Cam Anthony brought a different soul to The Voice. The Season 20 winner burst onto the show and impressed the judges immediately with his soulful rendition of the 2014 Sam Smith hit “Lay Me Down.” Throughout the competition, Anthony delivered more knockout performances with Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber‘s “10,000 Hours” during the Battle Rounds and Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” during the Live Playoffs.
After being blocked from working with John Legend during the Blind Auditions, Anthony chose Blake Shelton as his coach and kicked off the second part of The Knockouts with Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” which he worked on with Mega Mentor Snoop Dogg. “One thing about soul,” said Dogg on Anthony’s take on Simone, “you don’t hear it, you feel it.”
After his performance, Anthony received a standing ovation from three judges. “It was flawless and creative and kind of bizarre,” said Nick Jonas. “It’s kind of like you tapped into something otherworldly.” John Legend, who also sang the Simone song at the 2021 inauguration, admitted that there were things vocally in Anthony’s performance that made him jealous.
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“Cam is just a star,” said Shelton at the time. “I want to keep pushing him as a singer and performer because I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface yet.”
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During the Finale, Anthony secured his win with performances of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” during the live semi-finals, along with Bon Jovi‘s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” a duet with Shelton of Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy,” and a triumphant rendition of Cynthia Erivo’s “Stand Up” during the finale.
‘The Voice’ Cam Anthony: Singing for the U.S. President
Born August 19, 2001, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Anthony was raised singing in a church choir and appearing in commercials for Folgers Coffee as a child. By age 11, Anthony became a YouTube star in 2013 with covers of Lorde‘s hit “Royals” and Bruno Mars‘ “When I Was Your Man” going viral. A year later, Anthony was chosen to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” for then-president Barack Obama at the White House Easter Egg Roll and appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Before appearing on The Voice, Anthony was contacted by producers L.A. Reid and Dr. Dre and was later signed to Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment, where he performed more covers and songs for kids-bent YouTube channels, but never recorded an album.
In 2016, Anthony released his debut single “How Can I Forgive Ya” and later parted ways with Aftermath Entertainment in 2019 to pursue his solo career.
Life After ‘The Voice’
After winning The Voice, Anthony made another appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021 and returned to The Voice later that year to help advise contestants auditioning. In May 2023, Anthony returned to The Voice again to perform during the season finale tribute to Shelton, who was retiring.
In 2022, Anthony released the single “Keep It Between Us” but has not released a debut album.
Anthony has also been asked to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” at several sports events throughout the years, including a March 2024 Lakers Game.
Photo: Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Republic Records
