In 2021, Dalton Dover was experiencing the Grand Ole Opry on a tour with his family, and on Saturday (Dec. 3), he had a full circle moment when he returned to the same stage to make his Opry debut.
The rising country star recently took to social media to share this milestone through photos and videos that captured all the emotions he was feeling. Luckily, he had his wife, Faith, and their two kids Taylor and Alyiah by his side to provide support throughout the night.
His caption read,
“My @opry debut was the most wildest, emotional, & exciting nights I’ve ever had.. thank you to everyone that came, and showed love, I couldn’t be more thankful for each of you.. I still can’t believe I stepped in that circle 🤍 “
The Georgia native performed two new songs, “Giving Up On That,” which he recently revealed will be his first single released with Universal Music Group (UMG), and “Dirt Roads & Jesus.”
Before he began strumming his guitar to the sentimental ballad, Dover explained a bit about what “Dirt Roads & Jesus” means to him.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be standing here in this circle,” he shared honestly. “I wrote this song right here with two of my best friends Matt McVaney and Alex Maxwell. I’ve seen some things in my life, been through things and through it all, God’s always brought me out the other side. This next song is about that.”
In Dover’s prior Instagram post, he reflected on how far he’s come since the start of his journey. The country star found his passion for music while singing in church and school talent shows. Eventually, he found his way onto Season 16 of The Voice, where he became a member of Blake Shelton’s team.
“This Saturday I’ll be writing my name in country music history as I make my @opry debut.. when I started this whole journey back in 2014, it was only in my wildest dreams that I even saw this day coming,” he wrote in the recent post. “There’s been several bumps in the road, god has removed people from my life, & he’s also put people in my life.. I’m grateful for where this is going, my dreams are really happening, & I’m thankful to have each of you behind me… ⚡️🖤 “
Two years after The Voice, Dover started to garner a large fan base on TikTok through his impressive covers that racked up over 4 million views. All of Dover’s hard work and determination is finally starting to pay off and his recent performance at the Opry is a huge step in achieving his dreams.
Dover first learned of his recent Opry performance during his August residency at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red. In the midst of one of his Nashville shows, the “Damn Good Life” singer received the surprise of a lifetime when the bar owner and his former The Voice coach, Shelton invited him to make his Grand Ole Opry debut.
“I was probably so thrown off guard that I like, honestly, like, I felt like a dream,” he told to Country Now reporter. “Like I told myself, like, if something like that ever happened to me, that I would like not cry and like have any emotions or whatever. Yeah. But like, when he asked me, like, I was like, holy shit, like that really just happened, you know?”
Receiving this special news from him made the moment even more memorable for the 23-year-old singer.
“I knew that I might see him again, you know, after the show, but I didn’t know it would be like that. So it was really special for sure. I’ll hold it close to my heart for years to come. It was insane to say the least.”
Dalton Dover recently wrapped up his time on the road with Priscilla Block for her headlining Welcome To The Block Party tour. He is next slated to take the stage on December 16 in Bristol, TN.