Jordan Smith

Jordan Smith, the Kentucky singer-songwriter, captured victory during the ninth installment of The Voice before scaling the charts with his inaugural 2016 outing Something Beautiful. That project spotlighted his commanding voice across a collection built largely around interpretations of longstanding classics. By the time his 2018 successor Only Love arrived, he had fully established his voice, enlisting pop producers to shape a slate of buoyant original material.

Born in Harlan, Kentucky, Smith refined his craft while serving as soloist, section leader, and ultimately vice president within the Lee University Singers, where he performed for both President Barack Obama and the Vatican. His expansive range shone on standout renditions of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and Beyoncé’s “Halo.” A version of Selah’s “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” carried him to the summit of the Christian charts near the close of 2015.

During his Voice audition he delivered Sia’s “Chandelier,” drawing standing ovations from the full judging panel. Although Gwen Stefani offered an embrace, he ultimately aligned with Adam Levine’s team. In the finale he surpassed Blake Shelton’s Emily Ann Roberts to secure first place, prompting the year-end 2015 release of a compilation drawn from his performances on the program. His debut full-length Something Beautiful followed in spring 2016 and reached the second slot on the Billboard 200. That autumn he returned to the chart with the holiday collection ’Tis the Season, which landed at number eleven.

After co-writing “Ashes,” Céline Dion’s contribution to Deadpool 2, he entered the studio to track his second album, Only Love, issued via Republic Records. Joining forces with RedOne (Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj) on a series of original songs he helped compose, Smith also brought in Andy Grammer for “When It’s Real” and John Legend for “End in Love.”