Tanner Linford

Tanner Linford, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a pop singer from Kaysville, Utah. He was born on 22 May 1997, and is a graduate of Davis High School in Kaysville. He has three younger siblings. He enjoys rock, pop-rock, and alternative rock, and one of his favorite bands is U2.

He had auditioned for Season 6 of the NBC’s reality singing competition, The Voice, but was told by the judges to polish his act and come back at a future date. After Tanner was not selected for a team during Season 6, he continued to work on his singing. Upon returning home, the support that he received from all over town was overwhelming. He performed at numerous events, including his high school prom.

He returned to the show during Season 7 and was one of the top 48 artists for that season. For his Season 6 blind audition, he sang a Rihanna ballad, “Stay,” but for his Season 7 blind audition, he decided to go country singing Alison Krauss’ “When You Have Nothing at All” which proved to be a wise decision. Blake Shelton was the only judge to turn his chair and became Tanner’s coach by default. “I know you!” Shelton told him, getting out of his chair and walking to high five his new team member. “I told you!”  Tanner recalls the experience and comments, “When I actually got on the stage and saw the backs of those chairs again, all the memories started coming back. The fear and the doubts kind of started setting in. I just tried to pour my soul into it at the end there.”

During the battle round on Tuesday, 14 October 2014, Blake Shelton squared off two of his youngest singers – Tanner Linford (then 17) against Justin Johnes (then 15) of Massapequa, New York. They were asked to sing One Direction’s “You and I.” The victory went to Tanner. During a conference call with the media on Wednesday afternoon, 15 October 2014, Tanner said, “our battle went great. The coaches really seemed to like it.” He further stated that he got compliments for showing a “little more power” and for showing more confidence than during the blind audition. He continued, “They said I have come a long way, but I still have room to grow.” As for the song, he admitted that he had not heard of it before he and Justin began rehearsing it, but it is now one of his favorites. In the knockout round, Tanner performed “Calling All Angels” by Train, but lost to Jessie Pitts and was eliminated from the show.

Tanner’s faith has a significant role in his life, and he loves to share that faith through music. He commented, “Some of my favorite times I’ve ever sung have been in church. There is nothing like the spirit that music can bring.” He also plans to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and views his experience on “The Voice” as great preparation as he had opportunities to share his faith and answer questions regarding his religious beliefs.

Follow Tanner Linford 

Recent Posts