GRAFTON - From Grafton to Guatemala, people are zoning in on Ricky Duran's voice.

Duran, who grew up in Grafton and whose late parents were from Guatemala, was a winner in the Battle Rounds on NBC’s "The Voice" broadcast Monday. He was praised for his "star quality" by judges after going head-to-head with Team Blake teammate Marina Chello in a dynamic duet of "Valerie" by The Zutons.

Duran and Chello prowled the stage and both wowed the judges as they interacted and conveyed the song with dual chemistry. Blake Shelton had to choose the winner and named Duran, but he also saved Chello.

"I just felt like I was in the zone," said Duran, 29, in a telephone interview Tuesday. "I was very excited about this Battle Round. I've been singing 'Valerie' for many years. It's one of my favorite songs. I just wanted to keep it high energy."

It's the latest progression for Duran on the TV singing competition. In his blind audition Oct. 7, judges/coaches Shelton, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani all quickly turned their chairs during Duran's soulful rendition of Leon Bridges' "The River," indicating they each wanted him on their team.

He chose Shelton, who has been "pretty amazing," Duran said. Following Shelton's advice, "One of the things I always keep in mind is to have the audience believe me. That means I really have to get in the song."

On Monday's show, Clarkson showed her approval by getting out of her chair during the duet. Legend told Duran, "You sound like a star," and Stefani said, "You have this star quality and stage presence."

"I couldn't believe all the praise they were giving me," Duran said. "It means a lot to me, coming from true stars themselves."

Shelton praised both Duran and Chello, saying it was an "awful" decision to have to make. "You're way overdue for a break in music, both of you," Shelton said.

"She's great. We became fairly close during the process," Duran said of Chello. "I knew from the beginning we would work well together. We both looked at it as a duet, as opposed to outsinging the other person. I was pleased with the entire performance."

Still, "The Voice" is an elimination competition. "It was nerve-wracking, considering one of us could have been going home. I was pretty comfortable in the performance. I was very happy she got the save from Blake."

Duran said he chose Shelton to be his coach for several reasons.

"My mom always loved Blake Shelton," Duran said of his mother, Odette Duran, who died last year. (His father, Ricardo Duran, died in 2012.) Shelton has also "been on the show the longest of the coaches and had a lot of success."

Duran, who graduated from Grafton High School and Berklee College of Music in Boston, had success in the Worcester area music scene, where he was an active presence until moving to Austin, Texas, nine months ago. A representative of "The Voice" heard about Duran and asked him to audition in Austin. From that he received an invitation to the blind auditions in front of the show's judges in Los Angeles.

Duran now moves forward to the show's "Knockout Rounds." Taping of "The Voice" took place during the summer, and Duran and other contestants are not allowed to reveal how they fared beyond what has already been broadcast.

But each broadcast is winning Duran more fans. "It's been pretty awesome. Every day I get messages from new fans all over the world," he said.

That certainly includes Guatemala. "There's a new fan base in Guatemala," Duran noted.

Sunday in Grafton, a large group of family members and friends got together with pictures and posters of Duran printed up and made videos, he said. Duran wasn't there but appreciated the effort. "It was my town showing me support."

Ricky and Marina – HELL, Y’ALL! What a battle. pic.twitter.com/yWmydimB5g

— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) October 21, 2019





