On 'The Voice,' Sonoma Talent Sings His Way To Stardom

SONOMA VALLEY, CA — In most versions of "A Star Is Born," a young, struggling Hollywood hopeful is discovered by a mentor and elevated to fame.

In the story of Sonoma singer-songwriter Marty O'Reilly, a strange Instagram DM led him to a stage, where he is watched by millions every time he sings and judged by four mega stars.

That stage belongs to The Voice talent competition show which helped launch star-studded careers by making performers more discoverable.

O'Reilly has sung his way through two of four rounds. On Oct. 14, he won the Knockouts round, singing a competitive duet with contestant Carly Harvey.

"You've got that huskiness that I absolutely love," Reba McEntire said after they sang “At This Moment,” by Billy Vera.

"The way you told the story, Marty, was what got me," said Niall Horan, former member of the 90s boy band One Direction.

O'Reilly now faces the third, Playoffs, round. After that, he has one more round to go — if he makes it past the judges.

The road to The Voice took 15 years, during which O'Reilly went from playing in a college band to touring, fatherhood, and now the precipice of stardom.

O'Reilly moved with his family to Sonoma when he was 4 years old and stayed there until his college years at U.C. Santa Cruz. While at Santa Cruz, he started playing with a band and continued performing, according to accounts.

By his own account, O'Reilly built a following for his Americana sound through relentless touring and staying true to his craft. He shared the stage with artists like Shakey Graves, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Sarah Jarosz, and Alice O’Donovan, and played at festivals like BottleRock, SXSW, and the High Sierra Music Festival.

As for inspiration, he cites performers who defined their genre, like Woody Guthrie, Howlin’ Wolf, Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Tom Waits.

O'Reilly moved back to Sonoma with his wife and son in 2021.

He found his way to The Voice after receiving a direct message on Instagram from a woman claiming to have “an amazing PR opportunity” for him. Skeptical at first, he got in touch with industry insiders who confirmed that the offer was the real thing, he told reporters.

Sept. 29 was his first appearance on The Voice.

"What is your name and where're you from," said rapper Snoop Dogg after hearing O'Reilly sing "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne for the show's first round "blind audition."

For the blind audition, the show's judges listen to the performers with their chairs facing away. If the performance impresses them, they hit a red buzzer and swivel around to face the singer, signaling that they want the contestant on their "team."

The goal is to get all four to turn their chairs.

O'Reilly sailed through the first round of blind auditions, setting off a competition between all four judges, who each slammed their buzzer.

The first to turn was Snoop Dogg, who was himself discovered by Dr. Dre in the early 1990s.
"I can't let this get away," the hip-hop performer said.

After a rivalry broke out, O'Reilly ultimately chose to join Team Bublé, headed by crooner Michael Bublé.

If O'Reilly makes it through the third round, he will compete with other Voice hopefuls. However, the judging will be done by the show's viewers, who will vote to save their favorite artists until a single contestant is left.

At the end of the competition, one artist will be named “The Voice" and awarded $100,000 and a recording contract with Universal Music Group.

The next episode is tonight.

In the meantime, O'Reilly will perform for smaller crowds in Santa Cruz, Sonora, and, on New Year’s Eve, at Sonoma’s Sebastiani Theatre.