Bryce Leatherwood (born February 4, 2000)[1] is an American country singer. He is the winner of season 22 of the American talent competition The Voice at the age of 22, He has the distinction of being the first winner of the show to be a Wildcard artist during the live playoffs. He competed on the team coached by Blake Shelton, earning Shelton his ninth and final win as a coach on the show.[2]
Early life
Leatherwood was born and raised in Woodstock, Georgia. Leatherwood cited traditional country artists such as George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Conway Twitty as his inspirations when it came to deciding to learn the guitar and pursue music.[3] Leatherwood also stated that he would work on his grandfather's farm during his childhood summers and that his grandfather introduced him to the traditional country artists who inspired Leatherwood's career path.[4][5]
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In 2022, Leatherwood entered the 22nd season of The Voice, auditioning with "Goodbye Time" by Conway Twitty, based on Blake Shelton's 2004 cover of the song. Three of the four coaches, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, and Shelton, turned their chairs for him, with Leatherwood choosing to become a member of Team Blake.[8] Throughout his run on the season, Leatherwood was characterized as a "country today, country tomorrow" artist.[9]
Leatherwood advance to the finale, where he was named as the winner of the season on December 13, 2022, earning a $100,000 prize and a record deal with Universal Music Group.[10] His victory marked Shelton's ninth and final win as a coach on The Voice, as well as the first instance in which the winner of the Wildcard instant save would go on to win the season. His win prompted mixed reactions online.[11][12]
On May 23, 2023, Leatherwood performed "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" on the season 23 finale with other former Team Blake artists to commemorate Blake Shelton's last episode on the show. On December 18, 2023, Leatherwood returned to The Voice during the season 24 finale episode to perform his first major label single, "The Finger".[15]
In February 2024, Leatherwood released a second single, "Neon Does," which he co-wrote alongside songwriters Alex Maxwell and Matt McKinney.[16] In April 2024, Leatherwood embarked on the Neon Does Tour throughout several southern and midwestern states to promote his singles.[5]
In April 2024, Leatherwood released his third single, "The One My Daddy Found," as a tribute to his mother and his parents' 25-year marriage. The music video for "The One My Daddy Found" released in May 2024, in honor of Mother's Day.[17]