The Voice Finalist Laith Al-Saadi Admits He Didn’t Want to Win

THE VOICE -- "Live Finale" Episode: 1018A -- Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Laith Al-Saadi -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

Laith Al-Saadi with his long beard and decidedly throwback blues vibe made it all the way to The Voice season 10 finals as a member of Team Adam Levine on the strength of his musicianship and gravelly rock-hewn vocals.

The musician came in 4th behind the other three finalists, Hannah Huston, Adam Wakefield and winner Alisan Porter, and it appears Laith is perfectly happy with that outcome.

During the competition, coach Pharrell Williams urged fans to seek out his pre The Voice music. That endorsement put the musician’s two albums back on the iTunes rock and blues charts. And it looks like that was all Laith was looking for, as the Detroit native tells MLive.com, he did NOT want to win.

“This is probably not going to be popular to say, but I actually never wanted to win,” the Detroit native told Mlive.com. “That was my scariest thing even about going into the situation is what that was, to possibly give up. And the thing is, it’s probably foolish of me because that is a wonderful record company, they’re huge, they have immense power compared to what I could do independently or with a small label.”

“It’s a 360 deal,” Laith explained about the record deal he could have won along with a $100,000 cash prize. “It means they represent you in every facet of your life. They really do kind of own you. They own your intellectual property, they own your merchandising, they own the rights to you, and to obviously making records with you and your touring and all that stuff.”

Initially, fans wondered how far a musician that seemed to have a very specific and limited appeal could go in the competition. But it became increasingly clear week after week, that while his act owed very little to modern music, his consistent performances resonated–particularly to fans of The Voice who gravitated to rock and blues. Several times his studio recording climbed into the Top 10 on iTunes.

It appears that the musician will happily take the higher profile The Voice exposure afforded him and move on with his career.  Based on Republic Records track record, Laith would have been locked into a deal with a record company unwilling or unable to help his career. He would have been expected to compromise his musicianship at the very least, in order to make the partnership work, and that appears to be something Laith would have been unwilling to do.

About mj santilli 34858 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!