The Voice winner Asher HaVon, 31, reveals ‘hurtful’ experience during the reality show that left him in TEARS: ‘I cried so bad’

The Voice winner Asher HaVon has revealed the heartbreaking moment during the grueling reality show experience that reduced him to tears, while opening up about what it really felt like to be crowned as the season 25 victor.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Asher, 31, from Selma, Alabama, spoke out about his win, while gushing about the many lessons he learned from his country singer star coach Reba McEntire throughout the process.

But while the gospel singer was full of praise for the music legend – he confessed that there was one part of his show experience that he really struggled with: the elimination rounds.

When asked if there was an aspect of the show that he wouldn’t miss, Asher was quick to call attention to the elimination process – and the ‘hurt’ he felt at seeing his fellow contestants be sent home.

‘Having to see the people that you’ve become so close with go home…’ Asher, who ended his run on The Voice with a performance of On My Own by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, shared.

The Voice winner Asher HaVon has revealed the heartbreaking moment during the grueling reality show experience that reduced him to tears

Asher, 31, from Selma, Alabama, stormed to victory in the season 25 finale alongside his coach, country legend Reba McEntire

‘They have the same dream. You had the same ambition, the same drive. They got up early just like you. They practiced hard just like you. You’ve seen them put the work in just like and then it’s over.

‘That hurt. I cried. I cried so bad. Literally every round. They were truly, they are truly my friends.’

Speaking about his win – which saw him storm to victory over his fellow Reba coachee Josh Sanders, who finished in second place – Asher said he believes it was his unwavering ‘belief’ in himself that helped him to soar to the top spot.

‘I’d just say what’s for you is for you, really,’ he said. ‘I really believe that what’s for you is for you, and it will come against any odds. And I know there is a lot of odds all the time, but if you truly believe in just who you are and what you are, I believe you get it. I really do. I mean, I did. I believed it.’

But while many of his fellow contestants marked the finale of the show with an uproarious after party, Asher chose a rather more tame way to celebrate his win… a good night of sleep.

‘I went back to the hotel and went to bed,’ he confessed. ‘I was so excited to just lay on my pillow and turn off the lights and just sleep, not having a call time the next morning. I slept so good. That was my celebration.’

Now, days after his win, Asher is already looking to the future – and what his music career may hold, revealing that he has plans to tackle all genres rather than tie himself to gospel music for good.

‘I got so many voices in my throat, all that can change from baritone to tenor to alto, to soprano [and from] pop to rock to ballads,’ he said.

‘I can sing it all and I can still be myself and give you all the Tina Turner you want. I can be myself and give you all the Whitney Houston you want. So I think this throat is going to serve. I really do.’

He added that he’s already considered paying homage to Whitney in a very modern way: by creating an AI collaboration with the late singer.

Speaking about the experience, Asher (seen with runner up Josh Sanders) admitted that the elimination rounds during the process regularly reduced him to tears

The gospel singer was full of praise for his coach Reba, saying that he will ‘always’ consider himself a ‘student in her classroom’

‘Well, because I love artificial intelligence, I love all things futuristic, I would maybe want to dial back it all a little bit and the person that I would want to bring back just to hear her would be Whitney Houston,’ he said.

But while he might be confident about his future, the singer insists that he’s aware a career in music may not be an easy road – no matter how talented he his, noting that he’s aware he may face harsh criticism along the way.

‘Things will happen. I think I’m prepared for it all,’ he said. ‘But I think facing it, working it out, rising above it or just moving on, it is what it is.

‘I don’t have to change. I’m really nice in real life and I really like to be nice and I really like nice people, and I can be in this industry and be so nice and be led by my heart and I don’t have to change.

‘And so I’m excited in 10 years to come right back and talk to you as the same old Asher you are talking to today.’

As for his relationship with coach Reba, Asher says he hopes to continue learning from the music icon for many years to come, saying he will ‘always’ consider himself her ‘student’.

‘You know what? I am not done learning yet. I will always be a student in that woman’s classroom as long as I live, and even when I feel like I have graduated, I will still need fine-tuning,’ she said.

‘So how do I fine tune and even when I fine tune, so how do I do that? What’s the longevity? How can I be in this for 30 and 40 years? So as long as there’s a Reba, there’s information that I can get.’

Reba and Asher’s tight-knit bond was clear for all to see during the finale – when the country singer gushed over her talented protege shortly before his win.

” have seen you grow,’ she told him. ‘I have seen you change not your personality or your talent, but in your happiness. I know you’ve had such a great time here on The Voice, and everybody has had a wonderful time with you, especially me. Whatever happens in the next few minutes, I love you with all my heart.’