Sawyer Fredericks won Season 8 of “The Voice” on Tuesday, May 19.
Folk-soul singer Sawyer Fredericks was named season 8 winner of "The Voice" Tuesday.
The victory by the 16-year-old from Fultonville, NY also marked the first "Voice" win for coach Pharrell Williams.
Second place went to powerhouse vocalist Meghan Linsey of Team Blake Shelton and third to Team Adam's rocker Joshua Davis. 17-year-old soul diva Koryn Hawthorne, also of Team Pharrell, was awarded fourth place once America's final votes were tallied.
The youngest ever winner of the hit NBC vocal competition, Fredericks was awarded a recording contract with Republic Records. All four finalists were presented with a new car from Nissan.
During a post announcement press conference Fredericks said he was looking forward to heading home. "I kind of want to get back to the farm, just to get a little break from all this," he said. "I'm excited to get back home."
U.S. & World
One thing he was adamant about was his views on moving away from the farm to begin recording following his "Voice" win. "I do not want to move to L.A." he said emphatically.
"Stick to your guns; don't change for anyone," was the advice Coach Pharrell gave to his newly crowned star. "Here's a guy that possesses this ability to tap into something that we all know is bigger than all of us, and he's humble, and he's proud of being a farmhand, and he's named all his animals, and he's the one who won, and he even won a car!"
Throughout the competition, Fredericks never found himself in the bottom three. He joined Team Pharrell after impressing all the judges with his rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow" from the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?"
For his original single reveal on Monday's finale, the behatted teen from an 88-acre farm in upstate New York chose a piece written by his idol Ray LaMontagne titled "Please." During his time on "The Voice," Fredericks covered material from artists such as Neil Young, John Lennon, Gavin DeGraw and Goo Goo Dolls.
Peppered with special guest live performances by Maroon 5, Luke Bryan, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, John Fogerty, Meghan Trainor and Sheryl Crow, Tuesday's finale tasked the remaining four to "bring back" a fellow contestant or contestants from season 8 to collaborate with.
The season 8 top 20 returned for a performance of "Carry On/Some Nights," while Aguilera rolled out her best impressions of Cher, BrItney Spears, Shakira, Miley Cyrus and Sia. And to honor the late B.B. King, the judges all took to the stage for "The Thrill Has Gone."
"The Voice" will return in the fall.
Catch Fredericks on "Today" on Thursday morning on NBC.
