A country singer abruptly dropped out of ‘The Voice.’ What happened?

Viewers tuning in to the Knockout round of “The Voice” this week got a surprise: A promising singer in the competition unexpectedly dropped out.
The show didn’t draw much attention to it, but near the end of the prerecorded episode that aired on Nov. 11, “Voice” host Carson Daly casually mentioned that country singer Tanner Frick had dropped out after some rehearsals for the Knockouts, the third round of the competition.
Here’s a look at Frick’s short run on “The Voice” — and what he’s been up to since his exit.
Tanner Frick ‘The Voice’ blind audition
Frick was a popular contestant on this season of “The Voice.” He captured the interest of all four coaches with his rendition of Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know” during the blind audition round.
The 26-year-old country singer from Mississippi shared some of his music background with the coaches, mentioning that he typically plays in small town restaurants and bars.
And when he named “Voice” coach and country music legend Reba McEntire as one of his musical influences — along with Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings — it was clear he was going to join McEntire’s team.
The other coaches still put up a fight, though. Michael Bublé mentioned his friendship with country star Blake Shelton, noting that he was a songwriter on Shelton’s No. 1 hit “Home.” Gwen Stefani, who said she was “desperate” to get Frick on her team, reminded him that she is married to Shelton.
But McEntire, who praised Frick’s “Chris Stapleton” growl and said she loved the “dimension” to his voice, easily won the fight and secured Frick for her team.
Tanner Frick during the Battle round
Frick’s time on McEntire’s team was short-lived, though.
During the Battle round, McEntire pitted Frick against Tate Renner — another country singer on her team — for a rendition of Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor.” And while all of the coaches agreed it was tough to pick a winner of the battle, McEntire ultimately decided to move forward with Renner, praising the raspy quality of his voice and stating her belief that he’d go far in the competition.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity, and it’s not going to stop me from pursuing music,” Frick said.
“Better not,” McEntire responded.
But as Frick was about to leave the stage, Bublé decided to steal the singer for his own team and keep him in the competition.
“Tanner Frick was a huge win for me. That’s a former four-chair turn and a piece of the puzzle that I didn’t have,” he told “Voice” producers. “I needed that country singer and now I feel like I’m completely in the game. It’s a brave new world we’re about to head into.”
But Bublé’s celebration didn’t last long.
Last year, when singer Alex Whalen dropped out of Season 23 of “The Voice,” Daly told viewers that Whalen “could not be with us tonight,” as the Deseret News reported at the time. And when Tom Nitti on McEntire’s team unexpectedly left Season 24 a few months later, Daly cited “personal reasons.”
But “The Voice” only briefly mentioned that Frick had dropped out of the show following rehearsals for the Knockout round — which featured Sting and Jennifer Hudson as mentors — and didn’t provide any kind of reason for the departure.
However, after the episode aired, Frick shared a TikTok of himself singing in a recording booth, with the caption, “Ain’t nobody want me anyway.”
The lyric, while perhaps alluding to his time on “The Voice,” stems from his upcoming song, “Lonesome Road,” that he has been teasing on social media in recent days.
Sticking to his promise to McEntire that he wouldn’t stop pursuing music, Frick has indicated to fans that he’s got new music on the way in the form of an EP.