NBC’s ‘The Voice’ season 8: Pharrell Williams not interested in ‘lack of stars’ critique

Does it really matter that “The Voice” has yet to produce a Kelly Clarkson? We used to think so. To date, Cassadee Pope probably remains the most-successful person to come out of the show, and she was at least moderately well-known by some in the rock community before the show premiered thanks to Hey Monday. Aside from her and Danielle Bradbery, most other winners have largely disappeared. At least Josh Kaufman has been performing on Broadway.

The reason that we’ve changed our mind slightly on this is that “American Idol” has really only had one star-of-sorts be born in the modern “Voice” era, and that is Phillip Phillips. Given that he is currently suing 19 Entertainment, we’re not even sure that this is a win. The music market is different now than it was ten years ago, since labels can now look for talent on YouTube and there are so many other platforms and people who want to be stars. They don’t need to look at a televised singing competition anymore. “The Voice” is a TV show first and foremost, and one that does well in the ratings.

As a matter of fact, one of the judges in Pharrell Williams seems to be annoyed when you even bring up the lack of success from past winners on the show. Per TV Guide, he believes that this show is more training for the future, regardless of whether that is with a major label or not:

“I don’t understand why we have these interviews, and people ask that same question every time … That’s not why we’re here to do this interview. We’re here to do this interview because… we want to explain to you what this is and what it means to us. It’s a gift … The show is not about someone signing a record deal and getting signed. The show is about a bunch of people who really care about people that they encounter, and make sure that they’re changed when they walk off.”

We do feel like Pharrell is a little too dismissive of the question, mostly because we consider it to be a fair question regarding the noticeable lack of stardom given that you do want to see someone hit it big. With that being said,

What do you want to see on the next season? Share with a comment, and head over here to watch a new preview for the season! Also, sign up now to get some other TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)