Life after ‘The Voice’
CT NATIVE SAWYER FREDERICKS TALKS ABOUT PERSONAL PROJECTS
Is there life after “The Voice”? It’s a dilemma of sorts that Newtown native Sawyer Fredericks has been living with since he was 16. The singer-songwriter, who is now 22, won the high-profile NBC television competition in 2015, exhibiting a deep, powerful vocal delivery that more than belied his youthful persona. After the win, Fredericks made his major label debut with “A Good Storm,” then issued a top-10 Americana album in 2018, “Hide Your Ghost,” that he fully wrote and produced. His latest, “Flowers for You,” came out in 2020.
The musician, who was born in Newtown and lived in Roxbury before moving to upstate New York, is performing this month in Westport with his band. He is doublebilled on Oct. 24 with The Accidentals at Voices Café in Westport at the Unitarian Church of Westport. The show will have a live audience and is also being streamed.
Fredericks admitted in a recent interview that he sometimes gets tired being asked to talk about his experience on “The Voice,” although that’s often based on how the subject is approached.
“It depends on what the conversation is about,” said Fredericks,. “If it’s about my experience, I’m cool with that. But when it’s more about, ‘What was it like meeting the coaches or meeting this person?’ or ‘Tell me about these people,’ I’m not.”
So, what was his experience like on “The Voice”?
“I think it helped a lot,” he said. “Honestly, I always explain that it was like a really good boot camp for learning so many things about the music industry. One of the things that I really liked about ‘The Voice’ was getting to be around all these other musicians and hearing different types of styles. That definitely developed me as an artist. Over time, I was figuring out that not only am I progressing, I’m getting better and better at guitar playing and working with other artists and hearing different sounds. I’m honing what I know I like and don’t like. I think my music has progressed after all these experiences I’ve been through.”
Although it’s been over six years since he won the competition, Frederick‘s television notoriety continues to follow him around.
“I still get recognized quite a bit, actually, especially if I’m walking around with my hair down,” he said. “I got into the habit of keeping my hair up, when I’m in a public space. And wearing a mask during COVID definitely helped through last year as well.”
The pandemic didn’t hinder Sawyer’s creative output, though, and his new album “Flowers for You” continues a musical maturity he’s been seeing since his days on the show.
“I’m very proud of the new album for two reasons,” he said. “One is that I feel like it’s very personal to me. All the stories on it are from personal experiences or personal feelings. But I also am very happy that it is showcasing my band members a lot. I feel like with my previous album, I was critiquing everything and wanted things a certain way. This one, I really let the band shine with their artistry, and they bring
something of their own to the table.”
Fredericks’ bandmates also have local connections. Guitarist Jerome Goosman is from Wilton, drummer Chris Thomas is from New Milford, and bass player Gannon Ferrell is from Oxford and now lives in Queens, N.Y. All three are music majors who attended Western Connecticut State University in Danbury.
Fredericks remains no stranger to the Nutmeg State, either.
“I go there very often, because we do rehearsals with my band in Connecticut,” he said. “It’s easier for me to go there and have rehearsals than making them all come up to New York.”
The singer also uses the time in the state to check in with family members who live in the area. “I have a lot of relatives down there, like my whole Fredericks side, my dad’s side of the family lives down there. So, I get to visit them whenever I’m there.”
When he reflects on his television appearances in front of millions of viewers, he doesn’t really see a difference to how he performs today, or what he’ll bring to the stage in Westport.
“I wasn’t too worried about the people listening or that I had a huge audience in front of me,” he said. “I’ve always been trying to perform the songs as best as I can. I’m still doing it, and that’s what I’m going to do again.”
“ALL THE STORIES ON IT ARE FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OR PERSONAL FEELINGS. BUT I ALSO AM VERY HAPPY THAT IT IS SHOWCASING MY BAND MEMBERS A LOT.”