Sawyer Fredericks

Sawyer Christopher Fredericks (born March 31, 1999) is an American blues singer–songwriter who won the 8th season of The Voice in 2015. Choosing Pharrell Williams as his coach, Fredericks set series iTunes sales records and became the youngest male winner in the history of the competition at age 16. Fredericks released an EP, Sawyer Fredericks, on November 28, 2015; the EP reached #2 on the Billboard Folk chart. In May 2016, he released the LP A Good Storm, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Folk chart. Fredericks completed a 49-show US tour to support A Good Storm. He released another LP, Hide Your Ghost, on March 30, 2018. Another LP, Flowers for You, followed on May 1, 2020. Fredericks was born to Kirsten L. and Carl F. Fredericks on March 31, 1999, in Newtown, Connecticut, the youngest of three brothers. At age eight, his family moved to an 88-acre farm near Fultonville, New York. He was home-schooled using the Unschooling method. At age 11, Fredericks received voice training and began performing regionally at farmers markets, open mics, community events, and folk clubs (such as The Bitter End in New York City). He was a finalist in the Young Artist Talent Search in Pawling, New York in 2012. In 2012, Fredericks recorded a demo of six original songs, entitled Breaking Ice. On June 4, 2013, he independently released his first studio album, Out My Window, consisting of 15 original tracks. From February to May 2015, Fredericks competed on the 8th season of The Voice. Talent scouts from the show invited him to participate in pre-show auditions after noticing YouTube videos of his singing. On his televised blind audition he sang "Man of Constant Sorrow", a traditional folksong he had earlier adapted to perform while busking. Coaches Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and Christina Aguilera turned their chairs around within ten seconds, and Blake Shelton joined them 40 seconds later. Fredericks chose Williams as his coach. In his Battle round, Fredericks teamed up with Noelle Bybee to sing Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" and was chosen by Williams to advance. In his Knockout round, Fredericks sang in a three-way match with Mia Z. and Paul Pfau, after Anthony Riley withdrew from the competition. Fredericks' performance of Howie Day's "Collide" earned him (along with Mia Z.) an advance into the Top 20. In the Playoff rounds, Fredericks advanced to the Top 12 covering Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble", and to the Top 10 with John Lennon's "Imagine". Falsetto notes in the latter presented a challenge to Fredericks, whose voice was changing. He received the first iTunes Singles Chart top 10 multiplier bonus of the competition with "Imagine", reaching the second position by the close of the voting window. He advanced to the Top Eight with Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" (reaching the fourth position on iTunes, edged out by Koryn Hawthorne at third), and to the Top Six with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" (reaching the second position on iTunes). In the Top Six, Fredericks performed Al Green's "Take Me to the River" (reaching the tenth position on iTunes), featuring an energetic teen dance troupe surrounding the more reserved singer. For his Mother's Day dedication song, Fredericks was allowed (in a rare move by The Voice) to choose a song which hadn't been released by a major label, May Erlewine's "Shine On". In a further twist, Erlewine revealed that while giving permission for use of the song, she was nevertheless a strong backer of The Voice competitor Joshua Davis. "Shine On" rose to the third position on iTunes, the highest rated song on The Voice that week. The day after the Top Six results show, he returned to New York for a homecoming visit, participating in a parade and performance of three songs before over 4,000 people at Fonda Speedway (Fultonville, New York), and an evening concert at the Palace Theatre. In the Top Five, Fredericks' covers of Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" and Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" both garnered him the highest ratings of the week, reaching the second and third positions on iTunes, respectively. For the May 18, 2015, finale show, Fredericks released the single "Please" (an original song written by Ray LaMontagne) and an accompanying music video. For his duet selection, Fredericks and Williams performed the Seals and Crofts tune "Summer Breeze". The show ended with Fredericks' cover of Neil Young's "Old Man". By noon the next day, "Summer Breeze" had reached the nineteenth position on iTunes, "Old Man" the third, and "Please" the second. On the May 19, 2015, results show, Fredericks shared the stage with John Fogerty in a medley of Creedence Clearwater Revival hits — "Born on the Bayou", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?". Apparent audio problems affected the broadcast. Fredericks was declared the winner at the end of the show, with Meghan Linsey second, Joshua Davis third, and Koryn Hawthorne fourth. Winning contestants receive $100,000 and a recording contract with Republic Records. According to Republic, Fredericks broke many series sales records for The Voice, with ten singles reaching the iTunes top 10, and 14 singles charting in the Top 200 during the final week. A total of nearly one million digital singles were sold in the course of the show. Throughout the competition Fredericks maintained a strong social media presence, with leading numbers of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. At age 16, Fredericks became the youngest person to win The Voice; previously, the youngest winner had been Danielle Bradbery in Season 4. His record would later be surpassed by Brynn Cartelli, who won Season 14 at age 15. Later in 2020, Carter Rubin who won Season 19 at age of 15.   Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes In May 2015, following his win on The Voice, Fredericks signed a recording contract with Republic Records. He performed on June 6, 2015, as a headliner at FLY92.3 Summer Jam 2015 in Saratoga Springs, New York. During the summer of 2015, Fredericks performed at the New York State Fair, Festival for the Lake, and opened for Trace Adkins at the Fonda Fair; he also performed with former The Voice contestant Mia Zanotti at the Mercury Lounge in New York City on September 20, 2015, and with Meghan Lindsey at the City Winery in Nashville on October 12, 2015. On October 23, 2015, the album "Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Musical Companion to the Novel by Mitch Albom" was released and included the song "Forever Wrong (Frankie & Aurora's Love Theme)", co-written and recorded by Fredericks. He opened for A Great Big World at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, on November 6, 2015. Fredericks released his first EP, self-titled "Sawyer Fredericks," on November 28, 2015, which reached #2 on the Billboard Folk chart. He then opened for Good Old War for three shows (in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia) in December, 2015. Fredericks started 2016 by opening for Langhorne Slim & The Law at four shows on the US West Coast. In February, his video for the single "Take It All" was released and he debuted his newly formed band at the Towne Crier in Beacon, New York. Band members include Chris Morrison on guitar, Arthur Lee Fredericks on bass, and Bob Henderson on drums. On March 11, 2016, Fredericks performed at the legendary Levon Helm Studios ("The Barn") in Woodstock, NY. Later in March, Fredericks was presented with a custom Bourgeois OMSC guitar that was a gift from his fans, known as "Team Sawyer." In May 2016, Fredericks returned to The Voice to perform his second single "4 Pockets," after which he embarked on a 14-city west coast headlining tour. On May 13, 2016, his LP "A Good Storm" was released (Republic Records), debuting at #2 on the Billboard Folk chart and selling 11,000 copies in the US in its first week. Reviewer Kira Grunenberg said "The musical aesthetics that take shape over A Good Storm are plentiful, which immediately