Sawyer Fredericks’ Road To Winning ‘The Voice’ [Videos And Photos]

From the moment Sawyer Fredericks took the stage for his blind audition on The Voice, he’s been a front-runner for the singing contest, turning all four coaches’ chairs, and three of them in the first 10 seconds. Sawyer prompted one of the more heated coaches’ battles on this or any season of the show, with even Christina Aguilera — known for loving powerhouse pop and R&B singers — declared “We have to be friends. We have to be buddies. We have to be roommates.” Since then, Sawyer Fredericks has solidified his position as the heavy favorite on The Voice going into the finals this week. Here’s a look back at the road so far to what may be the first Americana singer crowned winner of The Voice.

“Man of Constant Sorrow”

Sawyer’s blind audition of “Man of Constant Sorrow” set the stage for America to discover a 15-year-old kid from upstate New York with the voice of an old soul. Almost immediately after his performance started, Voice coaches Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and Christina Aguilera turned their chairs to express their desire to add Sawyer to their team. Country star Blake Shelton held out a little longer, but the fight was long and heated to win over Fredericks to each coaches’ team. Not only did Aguilera promise roommate status, Adam Levine took things a whole step farther when pitching Team Adam.

“I promise you you aren’t going anywhere until you’re the last person standing in the competition. When you’re making your decision, act with your heart, go with your passion and go with the person that wants to propel you all the way to the finish line. I’m done.”

Shelton called out his bromance buddy on making such an unrealistic promise, but it was all for naught. Pharrell gave a heartfelt pitch to young Sawyer that turned out to be rather prophetic.

“As soon as you started singing, it actually took me to another time. This is your destiny, and it’s honestly about you and what you want to do. I would love to have you on my team, but I’m so proud to be a part of this show, because even if you don’t end up on my team, I get to watch this amazing thing happen.”

And with that, Sawyer Fredericks picked Pharrell to be his coach, causing him to literally do a happy dance, no pun intended. Sawyer remains the only finalist who has stayed with his original coach throughout the competition this season on The Voice. That means he has gone through all of The Voice battle rounds and live eliminations unscathed. (Knock on wood.)

Little did everyone know how on-the-mark Pharrell was with his comments about watching “this amazing thing” happening, as Sawyer Fredericks has become a household name and may prove to be the most successful artist to emerge from The Voice in the show’s history, regardless of this week’s outcome. Despite working in the genre of Americana — an umbrella term for folk, blues, country and traditional American roots music — Sawyer has developed a very large fan base across a wide range of demographics. Yes, there is an element of tweens and teenage girls swooning over his long blonde locks and sweet demeanor, but unlike the Biebers and Mileys of the world, his music appeals to their parents as well.

Speaking of that sweet, farm boy demeanor, let’s hope all this attention and success from The Voice doesn’t spoil him, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and, so far, seems to be handling overnight fame fairly well. (Knock on wood again.) There are too many performances from this season to profile them all, but here are some of Sawyer Fredericks’ standout performances on The Voice.

“Iris”

While in rehearsals for the song, Sawyer commented on how he related to it, even though he admitted he had never been in love. This shouldn’t be too surprising given how introverted and quiet Sawyer is, although he himself admits he has come out of his shell to some degree during The Voice. When he sings “And I don’t want the world to see me, ’cause I don’t think that they’d understand,” you know he can relate to it, but the world has definitely seen him now. And judging by the results so far, they seem to understand, as well.

“Simple Man”

Hands down the best song choice on The Voice this season for Sawyer Fredericks. The bittersweet edge of this Lynyrd Skynyrd classic harkened back to his bluesy audition with its tone. It’s interesting to note that Sawyer’s performances seem to shine brightest on songs that have a touch of sadness, since there seems to be none in the singer himself. Or none fans can see, anyway.

“Shine On”

Sawyer’s touching tribute to his mother, performing one of her favorite songs, made for a great moment on The Voice. But what may be even more amazing is that it brought attention to an independent artist’s music, which is something not often seen on The Voice or any singing competition. Folk singer May Erlewine got a huge boost from having Sawyer sing her song, and here’s a piece of trivia that may blow your mind — Erlewine is friends with fellow Voice finalist Joshua Davis. How’s that for a “small world” moment?

While some believe all the love being showered on Sawyer Fredericks may end up being a jinx as far as him winning The Voice, with the talent, originality, and the fan base he’s already developed, regardless of the outcome, this is one contestant from The Voice who is bound to go far in the music industry. And the music industry definitely needs someone as talented and genuine as Sawyer Fredericks. May he always stay that way.

[Photos by Trae Patton/NBC]