From Reality TV to Real Life: This VOICE Alum’s Journey of Sacrifice and Faith

Published: February 2, 2026

microphone — Photo by Ladislav Bona on Unsplash

By Michaela Gordoni

AMERICAN IDOL and THE VOICE alum Jeremy Rosado hasn’t had the easiest life, but he knows God has been with him all the way.

After he left AMERICAN IDOL as the 13th top contestant, he had to make a hard life choice.

“I stepped into the role of becoming a dad, and I took on full guardianship of my now daughter, who is biologically my niece. Man, that was a journey,” he recalled on the “Jesus Calling” podcast. “I was like 22 or 23 years old. She was about 11 years old, so it was tough.”

“Laying the dream down to become a father was a really tough decision at the moment. I was on what was the biggest music television show in the world back then, and the momentum was there,” he explained. “Even though that decision was not easy, it was worth it, and I would do it a million times over for my child.”

Then he auditioned on THE VOICE seven years later.

“It wasn’t really a normal thing for you to be able to do AMERICAN IDOL and THE VOICE. Now it seems more common. But then, I was like, ‘God, there’s no way that these people are going to put me on this show after I did AMERICAN IDOL.’ And also, ‘God, if it doesn’t happen, I’m going to be okay. Help me redirect the feeling of this and help me honestly mourn this dream. Let me grieve it so that I can move forward and do something else that is maybe within Your plan, God — [something] that would be beneficial to my life and to my daughter’s life, but also fulfill me,’” he said.

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Rosado was surprised when THE VOICE producers contacted him and asked him to audition. It gave him confidence that God is with him.

Rosado finished THE VOICE as the 12th finalist and recently released his first full album, The Waiting Room, last year.

“The Waiting Room album is so special to me,” the artist said. “I’ve worked for over two years crafting the songs on this record. I’ve seen incredible highs and some low lows, but through it all, my God has been faithful to me.”

“This album is for anyone who’s ever felt like they were in a waiting season, believing one day their name would be called and they would walk into the thing they felt called to. It’s not always easy in a waiting season, but on the other side, there’s freedom, purpose, healing, and, God willing, the thing they’d believed in. This album marks the end of a season for me, one of waiting for my name to be called.”

Rosado is currently on the Winter Jam tour lineup with Chris Tomlin, Matthew West and other Christian artists. The tour kicked off this month in Georgia and will wrap up at the end of March.

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