When his fans The Voice tuned into the show on Monday night (November 11) to watch the Knockout rounds begin, there was one singer who was conspicuously absent. According to EWhost Carson Daly noted at the top of the episode that country singer Tanner Frick had left the competition after scoring a four-chair turn earlier in season 26.
At press time, Frick had not commented on his absence, and the show did not provide additional information about why he left the series. But on Tuesday (Nov. 12), the Manchester, TN native who worked for the city's water and sewer department posted another excerpt from a new song on Instagram with seemingly prescient lyrics.
“These whiskey nights and the neon lights, everything goes out/ But this lonely road keeps calling me to stay,” he sings in his heavy rustic country over acoustic guitar. “Well I'm back here, I'm on my own/ I can't seem to leave this life alone/ I guess I'm a lone wolf and a stray/ Nobody wants me anyway.” Frick did not comment on the song or his departure in the post, with the caption on the clip echoing the song's chorus.
Commenters were confused and had plenty of questions, with one asking “What happened??”, while another added, “Oh I hate that you left the Voice. I had you as a #1 top artist! I'm so sorry to see you go, but I hope all is well! You have an amazing voice and you have such talent. Keep moving forward and good luck in your future.” One of his admirers lamented that Frick could have “won it all.”
On November 3 Frick seemed to preview his retirement in one TikTok videos with the same song — which he said is titled “Lonesome Road” — reminding fans to tune into the show to see him perform.
Frick made himself known during the blind auditions round in early October with a cover of Morgan Wallen's “I thought you should know,” which earned him the seat of all four coaches, with Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire immediately bonding with the singer due to their shared family roots in Mississippi. “While you would still have your back turned, I was in it!” Snoop reminded fellow judges Michael Bublé and Gwen Stefani of his early adoptive status with the country crooner.
Stefani said the judges were all won over when Frick sang in his “full voice”, which allowed his uniqueness to shine, correctly predicting the singer would coach country icon McEntire. Last week, Frick impressed again in a Battle Round matchup with Tate Renner at Jelly Roll's “I need a favor.” After failing to qualify for that round, Bublé grabbed him for his team, calling the pick-up a “huge win for me” and dubbing the country singer a “piece of the puzzle” he didn't have.
EW reported that on Monday's show Daley told fans at home that Frick, 26, “had left the competition after rehearsals,” with no additional information on why he left.
The Voice airs on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET before airing on Peacock the following day.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/tanner-frick-leaves-the-voice-before-knockout-rounds-1235827499/
