Former PBL student Gina Miles auditions for NBC’s The Voice



PAXTON — Paxton resident Ryan Galey could not be prouder of his 19-year-old daughter, Gina, whose ambitions of stardom as a singer and songwriter could take a big leap forward with her chance to perform on NBC’s The Voice.

Gina Miles recently announced on her Facebook page that she auditioned for Season 23 of the singing-competition reality television series, which premiers at 7 p.m. (CST) Monday, March 6, on NBC.

Whether the talented former Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School student, who now lives in California, will appear in the March 6 premier or in a different episode later that month remains to be seen.

“I’ll be watching it just like everybody else to see what happens,” her father said.

Gina Miles attended Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School through her junior year. (Photo courtesy of Gina Miles’ Facebook page)

No doubt, many others in Paxton will be watching, too. The Ford County community — population 4,459 — is where Gina Miles grew up, attended school and honed her musical talents as a member of PBL High School’s show choir and band before departing after her junior year to California to finish high school. Her older sister, 20-year-old Lucy, graduated from PBL in 2020.

“I’m just excited about her journey,” Ryan Galey said. “Obviously, she’s worked really hard to get an opportunity for herself, and I think she’s going to run with it, hopefully, and it’s going to be exciting times. … I just want to see her succeed. … I’m pretty proud of her just for standing up for what she thinks she can get a shot at and running for it.”

Season 23 of The Voice will feature returning coaches Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton and newcomer coaches Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan, with Reba McEntire serving as a “mega mentor” who will mentor the remaining artists who have made it through the “battle rounds.” McEntire previously served as a “battle advisor” for Shelton’s team during the inaugural season of The Voice in 2011. Shelton has announced that this season will be his last on the show.