Cassidy Daniels has one major regret from her last performance on The Road. On the Dec. 21 finale of the CBS competition series, Daniels came in third place, behind runner-up Channing Wilson and winner Adam Sanders.
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In an interview with American Songwriter, Daniels said that she believes that result, which was decided by the audience at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, came down to one thing: her song choice.
During the episode, Daniels opted to cover Heart’s “Crazy on You” and perform her original track “Crazy Love,” both of which lean more rock than country.
After Keith Urban announced Daniels as the third-place finisher, she lamented, “I should’ve done what I knew to do, not do two rock songs at the Ryman.”
In retrospect, it’s a sentiment with which Daniels still agrees.
“I still feel that way, but I think it’s pretty on brand for me,” she told American Songwriter. “… If I sang a Heart song at my very first time playing the Ryman stage, to me, if I saw another female artist do that, I’d be like, ‘Bad ass. That’s cool.’ Looking back now I’m like, whatever. It was what it was.”
What’s Next for Cassidy Daniels
Though she didn’t get the win, Daniels is choosing to remember her experience on The Road as a good one.
“At the very end of the day, it was my very first time playing on the Ryman stage,” she said. “That’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl. No matter what songs I did, I did it. I played the Ryman. The bucket list was checked off for me.”
Playing the Ryman wasn’t the only experience Daniels gained on The Road. Throughout the show, she got the chance to open up for Urban at shows across the country. She did so while being mentored by tour manager Gretchen Wilson and executive producer Blake Shelton.
“Being able to converse regularly and hang out with the people of that caliber is something that’s worth its weight in gold to a new artist find me,” Daniels said, before opening up about the impact of the show in general.
“I truly think, for me, this show has truly been nothing but blessings. The show itself was amazing. You couldn’t have asked for a better first TV experience for me,” she said. “… Seeing how everything really ended up, looking back now, it’s truly as if God put me in that situation to prepare me for what’s to come.”
Daniels isn’t slowing down after her time on The Road. The singer promised that she has new music on the way in 2026, and teased that fans will “be seeing my big old head up on the TV a little bit more next year, too.”
“The next couple of months are going to be crazy for me,” she said, “but thank God I had The Road to really prepare me for what crazy meant.”
Photo by Connie Chornuk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
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