‘The Voice’: 5 Things to Know About Bryce Leatherwood, Season 22’s Winner
The Voice Season 22 has come to a close with another Blake Shelton victory. At the end of Tuesday, Dec. 13’s finale, Team Blake’s Bryce Leatherwood was named the newest winner of The Voice, thanks to votes from country fans across the U.S. In honor of his title as the reigning champion, here are some things to know about Bryce, including where he started in his music career and how he made history on The Voice.
Where is Bryce Leatherwood from?
Bryce, 22, was born and raised in Georgia. He grew up in Woodstock, but he currently lives in Statesboro. Before one of his performances on The Voice on Dec. 12, he read a sweet letter to his home state and all of his supporters. According to his NBC bio, Bryce “grew up on his granddaddy’s farm where they would ride around together and listen to country music.”
Where did Bryce Leatherwood go to college?
Bryce is finishing up his business degree in his final year at Georgia Southern University. He hopes the degree will help him manage his budding country career. Before The Voice, Bryce paid his bills by performing gigs at his local college bars.
Blake Shelton sees himself in Bryce
Bryce and Blake have a close bond, and that’s probably because the coach sees a lot of himself in Bryce. Blake told People after The Voice finale that he was in a similar position when he was Bryce’s age.
“I guess the thing that I can relate to is it’s still all out in front of him right now, and who knows where this thing is going to go for him?” Blake said. “When I think of myself at that age, I was hoping someday I would just hear myself on the radio. At that time, all my heroes were on the radio, and if I could just hear myself on the radio, mission accomplished. He’s about to enter into a completely different jungle than I experienced, but he’s going to do great.”
Blake added that Bryce is more “well-spoken” than he was at 22.
“Bryce knows what he wants and what he wants to do — he’s already doing it,” he added. “I think 22-year-old Blake was still a little bit of a mess, but everything works out how it should.”
Bryce Leatherwood made history with his win on ‘The Voice’
Bryce’s win on The Voice actually marked a milestone in the show’s history. He was the first Instant Save contestant to go on to win the competition. During the Top 16 results show, Bryce was placed at the bottom and had to perform for an instant audience vote to save him. Earlier in the season, Blake also saved Bryce from elimination.
Now that he’s won, Bryce is ready to make music that will evoke emotion in his listeners.
“What I hope is next is just making music that people love, that makes people wanna dance, that makes people happy, and makes people wanna cry,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
Where to follow Bryce on social media
Fans can check out The Voice winner Bryce Leatherwood on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, where he posts updates on his latest shows. Additionally, Bryce posts videos from his gigs on YouTube. He doesn’t have any of his own music released yet, but that will probably change very soon.
Fans can catch up on The Voice Season 22 on Peacock. Season 23 is set to premiere on March 6, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
