THE VOICE Winner Asher HaVon on His Season 25 Victory, Fanning Out Over Reba, Making History, and More

THE VOICE’s Asher HaVon was crowned the season 25 winner on Tuesday, May 21, notching two milestones at once: Havon was the first openly queer winner and the first Team Reba champion.

Hours after his victory, HaVon spoke with Give Me My Remote about the big finale, his ongoing relationship with Reba McEntire, and more.

What was going through your mind when you were waiting to hear who won?
I whispered to Josh like, “Catch me because I’m about to fall.” The weight of the wait was a lot of weight. And I just remember feeling this overwhelming sense of gratitude because I had made it that far, not knowing what was going to happen at all. Of course, standing beside Josh Sanders, who is a vocal beast, I was glad to be up there, you know?

And you were up there with Josh, your fellow Team Reba member. What did it mean to you at that moment to know that Team Reba was going to win no matter what?
Oh my God, now that we was excited about. We was excited that we could give our coach her first win. That was a really special moment.

You took a break from music prior to your time on THE VOICE. What does knowing that music is going to be a part of your foreseeable future mean to you now?
I’m so glad I gave my gift a chance. You know, I had given up on myself; I had given up on all the aspirations, but music always had a place in my heart. And I felt like giving it a chance got me here. And I’m excited. I’m now excited about the music. I can’t say I was before because I didn’t think none of this could happen. But because it’s here, I’m ready to sing.

It’s been clear how much you adore Reba. What did it mean to have her on this journey with you?
Oh my god, yes, Reba is everything to me. To even be able to talk to her is a dream. To be able to get feedback from her is a dream. And seeing her when they called my name was a moment that I will never forget. It was almost like time just stood still and I just saw her and she was like, “Yes.” Definitely very joyful in my heart, for sure.

You also got to do a duet together in the finale. What was that moment like?
I was screaming so much in rehearsal. And she would just laugh. I’m like, “I’m singing with a superstar, the queen of country music.” So every time she would hit a high note, I would just scream. I would flat-out just start screaming. So by the time we got to the stage, I had screamed all I could scream; I got it all out. But there was one time I looked over at her and saw that she was Reba McEntire and I almost screamed, and she was like, “You do not do it!” [Laughs.] So it was amazing.

I’m a little sad that it didn’t happen on live TV.
[Laughs.] Even at the end, when she reached out to hold my hand and take a bow, I’m like, “You bow. I don’t ever have to bow, okay? You bow. I’m scared to hold your hand.” I fanned out the entire time.

The show has had openly queer contestants since season 1, but you’re the first winner who was openly queer during the competition. What does achieving that milestone mean to you?
It means so much. And I am so, so proud to stand so boldly in my community and love everybody in the LGBTQ community as the first openly [queer] winner. I’m like, “We have arrived, honey!”

It felt like you had such fearlessness in your song choices, tackling numbers and artists many would shy away from—including your blind audition cover of Adele. What was your approach in figuring that out? 
I mean, just that. I looked for the biggest songs. I understand my voice and I know how big my voice is and doing big songs allow me to really sing the way I knew I could sing. Reba was very involved in the song choosing process—a producer would send her the songs and [she’d accept or reject them]. So every song that she even agreed that I would do was a big song. And I feel like they all was just right for me.

You killed them. Looking back on your journey, what was your favorite song you were able to pull off?
So, it’s like a tie. I’ve been going back and forth all morning. I said one on one interview, now I’m back to say another one on this one. I’m a Libra, okay? I change all the time. But I’m just gonna say both: Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” and Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” definitely, for me, was the standout performance. Like I enjoyed hearing myself sing those songs, for sure.

We’re only a couple of hours away from your win, but looking to your future, what are your hopes for what you’re able to achieve in the industry? 
I want the same longevity as every artist I’ve sang on that stage had. Whitney Houston, Adele, Toni Braxton, they’ve all had this longevity where they’ve been able to soar and reach unimaginable heights. So that’s my desire. And I think it’s pretty obtainable.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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