Voice of Granbury contestants hit the stage Jan. 19

Contestants for the fifth annual Voice of Granbury Main Event are gearing up for their performances on Thursday, Jan. 19, at The New Granbury Live, 110 N. Crockett St.

Beginning at 7:30 p.m., 10 singers will be competing to see who will be crowned the official Voice of Granbury for 2023.

For five years, the event has served as a fundraiser for the Granbury Kiwanis Club, a local volunteer service organization dedicated to improving the lives of children.

The 10 singers for Thursday’s competition include: Crystal McCraw, Dennis Kniery, Shayla Nuttall, Sofi Warren, Melissa Collins, Lizz White, Chad Swanberg, Micah Young, Jerry Allen, and Crystal Douglass.

The following bios were emailed from the contestants to the event’s organizers:

Crystal McCraw is a wife to her best friend, Joe, and mother of two boys, Oryon and Cyrus. She’s a hairstylist by day and a grumpy, tired bear ready for hibernation by night. She loves to hike, read, and travel. She fell in love with singing as a young girl watching her mother sing with a band. She hopes to do these songs she’s chosen justice, and most importantly, she hopes that the Voice of Granbury event raises lots of money for a good cause.

Dennis Kniery first fell in love with country music riding in his Papaw’s pickup in Central Louisiana. Although he never pursued a career in country music, he’s been able to share his music with family and friends. Dennis loves to find karaoke spots wherever he can. Most recently, he sang at D’Vine Wine where he proposed to his girlfriend, Michele. Combined, they have five kids, three dogs, a cat, some fish, and they always have a warm meal for a stray animal or kid who needs one.

Shayla Nuttall is a 14-year-old student at Aledo Middle School. She adores animals and loves being in musicals. She was Brigitta in “The Sound of Music” at The Opera House here in Granbury. She likes to spend time with her friends and family and appreciates their support. Shayla is excited to sing again in The Voice of Granbury. She hopes you enjoy her performance.

Sofi Warren is a professional ballet dancer turned actress/singer. She has danced with Texas Ballet Theater, Ballet Arizona, and Ballet Frontier of Texas. She recently stepped into the world of theater and has played roles such as Brooke Wyndham in “Legally Blonde,” Martha in “The Ark,” The White Stag in “Narnia… the Wardrobe,” and Ronette in “Little Shop of Horrors.” She thanks her family and her vocal coach, Ashley Green, as she couldn’t do this without them.

Melissa Collins is a Texas-based singer-songwriter hailing from eastern Kentucky. Influence of her roots can easily be heard in her soulful vocals, rife with emotion, providing listeners with excerpts from her life's soundtrack. After moving to Dallas and gaining local success and radio play, Melissa continued the pursuit of her lifelong dream and moved to Los Angeles. Within two years, she was signed to a label and released her first EP. Melissa is currently collaborating on a new EP to be released in 2023.

Lizz White was born and raised in the Midwest and has resided in Granbury for six years. She is a retired educator and currently serves as president of Lake Granbury Kiwanis. Lizz has performed with various bands and musicians in an array of venues, including the stage at our own Granbury Sesquicentennial. She performs locally as lead vocalist with her husband, Bobby, in their band, Mysterious Scoundrels. She’s also host of the Granbury Rock-N-Blues Bash.

Chad Swanberg is a Louisiana native who loves living in Granbury. A former football coach, he now runs his family’s non-profit, Swanberg Christian Ministries. Chad loves Louisiana State University, the Saints, any brand of football, playing golf, working out, singing karaoke, and spoiling his niece, nephew, and dog, Cotton. But above all, Chad’s heart belongs to his girlfriend, Katy, who heard him sing at last year’s competition, tracked him down and settled him down.

Micah Young is 20 years old, with musical roots that go back to Elvis Presley in early high school. He recently released a new song on Spotify, and you can find him wherever you stream music or on social media as My Dream Yacht. He now takes inspiration from artists like Dayglow, Vulfpeck, Hippo Campus, Wallows, and various other alternative, indie, pop, rock, and funk artists. He also won the Voice of Granbury Audition Night event in September.

Jerry Allen has been in Granbury since 1998. Prior to that, he was a professional road musician, playing guitar for a plethora of popular artists over a 35-year span. He is a local realtor and still plays area churches and venues occasionally. He grew up (got older) in Spain and Taiwan as a child and is the eldest of five siblings. He plays guitar, keys, bass, and drums as well, composing his own music at home.

Crystal Douglass is a Granbury native who has spent over 20 years visiting, living, graduating, and building both her career and family in the town that has built her. Crystal has always had a passion for the theater and is an avid karaoke fan. You may recognize her from years of singing Patsy Cline at Babe’s when the restaurant first opened. She has tried out for both American Idol and The Voice and is looking to snag “the Voice” title on a local level.

Each of the 10 singers will perform a song in round one, and the audience will vote on who advances to the next round using their voting tokens.

The second round will consist of the top five singers, who will then perform a second song, followed by another round of voting.

The top three finishers will advance to the final round, where they will perform a third song.

After a final round of voting, the Voice of Granbury will be crowned and will receive $350.

Each audience member gets three voting tickets to begin the night, while additional tokens will be on sale for $10 each.

All proceeds help fund the charitable work of the Granbury Kiwanis Club.

“This is our fifth annual Voice of Granbury Main Event show, which features a fabulous lineup of great singers,” said Matt Mills, event director. “With the money we've raised for Kiwanis, we've been able to increase our scholarships and help other worthy causes for kids in our community.”

Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online at thenewgranburylive.com.