Sawyer Fredericks

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Sawyer Fredericks
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Background information
Birth name Sawyer Christopher Fredericks
Born (1999-03-31) March 31, 1999 (age 25)
Newtown, Connecticut
Occupation(s)
  • Singer - songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active 2012–present
Labels Republic Records
Associated acts Noelle Bybee, Koryn Hawthorne, Mia Z, Joshua Davis, Pharrell Williams
Website www.sawyerfredericks.com

Sawyer Christopher Fredericks (born March 31, 1999) is an American singer–songwriter best known for winning the eighth season of The Voice in 2015. Choosing Pharrell Williams as his coach, Fredericks set series iTunes sales records[1] and became the youngest winner in series history alongside Danielle Bradbery (both at the age of 16).[2]

Early life

Fredericks was born to Kirsten L. and Carl F. Fredericks on March 31, 1999 in Newtown, Connecticut, the youngest of three brothers.[3] At age eight, his family moved to an 88-acre farm near Fultonville, New York.[4] He is home-schooled using the Unschooling method.[5]

At age 11, Fredericks received voice training[6] and began performing regionally at farmers markets, open mics, community events, and folk clubs (such as The Bitter End in New York City).[7] He was a finalist in the Young Artist Talent Search in Pawling, New York in 2012.[8]

Career

First recordings

In 2012 Fredericks recorded a demo of six original songs, entitled Breaking Ice.[3] On June 4, 2013, he independently released his first studio album, Out My Window, consisting of 15 original tracks.

2015: The Voice

From February to May 2015, Fredericks competed on the eighth season of The Voice. Talent scouts from the show invited him to participate in pre-show auditions after taking notice of YouTube videos of his singing.[9] On his televised blind audition he sang "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", a traditional folksong he had earlier adapted to perform while busking.[10] Coaches Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and Christina Aguilera turned around their chairs within ten seconds, and Blake Shelton joined them 40 seconds later. Fredericks chose Williams as his coach.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13] He advanced to the Top Eight with Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" (reaching the fourth position on iTunes, edged out by Koryn Hawthorne at third),[14] and to the Top Six with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Simple Man" (reaching the second position on iTunes).[15]

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.[16] “Shine On” rose to the third position on iTunes, the highest rated song on The Voice that week.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19]

For the May 18, 2015 finale show, Fredericks released the single "Please" (an original song written by Ray Lamontagne) and an accompanying music video.[20] 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.[21]

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.[22] 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 nine 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.[1] Throughout the competition Fredericks maintained a strong social media presence, with leading numbers of followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.[23]

Chart of The Voice performances

     Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes

Stage Song Original Artist Date Order Result
Blind Audition "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" Dick Burnett February 23, 2015 N/A All Four Chairs Turned. Joined Team Pharrell
Battle Rounds (Top 48) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" (vs. Noelle Bybee) Creedence Clearwater Revival March 17, 2015 N/A Saved by Coach
Knockout Rounds (Top 32) "Collide" (vs. Mia Z & Paul Pfau) Howie Day March 23, 2015 N/A Saved by Coach
Live Playoffs (Top 20) "Trouble" Ray LaMontagne April 6, 2015 10 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 12 "Imagine" John Lennon April 13, 2015 6 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 10 "Iris" Goo Goo Dolls April 20, 2015 9 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 8 "Simple Man" Lynyrd Skynyrd April 27, 2015 6 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 6 "Shine On" May Erlewine May 4, 2015 6 Saved by Public Vote
"Take Me to the River" Al Green 11
Live Top 5 (Semi-Finals) "For What It's Worth" Buffalo Springfield May 11, 2015 5 Saved by Public Vote
"A Thousand Years" Christina Perri 10
Live Finale "Old Man" Neil Young May 18, 2015 12 Winner
"Summer Breeze" (with Pharrell Williams) Seals and Crofts 3
"Please" Ray LaMontagne 5

2015-2016: A Good Storm and Touring

In May 2015, following his win on The Voice, Fredericks signed a recording contract with Republic Records.[1] He performed on June 6, 2015 as a headliner at FLY92.3 Summer Jam 2015 in Saratoga Springs, New York.[24] 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.[25] 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. Fredericks released his first EP, self-titled "Sawyer Fredericks," on November 28, 2015, which reached #2 on the Billboard Folk chart.[26] Fredericks opened for Good Old War for three shows (in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia) in December, 2015.[27]

Fredericks started 2016 by opening for Langhorne Slim & The Law at four shows on the west coast.[28] In February, his video for the single "Take It All" was released[29] 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.[30] In March, Fredericks was presented with a custom Bourgeois OMSC guitar that was a gift from his fans, known as "Team Sawyer."[31] In May of 2016, Fredericks returned to The Voice to perform his second single "4 Pockets,"[32] after which he embarked on a 14-city west coast headlining tour, including an appearance at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.[33] 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.[26] Reviewer Kira Grunenberg said "The musical aesthetics that take shape over A Good Storm are plentiful, which immediately removes Fredericks from the stable of a one-trick pony."[34] In his review of the single "4 Pockets," Michael Slezak, of TV Line, stated "Who knew the shiny, happy teenager had such a well of dark lyrics, darkly delivered, within him? I dig!”[35]"A Good Storm" saw Fredericks in collaboration with producers Dan Romer, Saul Simon MacWilliams, Mikal Blue, Johan "Izy" Lindbrandt, Jamie Hartman, Jayson Dezuzio, and Pharrell Williams, as well as co-writers Dan Romer, Saul Simon MacWilliams, Dave Bassett, Mikal Blue, Johan "Izy" Lindbrandt, Shari Short, Jamie Hartman, Jayson Dezuzio, Whitney Phillips, Tara Lee, and Foy Vance.[36]

Discography

Extended plays

Title Details Peak chart
positions
US
[37]		 US Rock[38] US Folk[26] CAN
[39]
Sawyer Fredericks 49 3 2 96

Albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Sales
US
[37]		 US
Rock
[38]		 US
Folk
[26]
The Voice: The Complete Season 8 Collection
  • Release date: May 19, 2015
  • Label: Republic Records
 6 8 1
A Good Storm
  • Release date: May 13, 2016
  • Label: Republic Records
 48 5 2

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US
[42]		 US
Rock
[43]		 US
Country
[44]		 CAN
[45]
2015 "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" — — 33 — The Voice: The Complete
Season 8 Collection
"Collide" — 34 — —
"Trouble" 112 12 — —
"Imagine" 98 8 — —
"Iris" 100 10 — —
"Simple Man" 71 6 — 82
"Take Me to the River" — 19 — —
"Shine On" 99 10 — —
"For What It's Worth" 104 10 — —
"A Thousand Years" 94 — — —
"Old Man" 63 6 — 99
"Please" 37 3 — 60
2016 "Take it All" A Good Storm
"Four Pockets"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
2016 "Take It All"[46] Chris Acosta

References

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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by The Voice (U.S.)
Winner
2015 (Spring)		 Succeeded by
Jordan Smith
Awards and achievements
Preceded by The Voice (U.S.)
Winner's song
"Please"
2015 (Spring)		 Succeeded by
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
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