‘Voice’ winner Jordan Smith at Foxwoods Friday

MASHANTUCKET >> Great talent can also be a bit of a curse at times.

For Jordan Smith, who won Season 9 of “The Voice” and delivered arguably the most-electrifying moment in that show’s history with his rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love,” the high-pitched voice that amazes listeners often gave him more self-esteem issues than glory. On the phone, many have mistaken him for a woman; internet “geniuses” think he’s transgender.

Looks-wise, he comes off more like a beefy computer technician than a skinny-jeans model, so this is a man working through issues as well as great melodies in his 2016 debut album “Something Beautiful,” which he will showcase at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Fox Theater Friday at 8 p.m.

In a phone interview recently, we point out to the Harlan, Kentucky, native that three of the songs have “beautiful” in the title and another is “I Got To Be Me.” Sounds like an artist talking about self-acceptance.

“It was a process for me. I hand-selected each one of these songs together, and I wanted the album to touch on different parts of my life and my own personal story, and ultimately...if you’re having a terrible, terrible day and you play one of these songs, it could be the one beautiful thing in your day that you need.”

As he says in his one-sheet bio, “It’s extremely important for me to let everyone know it’s OK to be different.”

The album, a mix of new songs and covers that include “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” is “sprinkled with stories and ideas of self-accep--

tance, learning to love yourself, learning to be loved by other people, learning to love other people. There are some songs on there that are kind of heartbreaking and sad, because we all have (those) moments. There are songs on there that are happy and fun and that’s because we have those moments, too.

Smith, 23, married his longtime girlfriend Kristen Denny, who often travels with him, last year.

The man with the nearperfect pitch who became the best-selling artist in “Voice” history (topping Adele on the charts at one point) said he’s seen a lot in the year and a half since he started “The Voice.” Before that he was just a kid who grew up singing a lot with his family, whether harmonizing in the car with his mom or singing in the church choir — although he did sing and travel with his college singing group the Lee Singers, which helped prepare him some.

“My hometown has a population of about 1,700 people,” he said of the contrast to Los Angeles and other venues he’s played. “Everyone kind of knows each other. Since my time on ‘The Voice’...I’ve been kind of all over the world; I’ve been to some of the biggest cities. ... I’ve played in some really huge venues and I’ve played in some really small venues,” he laughs. (This tour has been in more intimate venues, he says, and the Fox Theater is smaller than its 4,000-seat cousin at Foxwoods, the Grand Theater.)

Different people in different places, a plus for music in polarized America.

“I’ve gotten to meet lots and lots of people from all walks of life, and honestly I can say that the thing I’ve learned is that music is the universal language between all of it . ... Every single time I’ve gotten to make a connection with someone, and it’s a really good feeling to be able to do that regardless of where you are.”

“Music has been kind of a solace to me...a comforting thing throughout my life,” he said. “If I’ve been up on a mountain or down in a valley, if I’ve been upset or I’ve been happy, I sing . ... I enjoy music.”

He hopes his music can help people.

CONTRIBUTED Jordan Smith, who won “The Voice” last year.