Amaar Zarrieff 
As the singing competition show, “The Voice” concludes its 23rd season and crowns 18-year-old Gina Miles as the winner, it begs the question: Just how far do these winners make it in the music industry? Have any contestants from The Voice become the musical superstars that they aspired to be? Or are singing competition shows just a scam overall, offering false promises to aspiring musicians? Let’s take a deep dive into “The Voice’s” history of making superstars out of its contestants.
Past Contestants and Winners:
Morgan Wallen: Wallen’s career began when he appeared on season 6 of “The Voice,” ultimately being eliminated in the playoffs. All three of his albums have topped the Billboard Hot 100. Known for his country music, Wallen was nominated for Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite Country Album in 2021. Despite controversy for using a racial slur in a video in 2021, Wallen has remained popular in the country music scene, topping the country charts to this day.
Koryn Hawthorne: At the age of just 17, Hawthorne appeared on season 8 of “The Voice”. Throughout season 8, Hawthorne sang mostly gospel or R&B songs ultimately finishing in fourth place. Shortly after the conclusion of the season, Hawthorne signed with a division of Sony Music that focuses on gospel music. In 2018, her debut album, Unstoppable reached No. 1 on Billboard’s gospel charts and was nominated for two Grammy awards. The lead single from her debut album, “Won’t He Do It” made her the first woman to top four gospel charts simultaneously.
Melanie Martinez: Appearing on season 3 of “The Voice,” many of Martinez’s fans have no idea where she originally rose to fame. After finishing in sixth place, Martinez signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut album Cry Baby in 2015, which went on to become a certified double platinum record. Seven singles from Cry Baby were certified gold records, and with her subsequent musical work, Martinez has sold 2.5 million certified albums in the US alone.
Although there are a few other contestants who have found some success in the music industry since their season aired, none of them have reached the level of success that Wallen, Hawthorne, and Martinez have. Contestants are loved by fans in the heat of competition, but when the season is over, the contestants seem to be completely forgotten about. The winners do not even seem to be the most benefited from their time on the show, with the majority of them fading into anonymity (unlike those who ended up losing). Compared to its counterparts like “American Idol” or “X-Factor,” “The Voice” has yet to produce the same level of talent or stardom. “American Idol” produced amazing talents such as Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia Barrino, while “The Voice” contestants are much lesser known.
So is “The Voice” a scam? I would wholeheartedly say yes. Most of the spotlight seems to be on “The Voice” judges which have included big names like Pharrell, Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, John Legend, and Alicia Keys just to name a few. The contestants unfortunately fade into the background compared to a judging panel full of superstars, yet strangely enough the show continues to be a hit. Maybe Miles will be the one contestant to reach that superstar status. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
By Amaar Zarrieff, Freshman, Howard University
Instagram: amaar.fz
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