Kirk Jay may have the lost the battle of The Voice. But, he could win the war and become the first contest on The Voice to become an actual star.
The show, The Voice has been around for 15 seasons and they have yet to produce a real bonafide star. There are several reasons for this. None of the judges have in depth industry experience in A&R or music production. The show focuses much more on the judges and their personalities then the contestants (thus making the judges even bigger stars). And, the contestants aren’t heroes because the show has no villain. There is no Simon Cowell against whom the vocalist can triumph.
With all of this in mind, Kirk Jay could become their first major success story. He could as Phil from Hercules would say, “Go the distance.”
Five reasons why the country music scene/machine wants Kirk to succeed (and why he probably will)
First, country music has been trying to adopt more qualities of pop and hip hop and in general redefine itself. Artists like Bebe Rexha, Luke Bryan and Chris Lane are all great examples of this adoption of hip hop. But, they haven’t been able to successfully incorporate R&B Elements. Kirk Jay could be there opportunity to inject qualities from this genre into country. He could also help to bolster crossover songs like “Meant to Be” to have more authenticity.
Second, country radios are becoming more politically correct. In a recent episode of Broken Record, Bobby Braddock explains that he had to change the lyrics to one of his songs from mentioning how he loves “Jesus and his country too” to “his whiskey and Jesus too”. What better way to seem politically correct than letting a black country singer be featured on your radio channel. Country fans could use it as a form of moral licensing. If someone asks them if they’re racist they could respond by saying that they like Kirk Jay’s music.
Third, they could garner a new fan base for the genre. Throughout this season of The Voice, Jennifer Hudson has said that Kirk Jay has made her a fan of country music. She’s probably not alone. There are at least hundreds of thousands of black individuals who have probably never thought to listen to country. Kirk Jay could be the gateway to the genre for urban America just as Taylor Swift was the gateway to country for teenage girl America.
Fourth, country stars have recently been criticized for being disconnected from their community. Many country stars live in LA, have never worked on a ranch and come from upper middle class households. Kirk Jay comes from absolute poverty in the heart of Alabama. How much more American could his success be. He’s the epitome of what people expect from their country music. They want the sincerity of someone who comes from despair and blue collar poverty to inspire them.
Fifth, he’s got a great voice. His tone is sweet as red velvet cake with a phenomenal range. And honestly he sounds like Leon Bridges and Sam Smith decided to have a baby and that baby loved country music. So, good luck Kirk!
Enjoy!
Check out a clip of Kirk Jay from The Voice if you haven’t seen him yet!
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