"The Voice" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. Once the pool of 48 finalists is whittled down to 32, Elmore will perform next during the knockout rounds, which begin Oct. 24.