The Voice: Every Winner — and What They’ve Done Since the Show
In its going-on-26 seasons, The Voice may not have ever churned out a superstar on par with American Idol alumni like Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson (both of whom eventually became, of all things, Voice coaches). The show may also not have ever discovered an A-lister whose successes match those of Idol grads Carrie Underwood or Adam Lambert. But NBC’s enduring sing-off has nonetheless shone a spotlight on a plethora of memorable vocalists, many of whom have continued on to successful, if not quite so widely celebrated, recording careers.
So as we look forward to new coaches Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé joining returnees Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani’s game of musical chairs in the Season 26 premiere (Monday, Sept. 23, at 8/7c), we’re also looking back. Way back, as a matter of fact: We’re reviewing all 25-and-counting winners in the series’ history and taking a peek at their post-show accomplishments. Among the Who’s Who of contestants who caught the coaches’ ears and turned their iconic swivel chairs, you’ll find a Grammy nominee, an author and a fan favorite who, years later, still hasn’t put out their first original single. (And yes, the wait is killing us.)
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Keep scrolling to recall all of the singers who gained admission to the winners’ circle over the years — and check out their music — then hit the comments with the name(s) of your favorite(s).
Javier Colón
Season: 1. Coach: Adam Levine. Runner-Up: Dia Frampton (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Colón cancelled the Universal Republic Records contract that he’d won through his victory after only one release. “When you pour your heart and soul into a new album that you think is really great,” he said in 2012, “and your label who is supposed to market and promote your music does neither, it’s really hard not to be upset.” (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Colón’s “Gravity.”)
Jermaine Paul
Season: 2. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Juliet Simms (Team CeeLo Green). Post-Show: Paul’s cover of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” rose to No. 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. Paul was also nominated for a Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy for his and Alicia Keys’ rendition of “If This World Were Mine” from So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Paul’s “I Believe In This Life.”)
Cassadee Pope
Season: 3. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Terry McDermott (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: In the tip-top tier of commercially successful Voice contestants, Pope cracked not only the Top 40 pop chart but the Top 5 on the country chart with her “Wasting All These Tears” single. In late 2022, she announced that she was changing lanes, leaving behind country music to return to the pop-punk sound of her old band, Hey Monday. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Pope’s “Wasting All These Tears” redo.)
Danielle Bradbery
Season: 4. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Michelle Chamuel (Team Usher). Post-Show: The youngest-ever winner of The Voice (at the time, anyway), Bradbery released her self-titled debut album in 2013 and its follow-up, I Don’t Believe We’ve Met, four years later. Her single “Heart of Gold” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and came thisclose to No. 15 on the country chart. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Bradbery’s “Stop Draggin’ Your Boots.”)
Tessanne Chin
Season: 5. Coach: Adam Levine. Runner-Up: Jacquie Lee (Team Christina Aguilera). Post-Show: The sing-off’s first foreign-born winner, Chin, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, put out one album Count On My Love through Republic Records. Though it debuted at No. 41 on the Billboard 200 chart, it nonetheless logged what back then were the lowest first-week sales for a Voice winner’s LP. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Chin’s acoustic version of “Surreal.”)
Josh Kaufman
Season: 6. Coach: Usher. Runner-Up: Jake Worthington (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Kaufman, who had appeared on Star Search at just 16 years old, released a self-titled EP in 2016 and became the final actor to play the lead role in the 2013-15 Broadway revival of the classic musical Pippin. The father of five’s latest single, a ballad titled “Beautiful,” came out in November of 2023. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Kaufman’s “Truth Be Told.”)
Craig Wayne Boyd
Season: 7. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Matt McAndrew (Team Adam Levine). Post-Show: Boyd played the Grand Ole Opry, went on a 65-city tour and watched his single “My Baby’s Got a Smile On Her Face” debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. But less than half a year after signing with Dot Records/Big Machine, he and the label parted ways. His latest single, “Let It Ride (Let It Roll),” was released in the fall of 2023. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Boyd’s “One Line Away.”)
Sawyer Fredericks
Season: 8. Coach: Pharrell Williams. Runner-Up: Meghan Linsey (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Just 16 when he won The Voice — a youngest-ever-victor record that would stand until Brynn Cartelli came along six seasons later — Fredericks released a self-titled EP and an album titled A Good Storm; both hit No. 2 on the Billboard Folk chart. Subsequently, he put out Hide Your Ghost and Flowers for You. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Fredericks’ “The Golden Tree.”)
Jordan Smith
Season: 9. Coach: Adam Levine. Runner-Up: Emily Ann Roberts (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: As of 2015, aka the year that he won, Smith was The Voice’s highest-selling artist ever. His debut album, Something Beautiful, debuted at No. 2 on iTunes. Besides continuing to record, he has established himself as a songwriter of note; no less than Celine Dion recorded his “Ashes” for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Smith’s “This Is Jesus.”)
Alisan Porter
Season: 10. Coach: Christina Aguilera. Runner-Up: Adam Wakefield (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: The former child star (who played the title role in 1991’s Curly Sue opposite Jim Belushi) made Voice history as the first contestant to ever win with a female coach. In January of 2024, the country-pop singer released “See in the Dark” as a single. She also wrote and co-produced her albums Who We Are and Pink Cloud. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Porter’s “See In the Dark.”)
Sundance Head
Season: 11. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Billy Gilman (Team Adam Levine). Post-Show: The country-soul singer, who’d made it as far as Top 16 Week during Season 6 of American Idol, released two albums, Stained Glass and Neon and Starting Again, and continued to tour, at one point even opening for the Zac Brown Band. Head also produced his 2023 single, “Bars and Churches.” (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Head’s “Leave Her Wild.”)
Chris Blue
Season: 12. Coach: Alicia Keys. Runner-Up: Lauren Duski (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: The last artist to get a chair turn in his season, Blue put out two singles through Republic Records, the superlative “Blue Blood Blues” being one of them, then self-released subsequent music, including the holiday EP One Light. (Press PLAY on the video above to check out Blue’s Blind Audition with The Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears.”)
Chloe Kohanski
Season: 13. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Addison Agen (Team Adam Levine). Post-Show: Kohanski performed her debut single, “Come This Far,” during the Season 14 finale. The following year, she changed her stage name to Chloe MK and released both a new single and an EP under that moniker. She returned to The Voice in Season 23’s finale to join other Team Blake alumni in giving their former coach a memorable send-off. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out MK’s “Ride.”)
Brynn Cartelli
Season: 14. Coach: Kelly Clarkson. Runner-Up: Britton Buchanan (Team Alicia Keys). Post-Show: The youngest-ever winner of The Voice — she was but 15 when she emerged victorious — Cartelli hit No. 3 on the US Digital chart with the Julia Michaels co-written single “Walk My Way” and No. 19 with its followup, “Last Night’s Mascara.” Her website promises that a new album will be out in March 2024. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Cartelli’s “Boy From Home.”)
Chevel Shepherd
Season: 15. Coach: Kelly Clarkson. Runner-Up: Chris Kroeze (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Just 16 years old when she became her coach’s second winning contestant in a row, Shepherd released “Broken Hearts,” the original number that she performed in the finale, through Republic Records. She then set about self-releasing her music, including an album of retro-country Christmas songs in 2020. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Shepherd’s “The Letter.”)
Maelyn Jarmon
Season: 16. Coach: John Legend. Runner-Up: Gyth Rigdon (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: After defeating three (!) country singers from Team Blake to claim the title, Jarmon opened for A-list acts like OneRepublic and The Fray. But after dropping “Jarmon” from her moniker on Spotify, the only music the pristine-voiced singer seems to have released was a 2019 cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” (Press PLAY on the video above to check out Jarmon’s Blind Audition with Sting’s “Fields of Gold.”)
Jake Hoot
Season: 17. Coach: Kelly Clarkson. Runner-Up: Ricky Duran (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: The one-chair turn cracked the country Top 40 with his self-penned single, “Better Off Without You,” which he performed in his season’s finale. With his coach, the 6’6’-tall Texan also recorded “I Would’ve Loved You,” which reached the No. 3 spot on the iTunes Country Singles chart. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out “I Would’ve Loved You.”)
Todd Tilghman
Season: 18. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Toneisha Harris (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: The oldest winner in Voice history — the pastor was 42 during Season 18 — Tilghman has released a Christmas EP through Christian imprint Straight Arrow Records as well as several singles, among them “Jesus and You” and “Goodness of God.” He and wife Brooke also co-wrote the feel-good book Every Little Win. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Tilghman’s “Blood, Sweat and Tears.”)
Carter Rubin
Season: 19. Coach: Gwen Stefani. Runner-Up: Jim Ranger (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Thus far, the show’s youngest-ever male winner — he was a baby-faced 15 years old when he gave his coach her only victory to date — has released a handful of singles but only one of them, “Horoscope,” through Republic Records. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out “Horoscope.”)
Cam Anthony
Season: 20. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Kenzie Wheeler (Team Kelly Clarkson). Post-Show: The winner of Fox’s 2018 Showtime at the Apollo revival, Anthony was already a star on the rise when he auditioned for The Voice. (At one point, he’d been signed by Dr. Dre.) But since his victory, Anthony has released only one single through Republic Records, “Keep It Between Us.” (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out “Keep It Between Us.”)
Girl Named Tom
Season: 21. Coach: Kelly Clarkson. Runner-Up: Wendy Moten (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: The first group ever to win The Voice, the Liechty siblings had been releasing music since before they even tried out. After winning, the folk singers opened for Pentatonix and watched their single for “One More Christmas” rise to No. 1 on the iTunes Charts. (Press PLAY on the music video above to check out Girl Named Tom’s “What a View.”)
Bryce Leatherwood
Season: 22. Coach: Blake Shelton. Runner-Up: Morgan Myles (Team Camila Cabello). Post-Show: The country singer who gave his coach the last of his record-setting nine (!) victories has so far released a pair of crazy-catchy singles via Republic Nashville as he sought to, as his bio puts it, “continue the legacy of legends prior.” (Press PLAY on the video above to check out TVLine’s interview with Leatherwood.)
Gina Miles
Season: 23. Coach: Niall Horan. Runner-Up: Grace West (Team Blake Shelton). Post-Show: Overcoming her shock at winning — West was expected to give Shelton one last victory — Miles sang the National Anthem at a special graduation of Sacramento-based firefighters, opened for Jewel and released her cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” (Press PLAY on the video above to check out Miles’ “Someone New.”)
Huntley
Season: 24. Coach: Niall Horan. Runner-Up: Ruby Leigh (Team Reba McEntire). Post-Show: After not one but two losses on American Idol, Huntley (first name: Michael) “didn’t want to do this again,” he admitted to TVLine. Good thing he did, though. He not only won the whole shebang but in the summer of 2024, released his first post-show single, “Tell Me When It’s Over.” (Press PLAY above to watch the accompanying music video.)
Asher HaVon
Season: 25. Coach: Reba McEntire. Runner-Up: Josh Sanders (Team Reba McEntire). Post-Show: The glamtastic vocalist told TVLine that he’d love to put out his own fashion line in addition to continuing his music career. Thus far, however, we still haven’t gotten a new release from HaVon. (Press PLAY above to watch him tear up “I Will Always Love You.”)
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