First came “Chicks Dig It,” a hit for Chris Cagle in 2003. Tyson Schulte, the winner in 2021, went with a pair of up-tempo country rockers. For both songs, he did not engage in theatrics, putting the emphasis on his pure, lilting tenor. He got more applause the second time around, when he offered a dramatic rendition of “Desperado,” by the Eagles. Johnston’s voice soared at the climax, but the audience’s reaction was muted. The song, a 2010 hit for the Zac Brown Band, is a ballad about a trucker unable to tear himself away from a life on the road. It’s called ‘Colder Weather.’ I hope you enjoy.” “My name is Andrew David,” he said to the crowd, “and this is one of my favorite country songs. At a little after 1 p.m., he took the stage. Johnston, who performs under the stage name Andrew David, was perhaps at a disadvantage, because he was chosen to go first. while overseeing the sound system and musical backings. Dennis Reed, a proprietor of Hi-Tek Redneck Karaoke & DJ Service, served as the M.C. The competition comprised two rounds, with the 16 singers going in the same order both times. It only takes one person to hear you, one person to pass the video to the right person.” Vancleve, 44, added that he still had hopes of going pro: “I might not ever get there, but every time I get the chance, I’m still trying. Now he runs a detailing business (cars, motorcycles, trucks), and music is a hobby. They ended up getting divorced about nine years later, he added, “and my kids were like, ‘Dad, you should have just took it.’” For various reasons, he said, she thought it was a bad idea and did not want him to do it. “I said, ‘Let me talk to my wife,’” he recalled. Vancleve to give Nashville a shot, he said, but it didn’t work out. We called it a ‘pre-winning party.’ That’s the way you got to think about it.”Ī top music producer had once invited Mr. Before taking the stage, he seemed confident about his chances, saying, “Last night I went over to some friends, and we had a little get-together and cooked on the grill. Wearing sunglasses, a cap and a black T-shirt, he said he was making his sixth appearance in the state finals. Another formidable contender was Juston Vancleve.