| Josh Kaufman | |
| Birth Name: | Joshua Kaufman |
| Birth Date: | 9 November 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Origin: | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Years Active: | 2010–present |
| Label: | Republic |
Josh Kaufman (born November 9, 1976) is an American soul singer and songwriter. A native of the Tampa Bay area in Florida, Kaufman is based out of and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is best known for winning the season 6 of NBC's The Voice as a member of Usher's team and previously Adam Levine's team.
Kaufman was born in Sarasota, Florida, the son of Beth Gilbert, minister of music at Slusser's Chapel in Blacksburg, Virginia; and Mark Kaufman, who runs a roofing company.[1] His stepfather, Rev. Richard Gilbert, is the pastor at a church in Blacksburg, Virginia.[2] While in Blacksburg, he was a member of the Blacksburg High School Madrigals, an elite choir. He grew up and attended school in Lake Wales, Florida until his first year of high school. He and his mother moved to Blacksburg, Virginia where he attended and graduated from Blacksburg High School. His musical talent appeared early in his life. At sixteen, he appeared on Star Search and in 2011, Kaufman auditioned for the first season of Simon Cowell's The X Factor (U.S.).[3] After living his teen years in Virginia, Kaufman settled in Anderson, Indiana to attend Anderson University and graduated from IUPUI.[4] Kaufman is a member of the band The New Etiquette (formerly known as Josh Kaufman and the Frequency), an Indianapolis based rock and soul band. The band was formed in 2010 with original band members Josh Kaufman, Ryan Koch, and Nate Gray. The band released a six track self-titled EP in spring 2012 drawing on the musical talents of several local musicians.[5]
From 2011 to 2014 Kaufman was a musical staple at Potbelly Sandwich Shop in Indianapolis,[6] [7] and also worked as an SAT prep tutor.[8]
On the fifth episode of the Blind Auditions broadcast on March 10, 2014, he performed George Michael's song "One More Try." All four judges turned their chairs and Kaufman chose to join team Adam. Kaufman defeated fellow Team Adam member Austin Ellis in the Battles, Round 1. Kaufman lost his second battle round competition against Delvin Choice but was immediately stolen by Team Usher.[9] [10] Kaufman received the first iTunes bonus multiplier of the season, with his studio recording of "Stay With Me" reaching the fifth position on the iTunes Top 200 Singles chart at the close of the voting window.[11]
On May 20, 2014, Kaufman was announced as the winner of Season 6 of The Voice.
– Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes
| Stage | Song | Original Artist | Date | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Audition | "One More Try" | George Michael | March 10, 2014 | 5.18 | All four chairs turned Joined Team Adam |
| Battles, Round 1 | "Happy" [12] | Pharrell Williams | March 24, 2014 | 11.1 | Saved by Adam |
| Battles, Round 2 | "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" | Stevie Wonder | March 31, 2014 | 14.6 | Defeated Stolen by Usher |
| The Playoffs | "It Will Rain" | Bruno Mars | April 15, 2014 | 19.5 | Saved by Usher |
| Live Top 12 | "Stay with Me" | Sam Smith | April 21, 2014 | 20.12 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 10 | "This is It" | Kenny Loggins | April 28, 2014 | 22.4 | |
| Live Top 8 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Bonnie Raitt | May 5, 2014 | 24.2 | |
| Live Top 5 (Semi-finals) | "All of Me" | John Legend | May 12, 2014 | 26.2 | |
| "Love Runs Out" | OneRepublic | 26.6 | |||
| Live Finale (Final 3) | "Every Breath You Take" | The Police | May 19, 2014 | 28.2 | Winner |
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" | Stevie Wonder | 28.4 | |||
| "Set Fire to the Rain" | Adele | 28.9 |
Kaufman participated in the Indy Jazz Fest in September 2014.[13] Kaufman appeared at the Indiana State Fair in August 2014. He was the final actor to play the title role in the 2013 Broadway revival of Pippin, which closed in early 2015.[14]
On June 8, 2017, Josh Kaufman performed the anthem of the United States in the United States vs. Trinidad And Tobago FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Eliminatory match in Dick's Sporting Goods Park Commerce City, Colorado
Kaufman sung on Broadway in the show "Home For the Holidays, Live on Broadway" which was presented November 17 to December 30, 2017, at the August Wilson Theatre. Other vocal performers included Candice Glover, Bianca Ryan, Peter Hollens and Evynne Hollens.[15]
Kaufman is married to Jennifer Myer and they have five children as of November 2016. They live in Carmel, Indiana (an Indianapolis suburb) where Kaufman sings with his band The New Etiquette.[16]
The New Etiquette (2012)
| Single | Peak chart positions | Original artist | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [18] | US Heat [19] | US Digital [20] | ||
| "One More Try" | — | — | — | George Michael |
| "Happy" | — | — | — | Pharrell Williams |
| "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" | — | — | 19 | Stevie Wonder |
| "It Will Rain" | — | — | — | Bruno Mars |
| "Stay with Me" | 92 | 9 | 5 | Sam Smith |
| "This Is It" | — | — | 38 | Kenny Loggins |
| "I Can't Make You Love Me" | 71 | 4 | 2 | Bonnie Raitt |
| "All of Me" | — | 13 | 4 | John Legend |
| "Love Runs Out" | — | — | 13 | OneRepublic |
| "Every Breath You Take" | — | — | 12 | The Police |
| "Set Fire to the Rain" | — | 19 | 28 | Adele |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart |
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