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This week, Cam Anthony is vying for the title of “The Voice” season champion, and in the eyes of coach Blake Shelton, he has the potential to do that and much more.
After singing Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” on “The Voice”, Shelton said of Anthony, “I’ve never had more people ask me about an artist on my team in 20 seasons of doing this show, man. You could be the first superstar that we launch off this show.”
But there’s a lot that fans may not know. Read on to learn more about the 19-year-old singer.
He Left His Label Shortly Before Auditioning for ‘The Voice’
Anthony grew up in North Philly and began his singing career at age six as part of a gospel choir at his grandfather’s church, according to WHYY.
NBC reports that the musician has already made huge strides in the industry despite the fact that he’s still a teenager. When he was 11, Anthony uploaded a rendition of him singing a Bruno Mars song to YouTube and it went rival.
He was subsequently invited to open for Pati LaBelle and sing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Then, that same year, Anthony received another impressive offer– to sing at the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll.
At 12, he was signed by Dr. Dre, according to NBC, though his contract recently ended.
In an interview with The Buzz, Anthony explained that last year, not long after parting ways with his label, he got an email asking if he’d be interested in auditioning for “The Voice.”
“It made sense for me at that moment,” Anthony said. “It was time for me to move on from my label, I just didn’t know how. And this was the best opportunity for me to do so.”
In the interview, Anthony admitted that he intended on going to John Legend’s team before he was blocked. “Once I noticed that Nick had blocked [John]… I was like, ‘It’s time for me to figure something out.'”
Anthony said he went with his gut at that moment.
‘This Guy’s a Superstar’
Shelton’s claim that Cam Anthony could be The Voice’s first “superstar” has made headlines a number of times over the past few weeks.
When Anthony spoke to People about Shelton’s statement, he shared, “I can definitely say it gives me a newfound sense of confidence… Hearing someone like him speaking that highly of me definitely means a lot. It’s also validation that I’m doing the right thing, and I’m heading in the right direction and that being myself is okay and it works.”
He added, “I think initially I didn’t understand who I was fully as an artist. Now I do have an understanding, and I was able to figure that out and experiment with that on The Voice. Going into this next contract, possibly, that would be the main difference: I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want.”
This week, Anthony will be fighting to become the winner of “The Voice”. The show will air Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time and Pacific time.