Riley Green Reveals His Secret Weapon to Get Singers on His ‘Voice’ Team

Riley Green has a plan for The Voice. During an appearance on Today, the competition series’ newest coach revealed his secret weapon for convincing contestants to join his team.

“I’m the only one with a cowboy hat, so I think that’d be my way to get, especially those country acts… mustache also helps,” he said.

Green’s mustache has become his signature look, but it’s a style he landed on without much forethought.

“The mustache for me was somewhat of an accident. I think every guy goes through that phase when they’re shaving and they try goatee and they try a mustache. It just stuck,” he said. “And now it’s a whole thing. I see fake mustaches in the crowd at my shows. I didn’t know I was going to be the mustache guy, but here I am.”

With his cowboy hat and mustache in hand, Green his ready for his new Voice gig. During the show’s 30th season, Green will be competing against returning coaches Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson, as well as fellow newcomer Queen Latifah.

“It’s tough. Adam been there forever. Queen Latifah is very, very famous,” he said, before revealing that Clarkson is the coach he’s most worried about.

“She’s going to try to get some of my country acts on the show,” Green said.

Riley Green Opens Up About Being a Coach on The Voice

During an appearance on American Songwriter’s Off the Record podcast, Green revealed what he’s looking for during the Blind Auditions.

“Well, if you get up there and sing a classic country song, you’re going to have a little advantage over everybody else,” Green said. “But I grew up listening to all kinds of music. So for me, it’s just, I think, a voice that is believable with lyrics.”

“I think that a lot of people can sing really well. Certainly being able to have a career without being the greatest singer in the world is how I got here,” he added. “If somebody can make me believe what they’re singing about, that always draws me in.”

As for what he’s most looking forward about being a coach, Green said, “Obviously it’s a great career stepping stone for me to get in front of a new audience, but also I think I’ll be excited about trying to help out some people that are trying to do what I’m doing.”

“I signed a record deal in 2018, so I’m fairly new to some people, and people are just finding me now, but I’ve been doing it for 15 years,” he said. “So there are a lot of things I’ve learned, especially what not to do.”

Season 30 of The Voice will premiere Sept. 21 on NBC.

Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images