BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Two months ago, Shye Roberts appeared bashful, even a tad nervous, on live television.
Now, as the second-place winner of season 26 of "The Voice," the Bethlehem singer credits her time on the NBC show as a way to boost her career and confidence.
" It really has made me mature," the 18-year-old said via phone from Los Angeles on Wednesday. "I feel like it helped me grow musically, but also personally. I'm allowed to be myself more and not being afraid to express myself musically."
On Tuesday's finale of "The Voice," Roberts and Sofrino Vasquez — contestants on Team Michael Bublé — nervously held hands as they waited for host Carson Daly to reveal who fans had chosen as the winner.
On live TV, she hugged Vasquez and cheered.
Sure, it wasn't what she had hoped for, but less than 24 hours later, Roberts mentioned she is overjoyed for the Filipino singer, who became a friend throughout their time on the show.
"I overall feel like the show was the most beneficial thing to me right now in terms of emotionally, musically, and it put me in a great position."Shye Roberts
Her blind audition, which aired on Oct. 8, was a euphonious cover of Five for Fighting's "Superman (It's Not Easy)" which got a four-chair turn from the judges
Coming so close to winning it all gave Roberts' career a jump-start.
"I overall feel like the show was the most beneficial thing to me right now in terms of emotionally, musically, and it put me in a great position," she said.
Even though Roberts didn't receive enough fan votes to win it all (the grand prize is $100,000 and a recording deal), there was constant praise and mentoring from "The Voice" judges Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Bublé.
McEntire called Roberts' voice "crisp" and "big-bodied" while Bublé compared her vocal range to the likes of Adele, Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.
Then, in the semifinal round, there was acclaim (after Roberts' rendition of One Direction's "Story of My Life") from Snoop Dogg, who scribbled the number 10 on a notepad.
A week later, on the first finale episode, and after Roberts belted out "Falling" by Harry Styles, the West Coast rapper invited Roberts to sign with his record label.
"I hope he does [sign me]," Roberts said.
Shye's message behind the finale setlist
The singer chose Styles' 2019 ballad (which the boy band singer said is about instability) along with Joan Osborne's 1995 hit, "One of Us," as a message to fans about "reflection" and re-evaluating morals.
Roberts spoke on the NBC show about her Panamanian and Jamaican heritage, and how growing up in those cultures it wasn't "typical" to express emotions.
Roberts credits her mother Sheila's love of music as a tool for emotional expression and unity.
"Speaking of 'One of Us,' people will kind of blindly follow religion or whatever they're grown up and taught and they never question themselves and what they're following," Roberts said. "A lot of times they are taught in certain communities that you're supposed to treat people that are another religion or race or sexuality this way because that's what God would want.
"But is it really what God would want for you to treat people unequally because of their race? If God was somebody who was in a different class than you, or a different race than you, would you treat him as less than not knowing that he was God?"
Roberts, her mother and stepfather moved to Bethlehem in 2023 from Glen Cove on Long Island, New York.
The local support has been overwhelming for Roberts, notably from the faculty at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in South Bethlehem, she said.
Roberts finished her senior year (she had to skip graduation in June 2023 to audition for "The Voice") and the high school posted videos and messages rooting for Roberts this season.
"Mr. [David] McBeth has sent messages and talked to my girlfriend about me," Roberts said. "I've been distantly keeping in touch with people from the school, which was fun for me when I was there."
There are also plans in the works for Roberts to perform in the Lehigh Valley and in their hometown of Glen Cove.
Shye writing music, spending time with family
Now the bright lights of "The Voice" lot of Universal Studios are behind them (in a few days, Roberts and sister, Shalyn, will return from Los Angeles to Bethlehem).
It was Shayln who traveled with her little sister on the trip and the pair appeared in one episode joking with Bublé.
"A lot of people have negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts and I feel like it's just important for people to know that they're not alone."Shye Roberts
The sisters' camaraderie was not for show, as seen on TikTok, and Shayln helped Roberts pen a love letter to music that aired on "The Voice" finale.
"My sister and I have bonded a lot. I don't even think we talked every day before this," Roberts said. "Now me and my sister have Stockholm syndrome because we have to talk to each other all the time and become very close."
Roberts says in the coming months, they will focus on spending time with loved ones and writing new material.
While there is no working title or album, expect some of the music to explore themes like overcoming self-doubt.
"A lot of people have anxiety. A lot of people have negative thoughts, intrusive thoughts and I feel like it's just important for people to know that they're not alone," Roberts said.
"It's nice to remember that. Thoughts are just thoughts and that, that's all they are.
"I can make it and I've proven myself and I've proven to the world that I have the ability to make it. And then I have the ability to just be myself and perform."
