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‘The Voice’ May Never Produce A Star, But Don’t Ask Pharrell Williams About It

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 01:37 PST, Feb 12, 2015

Popular singing competition The Voice makes for good TV. However, the NBC series is on the threshold of its eighth season, and it has yet to produce a megastar.

Is it true that the singing careers of former Voice contestants have improved to varying degrees thanks to being on the show? In a number of cases, yes.

Season 7 winner Josh Kaufman was able to perform on Broadway, and Season 8 winner Craig Wayne Boyd was featured at the Grand Ole Opry.

Others have been able to make lucrative appearances and have seen their social media followers balloon significantly. Yet, the one thing holding back The Voice is that it is a show about everyone else except the hopeful singers who take the stage.

Every season of The Voice centers around promoting the new music of at least one judge. The Voice is all about product placements as well; Kohl’s wasn’t shy about getting all the attention it could out of dressing the singers for the show.

Even Apple’s iTunes shines.

But when it comes to harnessing a true “voice,” a new mega-star and undisputed talent, The Voice, after four years and eight seasons, is in grave danger of becoming an absolute dud. If it isn’t already.

Compare the fortunes of The Voice to the American version of The X Factor. It was only three seasons and not nearly as successful as its British counterpart, but it saw the career launch of popular girl group Fifth Harmony.

Their debut album, Reflections, peaked at No. 5 on the U.S. charts, and thanks to popular singles like “Boss” and “Sledgehammer.”

They are a pretty known and popular group, all thanks to their exposure on a short-lived spin-off of the UK’s X-Factor.

Even though American Idol has found itself in a serious downward spiral, it can boast producing popular singers such as Kelly Clarkson, Carry Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Jordan Sparks, among others.

So then… when will The Voice take time from promoting the best interests of its already famous judges, guest mentors, and guest performers?

Well, if there’s one person who doesn’t want to be tasked with answering that question, its recent addition Pharrell Williams. During a recent press conference for The Voice, Pharrell was asked why the show had yet to produce a pop star?

He wasn’t too “happy” with being made to answer for the series.

“I don’t understand why we have these interviews and people ask that same question every time. That’s not why we’re here to do this interview. We’re here to do this interview because… we want to explain to you what this is and what it means to us.

It’s a gift.

The show is not about someone signing a record deal and getting signed. The show is about a bunch of people who really care about people that they encounter and make sure that they’re changed when they walk off.”

Williams came to The Voice during Season 7, and though things didn’t go quite as planned, he’s determined to hang around and improve his team’s fortunes this time around.

Are you going to watch The Voice this season? Do you think the series has given up on trying to make a star and is simply about “the experience”?

[Image Credit: The Voice YouTube]

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