'He's going to be a star:' Family, friends gather to watch Sanford native on 'The Voice'

Sanford native Britton Buchanan grew up idolizing Bruce Springsteen, but now he’s trying to make his own name in the music scene as the latest local talent to earn a spot on NBC’s singing competition, “The Voice.”

“It’s incredible. I’ve seen him since the beginning and it’s just incredible to see how he’s changed ever since then”, Buchanan’s friend, Cameron Himes, said.

“It’s a good feeling. He’s going to be a star,” said Buchanan’s cousin Lily Riddle.

Surreal was a word spoken often as Buchanan wowed the judges on the show. The 18-year-old said getting the chance to watch himself on TV among friends was a moment he will never forget.

“I didn’t know whether to clap, sing along smile. I didn’t know what to do. It’s weird,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan is a senior at Lee Senior High School, but he’s been taking online classes during “The Voice” experience, which is says is a very different way to spend his senior year.

“I always told him, no matter what the circumstances are, I’m going to be here for you and now, since he’s on TV, I’m like mind blown,” Buchanan’s friend, Luis Sanchez Garcia, said.

The teen, now a member of Team Alicia, said he’s ready to make a run on the show with plenty of support from people back home.

“No matter what happens on ‘The Voice’ or in his future as a professional singer, he’ll always be Britton Buchanan from Sanford, North Carolina, and I think that’s really unique about him,” said Buchanan’s voice coach, Liz Labelle.

Raleigh resident Molly Stevens is scheduled to appear on the show for a blind audition Tuesday night.