It was a good run for Bridgewater native Conor James on “The Voice.” The singer, songwriter and producer managed to get a four-chair turn, win battle rounds, be super saved by coach Adam Levine and make it all the way to the semi-finals.
But on May 13, America decided James’ journey had come to an end. James was not chosen as a final five finalist, meaning he will not compete in the finale, which will air on Tuesday, May 20. The five finalists are: Renzo, from Team Legend, Lucia Flores-Wiseman from Team Adam, Jadyn Cree from Team Buble, Jaelen Johnston from Team Ballerini and Adam David from Team Buble.
“The Voice” may be over for James, but he’s just getting started. After his elimination, James posted a video on Instagram holding a sparkler, captioned, “What’s next is SO MUCH.” In the video, the words new music, singles, music videos, Boston, New York were shown. James even changed his Instagram biography to “TOP 12 @nbcthevoice.”
With more exciting news to be released, The Enterprise had a chance to sit down with James. He shared his experience on “The Voice,” life in Bridgewater and teases about what’s next.
His time on ‘The Voice’
The 28-year-old sang “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan during one of his performances on The Voice.
“After the ‘Pink Pony Club,’ I knew that I gave it everything I had, so I felt good about what I left. I had my peace that it might be over, but I had a feeling it wasn’t, so when I got the call, I was somewhat surprised, but I knew we were on the right page,” said James.
James’ final song “Chasing Pavements” by Adele on Monday, May 12 shared his vulnerability and love for storytelling with the audience.
“Having the chance to sing ‘Chasing Pavements’ was kind of like a return to form and you know I wanted to strip it down and do less and not wear something so colorful and sing the song,” said James.
It was this performance that would be the end of James’ run on The Voice, as America did not vote him into the finals.
A role model for the queer community
Throughout the show the coaches wanted more out of James and he delivered with his performance of “Pink Pony Club.” The song is seen as the national LGBTQIA anthem, telling the story of Artist Chappell Roan moving to Los Angeles, feeling more accepted and chasing her dream of becoming a musician.
James had this same experience when he moved out to LA in 2020.
“Moving to LA was scary because I didn’t have any support system, I didn’t have any friends here and I didn’t have a job lined up. When I got here, it was lonely, but it was also the perfect time to kind of start fresh and so I leaned into it and made a bunch of new friends as soon as we were able to go to bars or music events,” said James.
Since the show, James has had people come up to him on the street asking for photos, but what’s meant the most to James is being a role model for the queer community. James expressed the love he got after his performance of “Pink Pony Club” was released.
“People alluding to them being inspired to be themselves, I didn’t really expect to be that. I didn’t really conceptualize that, so to be that person for somebody is incredible because when I was growing up there wasn’t a whole lot of queer people in the spotlight,” he said. “Well, there were but it would always be in a movie like the gay hairdresser, just stereotypes or deluded identities. So to be able to give more nuance on the queer experience for national television I think is the thing I will take away the most.”
James grew up in Bridgewater
James said he had a great time growing up in Bridgewater, attending Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.
“When I leaned into music and the arts, that’s when I first felt like I could be myself and make music,” said James.
From there, he did open mics at Rick’s Music World in Raynham, graduated high school in 2014 and moved to New York to pursue his dreams of becoming an artist.
New music coming soon
James plans to release new music every six weeks and is also working on a new album. He also plans to play a show in Boston.
James would also like to collaborate with other popular artists in the future, such as Lady Gaga.
Where to find Conor James?
James has a YouTube account, where he posts vlogs, making music and more. You can also follow James on Spotify and buy music from him on Bandcamp. He posts regularly on Instagram and TikTok, too.
What is ‘The Voice’
“The Voice” is a singing reality competition where celebrity coaches search to find the best singers. Those singers then compete against other singers on the show. After the show moves to live performances, voters then decide who the winner is. The finale shows of “The Voice” will be held Monday and Tuesday, May 19 and 20.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Bridgewater’s Conor James eliminated from The Voice, making new music