Going on NBC's The Voice can change everything for aspiring singers.
Many familiar contestants have created an entirely new look for themselves over the
years. Here are contestants from The Voice that are unrecognizable now.
Cassadee Pope's country music career has come a long way since her wildly successful blind
audition during Season 3 of The Voice. However, even after becoming the first woman to win,
Pope found it challenging to build a successful music career in the country capital of the world.
Though she fit in Nashville just fine, she explained to People magazine:
"I also felt a challenge to prove myself as an
artist and not just a winner of a singing competition."
After a whirlwind of television appearances, touring, and ending her engagement to Rian Dawson,
Pope needed to take time to reflect, telling Country Living:
"There were a lot of times when I felt in my gut something was right or something was wrong
and I wasn't able to really do anything about it."
When stay-at-home orders were issued in 2020, that gave Pope time to write original material.
She even enlisted her boyfriend, “Nashville” star Sam Palladio, to sing on her new album.
While working as a background singer for Jamaica's iconic Jimmy Cliff,
Tessanne Chin was set on creating a successful solo career for herself in the states. She
signed up to compete on Season 5 of The Voice, and impressed all the celebrity judges from the start.
It's no surprise, then, that Chin was later crowned the winner of the singing competition.
After a successful press tour and traveling for weeks at a time all across the country,
the reggae rock star decided she'd been away from her family for too long. Chin headed back
to Jamaica, got married, and announced she was expecting her first child in January of 2020.
And while Chin seems to be loving family life, she hasn't given up on singing.
Even though Addison Agen was only 16 years old when she first appeared on The Voice,
she had already released her own music. As the daughter of a music
therapist and record shop owner, you could say that a career in music was inevitable.
In fact, her mom was the one who surprised her with an audition for the show. She also
bought her the plane ticket to California, and got her to an open call for Season 13.
Though she ended the season as the runner-up, Agen has continued to sing.
She's released a few albums including 2020's "When the Morning Comes,"
and even toured alongside Kevin Bacon's band in 2019. She said:
"The Voice happened and that made me realize music isn't something that has to just be a hobby."
Country-slash-pop singer Meghan Linsey never had plans to audition for The Voice.
In fact, she was standing in line at Panera Bread when a producer called, after watching
her sing on YouTube. Within days, she was in Los Angeles at her blind audition. After that, she
quickly advanced to the final round, ultimately finding herself as the runner-up on Season 8.
After that, Linsey jumped on a press tour, did multiple radio shows,
and even toured with Reba McEntire. She was truly living out her singing
dream — even though it all happened so fast. Linsey told Entertainment Tonight:
"I had all these things written down that I wanted to do, and I did them."
After ending The Voice on such a high note, what could possibly be
next for her? She revealed back in 2019 that she was working on something new,
and in March 2021, she and her fiancé Tyler Cain released "Nowhere With You."
Celebrity coach CeeLo Green had his eyes on Juliet Simms ever since she
first stepped on stage at The Voice during Season 2. So it's no surprise
that when she ended the competition in second place, he signed her himself.
The feisty female rocker didn't let him down either. Before she even left The Voice,
Simms broke two Billboard download records with songs she sang on the show.
She later went on to release three solo albums and go on tour, something she'd done long before the
popular singing competition came into her life. In fact, she began touring when she was just a teen.
However, one thing that's lacking for Simms while playing rock 'n' roll
is other ladies that she can relate to. She said in a chat with Consequence of Sound:
"Why aren't there more girls? I feel like the rock world, it's a man's world,
and there needs to be more women."
In 2021, Simms rebranded herself as Lilith Czar and
released the album "Created From Filth and Dust."
Country singer Casi Joy was primed for success after a four chair turn during Season 12 of The
Voice. Rolling Stone even honored her on their list of the top ten blind auditions of all time.
However, it was during the live playoffs that Joy ended up being eliminated.
Though Joy didn't win The Voice, she won another major title:
she became a Mrs. In fact, she sang her vows at their wedding, saying later:
"I get very nervous talking to people or public speaking,
so this was my way to really show how I feel the best way I communicate: through song."
Joy even released a wedding song called
"I Do," and began touring the country alongside her husband.
When the stay-at-home orders hit in 2020, it took a financial toll on her small family. So Joy began
spreading smiles by selling custom merchandise she makes at home. She posted on Instagram:
"With the loss of so many more gigs, your orders are keeping us afloat."
But selling merch didn't keep Joy from making music. In June 2021,
she released a new song, "Namaste."
India Carney will never stop educating herself about music.
After making it to the final five, this Season 8 alum of The Voice graduated
with a degree in music from UCLA. According to her website, she even decided to teach
other aspiring singers what it takes to succeed as a private vocal instructor.
Carney has since performed alongside artists like Rita Ora and Meghan Trainor.
After that, she secured a solid gig as a background singer for Katy Perry. In fact,
her very first time touring was internationally for this pop star.
She explained that it really opened her eyes to what it was like to be famous.
“I really got a glimpse into what her life looks like,
what the demands are of a pop star like Katy Perry."
However, Carney never let go of her big dream of becoming a solo singer. In 2021,
she released the single "Human," written in response to the racial injustice seen in 2020.
Joanna Serenko put getting a college degree on hold for a chance at winning The Voice. Serenko
surprised herself with a four chair turn at her blind audition, and spent time on Nick Jonas,
John Legend, and Blake Shelton's teams as they fought for her throughout Season 18.
When production came to a halt due to stay-at-home orders,
producers sent Serenko equipment to record her final episodes in her parents' basement.
Though not performing center stage was disappointing, it set her up for success,
even after being eliminated from the top nine finalists.
The Voice was a fast-paced phenomenon. So these days,
Serenko is just happy to be able to take a break. She said:
"Now I can release music and post videos again
instead of solely working on one thing. I'm happy."
The quirky Kat Robichaud was doing something much different than making music before she
auditioned for Season 5 of The Voice. She had a degree in graphic design,
and was performing covers of songs at weddings for some side cash. She told SF Sonic:
"I definitely did not fit in on [The Voice], but they loved me and tried to keep me going."
When Robichaud was eliminated after making it in the top ten finalists,
she did something even more different than before: she used the national spotlight to start her own
show in San Francisco called the Misfit Cabaret. Every performance gives the audience something
new to see, from drag queens to aerialists to puppeteers and everything in between.
After a successful five-year run, the Misfits Cabaret has spread to Seattle and Los Angeles.
According to Idol Chatter & Voice Views, Lexi Luca had auditioned for both X Factor
and American Idol before securing a spot on Season 6 of The Voice.
"Being 17 and being able to say that I'm on The Voice is crazy. It's a dream come true."
Luca had hoped to follow in her hometown hero Cassadee
Pope's footsteps, who won the show a few seasons before her. However,
Luca was eliminated during the first battle round before heading back to sunny Florida.
From there, singing seemed to take a backseat to being a teen. Luca went
on to enroll at Florida Atlantic University, and graduated with her
sorority sisters by her side. She's kept out of the spotlight since competing,
posting pool selfies instead of videos of her serious singing skills.
Simply being asked to audition for Season 12 of The Voice was a huge honor for Vanessa
Ferguson. Then when she turned the chairs of three judges at her blind audition,
it was more than she could have dreamed. Ferguson's singing voice took her to
the semi-finals that season, but while the newly engaged lady should have been excited,
she'd been waiting to plan her wedding the entire time, admitting to Greensboro News & Record:
"I was relieved when my time there was over so I could go home."
At long last, it was finally time for Ferguson to marry the man of her dreams. She continued:
"I love travel and seeing the world but I don't like being gone from home
for long periods. My loved ones come first; career is second."
While her wedding was fabulous as she rocked a red gown down the aisle,
singing was not a side thought. With pipes like hers, of course she sang on her special day.
Now that she has tied the knot, Ferguson plans to release new music when she has time.
Jackie Foster was preparing for a career in music when television came along and helped
it take off. When she was a student studying at Berklee College of Music,
she got a call to come audition for The Voice – and was so good that the celebrity judges
fought over her quite a bit. She ended up finishing Season 14 in the semi-finals,
then headed back to her hometown of San Diego to continue singing with her band.
However, within months of returning home, her band disbanded, leaving Foster feeling lost.
So she dug into her newfound confidence from The Voice,
and began to release some solo songs. In 2019, Foster even found herself performing
at Lollapalooza. She gushed about the experience in a chat with the Recording Academy, saying:
"This is something that I have dreamed of doing."
Amber Carrington turned to teaching
The Voice contestant Amber Carrington was Team Adam Levine all the way. He was
all she needed to advance on Season 4 of the show.
Singing was something Carrington had grown up doing alongside both her father and
grandfather. So when she was eliminated from The Voice during the semi-finals,
it was time to reassess what to do next in her life.
Surprisingly, this successful singer ended up picking up substitute teaching.
In addition to that, she also offers herself up as a coach to help others lose weight — between
gigs singing all around Nashville, of course. Finally, Carrington married her best friend
at the end of 2019, and in June 2021 they had a daughter together. Congrats, Amber!
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more List videos about your favorite stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.