NBC Bryce Leatherwood wins "The Voice" season 22.
Winning NBC’s “The Voice” means signing a record deal and earning a cash prize, but it also places singers in the public eye when they may not have been before. For season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood, that meant receiving hate online while he was a contestant on the show.
Leatherwood recently told Cinema Blend, however, that instead of letting the hate get him down, he lets it fuel him.
“I’ll always tell people just be careful what you read online because it can impact you especially because it can impact you especially because you’re an artist and your confidence can be fragile sometimes,” he told the outlet. “But for me, I personally didn’t mind it. People were like, ‘Bryce, you can’t be reading that stuff,’ and I was like, ‘I like it.'”
He said people would tell him it was unhealthy to read the negative comments.
“I’m like, the bad comments is almost like fuel,” he told Cinema Blend. “It’s like, ‘Oh yeah? Well watch this.’ And I’ve used that as fuel for people saying, ‘Oh he’s not good. He’s got to do better, he’s got to be better.’ I’m like, all right, well, I’m gonna try to work harder to be better.”
Leatherwood Was ‘Lost For Words’ After Winning ‘The Finale’
Leatherwood took to Instagram after winning the competition season.
“I am lost for words…,” he wrote. “this experience has been one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The incredible people I have met along this journey have made this all worth it. To my family, the people of Georgia, and for my fans watching around the world, THIS IS FOR YALL! God is good.”
Before the finale aired, Leatherwood thanked his fans.
“To everyone who has impacted me on this journey, thank you. The Voice has changed my life and I can’t wait to see what happens tonight,” he wrote.
By winning “The Voice,” Leatherwood earned a record deal and a cash prize of $100,000.
Leatherwood Also Thanked Everyone for the Feedback
In the interview with Cinema Blend, Leatherwood thanked everyone for giving him feedback and said he hopes to work on new music soon.
“I’ve always been trying to find the best or the unorthodox way of success and motivation so I love all the feedback I’ve gotten from you online,” he said. “You just got to be able to take it because not everyone’s gonna like you. You just got to be who you are and be confident in who you are and believe in yourself and you can do anything you want in this life.”
The star also told ET Online that winning the show was a “dream come true,” adding that he wants to continue making “emotionally filled music that everyone loves – with a steel guitar and a fiddle in there somewhere.”
“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 the outlet.
“The Voice” returns for season 32 on March 6, 2023 with coaches Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Niall Horan, and Chance the Rapper.