Wilmington-based musician earns spot on TV show ‘The Voice’

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - A Wilmington-based musician earned his spot on Team Blake on the NBC show The Voice during an audition that aired Tuesday night.

Carlos Rising will be part of country music star Blake Shelton’s team during Shelton’s final run on the show after 23 seasons. Shelton was the first to turn around during Rising’s blind audition. Kelly Clarkson also turned around but Rising ultimately chose to be on Shelton’s team.

“Just being able to say that he’s my coach, I’m very proud of the fact and I’m very grateful that he saw something in me to turn around for me in the first place and was the first one to do so,” Rising said.

Rising first started playing guitar when he was 11 and eventually turned to sing and producing music as well. He moved to Wilmington shortly after losing his job while living in Seattle during the COVID-19 pandemic and began pursuing music full time.

Since moving to Wilmington he’s started playing gigs around town with his cousin in their band, Holy Heat. It was his wife and dad who pushed him to audition for the hit reality TV show and took several years of encouragement – and both were backstage supporting Rising during the audition in Los Angeles.

Rising performed the song Change the World by Eric Clapton during his audition, one of the first songs he ever learned on his guitar and one that he grew up listening to.

“I feel like for my whole life this song has followed me and so a way to honor my parents, to honor my wife who I dedicated the song to, and just I felt like it was a good style for who I wanted to be as an artist and what I wanted to portray on the show. And it worked,” Rising said.

Shelton was quick to hit his button and offer Rising a spot on his team. He was followed by Clarkson, who turned her chair at the last second as the performance ended.

“When I see someone like you up there performing, that’s what gets me excited: somebody that I’ve never heard anything like before,” Shelton said, adding he’d be proud to have Rising on his team.

Rising will now move on to the “battle rounds,” where he will compete against a fellow member of Team Blake in hopes of advancing in the competition.

He said above all, he’s grateful for the support he’s gotten from the Wilmington community in his journey toward a full-time career as a musician.

“If you’ve ever seen us in the community, whether it’s downtown or in the cargo district or maybe towards Wrightsville Beach, then just know that you’re a part of this story too and I wouldn’t be able to be here without you guys and everything that you’ve done for me, coming to support me, and I can’t wait to do it some more,” Rising said.

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