The Voice has crowned Sundance Head its Season 11 winner over initial frontrunner Billy Gilman.
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Sundance, a 37-year-old musician from Houston, TX who currently resides in Porter, TX, was on Blake Shelton's team, marking The Voice coach's fifth win overall since Season 1. Sundance earned the title of "The Voice" as well as a recording contract.
"It's taken my whole life to get here now, and I can absolutely find redemption and prove to everyone that I have what it takes. A lot of things have happened -- good things, bad things -- and I feel those things every time I get on the stage and sing," Sundance said in a video montage that played before The Voice host Carson Daly announced the voting results. "So to win would be something wonderful for me."
Sundance -- who previously competed on American Idol's seventh season but failed to advance beyond the semifinals -- thanked Blake for "being so sweet" to him and such a "genuine person." Blake acknowledged that winning The Voice would "mean everything" to Sundance and his family.
Sundance defeated runner-up Billy Gilman, a 28-year-old former child country star and powerhouse vocalist from Westerly, RI. Billy was the favorite to win Season 11 until Sundance became the one to beat after he delivered epic performances in the semifinal and final rounds. Sundance, always playing his guitar, was known to come up with unique, soulful arrangements of classic songs.
"I never thought I would be here and it's an amazing thing," Billy said before Sundance's victory announcement. "It would be a win for all the underdogs who ever felt rejected, alone. That's the win for me."
When speaking with his coach, Adam Levine, Billy admitted, "It's been a real struggle all these years, and you finally found my voice and gave me my voice back in a way I never thought possible."
Adam said Billy is "the real deal" and "as good as it gets."
We McDonald, a 17-year-old from Paterson, NJ, claimed third place in the competition. Josh Gallagher, a 25-year-old from Johnstown, PA who currently resides in Nashville, TN, finished in fourth place. We represented coach Alicia Keys on Season 11, while Josh was also on Adam's team.
Sundance was crowned the winner based on home viewer votes cast following Monday night's Top 4 final performance show in which each artist was afforded the chance to sing one cover song and a duet with his or her coach, as well as debut an original song either written by or for the contestant that had also been recorded in a studio for release.
Carson revealed Tuesday night that all four finalists' original songs landed in the Top 10 on the iTunes singles chart.
The Voice's finale broadcast also featured entertaining performances from the following big names in the music industry: John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Sting, Cam, The Weeknd, KISS, and original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
