Meet ‘The Voice’ Artist Wendy Moten, Backup Singer Turned Superstar
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
Wendy Moten has officially made it to the Top 11 on The Voice Season 21. The 57-year-old singer joined Blake Shelton’s team after turning all four chairs with her Blind Audition, and the coach has kept her on his team the whole season.
Shelton was so eager to have Wendy on his team, he blocked fellow coach John Legend. In the live shows, fans have voted Wendy through to the next round twice, without having to be saved by her coach or the Instant Save.
‘The Voice’ Star Wendy Moten Has Been Performing for Over 30 Years
Wendy Moten was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but she’s been living in Nashville for over 25 years. According to her The Voice bio, Wendy’s father was a minister, and she started singing in church. She attended the performing arts high school Overton and joined a band in college.
Wendy has plenty of experience in the music industry. She signed with the record label EMI and released a self-titled album in 1992. Her single “Come in Out of the Rain” reached No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as No. 8 on the UK singles chart in 1994. She also opened for Michael Bolton on tour.
The singer went on to release the albums Time for Change in 1995 and Life’s What You Make It in 1996. She also put out an EP called Christmas Time in 1995. When her recording contract ended, Julio Iglesias made Wendy his duet partner, and and she toured with him for 15 years.
Over the years, Wendy has also sung backup vocals for artists such as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Bonnie Tyler, Martina McBride, and Vince Gill. As Ariana Grande told Wendy after her Blind Audition, “What a privilege for them to have shared the stage with you.”
The singer has been engaged to fellow musician David M. Santos for 25 years. As she explained on the show, they’ve “thought about getting married many times, but I’m still pursuing new dreams, and he’s my biggest cheerleader.”
SEE ALSO: NASHVILLE ARTIST WENDY MOTEN JOINS ‘THE VOICE’ FRESH OFF THE GRAND OLE OPRY STAGE
Wendy’s Country Talent Brought Her to the Grand Ole Opry
In addition to performing with various country stars, Wendy released her very own country album, called I’ve Got You Covered, last year. It includes covers of songs such as “Faithless Love” by Linda Ronstadt and “Each Season Changes You,” famously sung by Dolly Parton.
Wendy’s love of country music started when she watched the show Hee Haw growing up. “It just started as a child watching that television show and loving all styles of music and being influenced by many styles of music,” she said in an interview. “And it ends here in Nashville, and those doors opened. I can’t even explain it. I’ve had a very unconventional music career.”
Wendy made her debut at the Grande Ole Opry in 2019 and has played there several more times. She’s also a member of the Western swing band the Time Jumpers, which performs at the bar 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville.
The singer has the support of her coach Blake Shelton as she goes further in the competition. As he told her after her Top 20 performance earlier this season, “There is nobody that I want this more for, ever, than you. You deserve this.”
You can keep up with Moten’s career by following her on Instagram and TikTok.
