What happened to Bryce Leatherwood in “American Idol”?

 

Bryce Leatherwood made an even greater mark on the world in early 2022 by breezing through the competition in the renowned singing series “The Voice”. He went on to engrave his name into the music industry by taking home the trophy as the most capable and talented singer of the season, bringing great pride and joy to his community.

Out of his many fans, however, few are aware that he has also participated in another popular singing show, albeit with much less enviable results. Bryce applied to compete in the 18^th season of “American Idol” in 2020, but failed to even reach the Hollywood round, which comes right after a passed audition.

While the details of that performance remain blurred, it’s evident by his flawless victory in “The Voice” that he definitely had something to offer the world. Still, it’s possible that the two-year gap between “American Idol” and “The Voice” exists because he took the time to further develop his style, up to the point where no one in their right mind could call it sub-par.

Leatherwood created his band in 2021 as well, called simply Bryce Leatherwood Band. They first started playing at local bars and pubs, building themselves up to all the fame that would come following Bryce’s achievement in “The Voice”. His home town residents even went as far as to petition the mayor to book the band after their popularity exploded.

Regardless the setback in “American Idol”, Bryce’s journey in the public eye was far from over, as he had only just become an established name in the industry. His performances had already won the hearts of millions of viewers and his fanbase continued to grow to enviable levels later on. After stepping out of the limelight of the series, the curiosity surrounding the path Bryce Leatherwood took continued to pique the interest of many.

Who really is Bryce Leatherwood?

Bryce Leatherwood was born on 4 February 2000, in Woodstock, Georgia USA, to Hope and Cliff Leatherwood. His early years were filled with all sorts of musical endeavors, as he grew up singing, and playing the ukulele throughout middle school.

To start with, his parents married on 28 March 1998 so have been together for over 25 years, throughout which they’ve only ever been supportive of their son’s hopes and dreams. Cliff Leatherwood is a successful businessman, having been employed as the vice president of sales and marketing for a metal company for a couple of decades, while Hope looks to be a satisfied housewife.

His passion for the performing arts continued to flourish throughout his attendance at Sequoyah High School, in Canton, in his birth state, where he often played and sang at assisted living facilities. He would perform various renditions on the guitar for residents, consistently honing his skills and gaining valuable experience that would later help him build a career.

No better job in the world. #MyKindaLife pic.twitter.com/0QL4A2oTtI

— Bryce Leatherwood (@leatherwood222) March 29, 2023

In addition to his musical aspirations, Leatherwood also pursued higher education upon matriculating in 2018. He subsequently enrolled in Georgia Southern University, where he unexpectedly studied for a degree in business. Fans have theorized that, for one reason or another, Bryce hadn’t fully committed to music back then, which may have led him astray until he would be bathed in fame throughout “The Voice”.

That said, his college years failed to put a muffler on the strings, as he continued to nurture his love for music by frequently singing and playing in bars and clubs. His performances weren’t limited to the university town of Statesboro, Georgia, where he resided, but extended to various venues that offered him an opportunity to showcase his talent, all up until his graduation in 2022.

Just like the majority of the world’s famous musicians, Bryce had been in contact with his true calling almost since leaving the womb, and these formative years most definitely laid the foundation for his future success. Thanks to the previously invested effort, Leatherwood would go on to almost effortlessly make a name for himself on a national platform. He made a grand entrance into the world of music, shortly after securing his college degree.

An unexpected victor

Bryce Leatherwood’s journey in “The Voice” began in 2022 when he entered the twenty-second season of the series. His blind audition featured a performance of Blake Shelton’s rendition of Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time”. This performance impressed three of the four coaches, John Legend, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, after which Bryce chose to join Team Blake.

Throughout the series, Bryce delivered several memorable performances – during the Battles, he performed “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks & Dunn against The Dryes, and was saved by Blake. In the Knockouts, he sang “Colder Weather” by Zac Brown Band against Jay Allen & Kate Kalvach. This part of the competition is always crucial for the majority of those who pass, as the coaches pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together. After every vocal battle, the coach must choose which of their artists will advance to the next round of competition. Each coach has one steal during this stage, allowing them to add a losing artist from another team to their own.

The knockout stage also endangered Bryce’s stay in the series, being one of its most brutal segments. It sees the artists paired against another teammate, but this time they perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait, weighing the pros and cons of each candidate separately. The coaches choose the winner of each knockout round, and the unselected artist is available to be stolen by another coach, with each having only one steal permission throughout the stage.

The play-offs follow the knockouts, with the 20 remaining artists performing again as each coach can only advance two of them to the live semi-finals. The stakes are high as there are no steals available at this stage, and the bar for performance is pushed through the roof.

Bryce performed “I’m Gonna Be Somebody” by Travis Tritt in the first part of this stage, unexpectedly ending up in the bottom two from Team Blake. However, he then sang “Let Me Down Easy” by Billy Currington in the wild card instant save segment, which resulted in him being chosen to stay in the show.

Leatherwood upped his game as the series progressed to the live top 13, performing “Amarillo by Morning” by Terry Stafford for the “Songs that Changed My Life” theme, and was ultimately saved by the public’s vote. During the fan week part of the show in the live top 10, he performed “Sand in My Boots” by Morgan Wallen, and secured a place in the finals.

He sang “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” by Justin Moore in the live top 8, as well as a duet of “Saving All My Love for You” with Morgan Myles, which was a rather interesting rendition of a song originally by Whitney Houston.

In the live finale, which features only the five finalists of the series, Bryce performed “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt for the artistry song, “Don’t Close Your Eyes” by Keith Whitley for the dedication song, and “Hillbilly Bone” with Blake Shelton for his duet with the coach.

These choices resulted in the best possible outcome for the young singer, as he was crowned the winner of the season on 13 December 2022, thus aptly named “The Voice”. While not many expected Leatherwood to take the trophy home, he used the victory to cement his name in the music industry, and obtain a valuable recording contract.

Setting off on his own

Following his unprecedented success in “The Voice”, and regardless of any lack of triumph in “American Idol”, Bryce began to take the world by storm through numerous tours and social media updates, as well as various performance snippets found all over the web. In other words, he began working closely with some of the better-established names in the industry, paving a way for himself at a tempo resembling a veritable local country club star.

Most importantly, Leatherwood was invited to perform at various locations of his coach Blake Shelton’s bar chain, Ole Red. This new employment took him to differing parts of US, including Tishomingo in Oklahoma, Orlando in Florida, and Gatlinburg in Tennessee.

Bryce’s performances at Ole Red were well-received, and he continued to steadily build his fan base from there on out. His soulful voice and charismatic stage presence, which had won him the title on “The Voice”, continued to charm audiences at these venues, especially coupled with the fact that they were listening to someone who won the show.

In addition to his performances at Ole Red, Bryce also made plans to relocate to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue his music career there full time. Known as the home of country music, this bustling metropolis offered Bryce the opportunity to immerse himself in the music scene, and further increase his grasp on nation-wide and global crowds.

Making his mark

Out of the numerous venues Bryce featured in throughout his employment with Blake, a certain few managed to ring out and solidify his popularity, with various clips found all over social media, mostly TikTok and YouTube.

On 25 February 2023 he performed at the Team Blake Doghouse Party in Tishomingo, which started at 6:30 PM with a VIP dinner, followed by the show at 8:30 PM. Bryce was the main act of the night, taking the Doghouse stage to entertain the audience into the late hours.

Bryce was also part of the Official Blake Shelton Concert Pre-Party at Ole Red in Orlando, Florida on 3 March 2023. The event was held the night before Blake Shelton’s concert, and Bryce was there to get the party going. While his earnings from that particular time remain undisclosed, the cover charge at the entrance was $10.

Last but not least, Bryce performed at a pop-up show at Ole Red in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on 23 March 2023, where the doors opened at 8:00 PM, with the long-anticipated show starting at 9:00 PM as part of the Spring Blake Pop-Up Show series.

Business and pleasure

Bryce seems to be fully immersed in building up an online universe of his own, with a dedicated website that serves as a platform to keep his many fans updated – the most important section entitled “Shows” lists Bryce’s upcoming performances, providing details such as the date, venue, and location of the spectacle. As of early June 2023, he is scheduled to perform at the CMA Fest – Maui Jim Reverb Stage in Nashville on 11 June 2023, and at the Barefoot Country Music Fest in Wildwood, NJ on 16 June 2023. Other notable performances include appearances at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee, on 13 July 2023, and the City of Woodstock Summer Concert Series in his home town Woodstock on 25 August 2023.

The “Videos” section features a collection of Bryce’s performances from “The Voice”, which serves to remind the site goers what the star is truly capable of. These include his renditions of “Hillbilly Bone” with Blake Shelton, George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning”, Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E”, and Keith Whitley’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, among others.

The “Podcast Appearances” section lists podcasts where Bryce has been a guest, including “Bryce Leatherwood Winner Of NBC’s The Voice” on Arroe Collins and “Bryce Leatherwood Interview | Winning The Voice Season 22” on Rob Herrera.

Finally, he also has Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter accounts, as well as a YouTube channel and a biography website. The channel sits at less than 5,000 subscribers, with only 10 videos available.

The content on the channel is predominantly music-focused, featuring Bryce’s performances and covers of popular country songs, with some of the videos including his renditions of “I Wish Grandpa’s Never Died”, “Hurricane”, and Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time”. His cover of “Help Me Hold On” by Travis Tritt has garnered the most views on the channel, standing at 35,000 views.

In addition to full-length videos, the channel also features YouTube Shorts, which are brief clips showcasing snippets of Bryce’s performances. These include his renditions of “Simple Man”, Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots”, and a performance from his time in “The Voice”.