Why No One on ‘The Voice’ Ever Makes It Big: Fans Reveal the Truth
Though reality competition shows promising a chance at stardom — and careers as musicians, dancers, magicians, and other entertainment professionals — are taking over our television screens, the winner is not always set up for a life of fame and success, especially when it comes to The Voice.
When fans think about American Idol, it’s pretty easy to come up with a few mega-celebrities who caught their big break on the show — Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, etc. However, fans have realized that, while the Voice may discover the next great vocalist, that vocalist is rarely topping the charts or selling out records a few months, or years, down the line.
While some contestants on The Voice have managed to establish a decent following, their respective fanbases tend to be restricted to those who watch The Voice, as their reach rarely extends beyond the show’s viewership.
Cassadee Pope and Danielle Bradbery have managed to maintain success following their wins; however, to those who don’t follow the show, these names are just that…names. They haven’t made their way into the household like the soon-to-be talk show host Kelly Clarkson. When we talk about making it “big,” we mean big. So, what’s the deal? Why has The Voice failed to produce a mega-star?
Argument 1: the coaches on ‘The Voice’ are the ones receiving the career boosts
Trying to determine why The Voice has failed to produce an A-lister is guesswork at best. However, one trend emerges in discussions concerning this matter. Across Reddit, fans of The Voice discuss why nobody ever makes it, and why the show has failed to produce huge stars with at least a handful of popular songs.
When you browse through the various forums, in an attempt to get to the bottom of this anomaly, a few trends emerge. First off, many fans argue that the show is too focused on making stars out of its hosts, as opposed to its contestants. One fan noted:
That show doesn’t care about making a hit or a big pop star. It’s more about the judges than the contestants.
Reddit User
Other fans agreed with the above sentiment; one viewer stated, “Adam Levine and Blake Shelton’s careers are the biggest things to come out of The Voice.”
Many agree that The Voice is, first and foremost, about entertainment; thus, the need to provide entertainment value — via a relentless focus on the coaches’ dynamics — often supersedes the show’s intended (or supposed) goal, which takes focus away from the contestants. When explaining the show’s lack of star-making ability, one viewer stated:
In my opinion it’s because the show has never been truly about the contestants. It’s about the coaches…
Reddit User
Argument 2: oversaturation
The idea that the coaches’ showmanship takes attention away from the contestants, minimizing their potential for future success and stardom, is a frequently cited explanation. However, one more argument often comes up as well: oversaturation.
Many fans agree that The Voice exists in a market that is over-saturated, and the show can’t separate itself from an age in which it’s too easy for people to discover new talent on their own, via Spotify, YouTube, and various other outlets. When American Idol started, it was not so easy to come upon an up-and-coming artist. Now, it is. One fan stated:
Honestly I think it’s over-saturation… American Idol pushed out one “Idol” a year, and maybe one or two other people from the season would become successful (i.e. Jennifer Hudson). From what I can tell The Voice tries to push basically everyone who goes on the show so audiences are divided.
Plus reality shows have way less sway in the digital age where we can just find new musicians any time, we’re less wont to rely on a tv show to sell us on someone. And in general we’re seeing fewer and fewer “stars.”
Reddit User
Fans argue that, between over-saturation and the show’s false pretense of giving undiscovered artists a chance, it should come as no surprise that the series has failed to produce a huge star.
