Popular musician gets bizarre invitation to audition for The Voice as contestant

(Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Blackbird Productions)

Despite holding open auditions around the country seeking to uncover new talent, The Voice has apparently invited popular alt-country singer Jason Isbell to audition for the eighth show — as a contestant.

Isbell posted a screenshot from the bizarre email he received from an unnamed NBC producer on Thursday on Twitter:

While Isbell may not be at Taylor Swift-levels of popularity in the music world, he's no struggling musician. He got his first record deal 15 years ago when he joined country rockers the Drive-By Truckers, and has since moved on to a successful solo career. He's also the reigning Americana Music Association Artist of The Year, and his latest album, Southeastern, cracked the Billboard Top 40 in its first week, selling more than 132,000 copies to date.

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Despite all this, he playfully accepted NBC's audition request:

I think it's fair to say viewers would watch that.

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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.