Koryn Hawthorne made the Top 12 as Pharrell’s pick, then went platinum
Koryn Hawthorne made The Voice’s Top 12 as Pharrell’s pick. Of 144 finalists the judges or coaches kept in voting rounds, one won.
Koryn Hawthorne at Essence Festival of Culture · July 5, 2026
Photo: gabriel brooks · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source.
Koryn Hawthorne made the Top 12 of The Voice in 2015 as Pharrell Williams’s pick, in a round where the public vote did not keep her. Her single Won't He Do It, released in 2017, went Platinum. She is one of 144 finalists of Idol and The Voice whom the judges or coaches kept in a voting round. Here is how far those picks went, on the show and after it.
1
65 of the 144 picks went out in the next round
On Idol, judges chose wild cards from singers the public passed over and could save a singer the public voted out. On The Voice, coaches picked from their teams in rounds where the public voted.
Of the 144 finalists kept this way, 65 went out in the next round. Only 12 made the top 3, and one won. In the 38 seasons with a third place of their own, equal chances predict about 36 in the top 3. Chance alone almost never gives gaps this big.
The public’s picks filled the top 3
One dot per finalist of the 40 Idol and Voice seasons that had both kinds, season by season. Lit: a top-3 finish.
Judges’ or coaches’ picks: American Idol, 2 of 59 (top 3: Jessica Sanchez, Jena Irene); The Voice, 10 of 85 (top 3: Juliet Simms, The Swon Brothers, Will Champlin, Chris Jamison, Emily Ann Roberts, Toneisha Harris, Jim Ranger, Jordan Matthew Young, Aiden Ross, Ralph Edwards). Public’s picks: American Idol, 53 of 166 (top 3: Justin Guarini, Kelly Clarkson, Nikki McKibbin, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Ruben Studdard, Diana DeGarmo, Fantasia Barrino, Jasmine Trias, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips, Alex Preston, Caleb Johnson, Clark Beckham, JAX, Nick Fradiani, Dalton Rapattoni, La'Porsha Renae, Trent Harmon, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Gabby Barrett, Maddie Poppe, Alejandro Aranda, Laine Hardy, Madison VanDenburg, Arthur Gunn, Just Sam, Chayce Beckham, Grace Kinstler, Willie Spence, HunterGirl, Leah Marlene, Noah Thompson, Colin Stough, Iam Tongi, Abi Carter, Jack Blocker, Will Moseley, Breanna Nix, Jamal Roberts, John Foster, Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson); The Voice, 51 of 151 (top 3: Dia Frampton, Javier Colon, Jermaine Paul, Tony Lucca, Cassadee Pope, Nicholas David, Terry McDermott, Danielle Bradbery, Michelle Chamuel, Jacquie Lee, Tessanne Chin, Craig Wayne Boyd, Matt McAndrew, Joshua Davis, Meghan Linsey, Sawyer Fredericks, Barrett Baber, Jordan Smith, Adam Wakefield, Alisan Porter, Hannah Huston, Billy Gilman, Sundance Head, Wé Ani, Aliyah Moulden, Chris Blue, Lauren Duski, Britton Buchanan, Brynn Cartelli, Kyla Jade, Chevel Shepherd, Chris Kroeze, Kirk Jay, Gyth Rigdon, Maelyn Jarmon, Jake Hoot, Katie Kadan, Ricky Duran, Thunderstorm Artis, Todd Tilghman, Carter Rubin, Ian Flanigan, Cam Anthony, Kenzie Wheeler, Girl Named Tom, Paris Winningham, Wendy Moten, Bodie, Bryce Leatherwood, Morgan Myles, DEK of Hearts).
Judges’ or coaches’ picks
Public’s picks
Point at or tap a dot to see who it is.
2
Aiden Ross is the only judges’ or coaches’ pick who won
Niall Horan picked Aiden Ross in the season 28 playoffs of The Voice, and Ross won in 2025. On Idol, two picks finished second: Jessica Sanchez, saved by the judges in the Top 7 in 2012, and Jena Irene, a judges’ wild card in 2014.
The judges’ and coaches’ picks who made the top 3
Each one, with the pick that kept the singer in and the final place.
3
Jennifer Hudson, Melanie Martinez and Koryn Hawthorne went gold after the show
Three picks went gold after their finale: Jennifer Hudson, a judges’ wild card on Idol in 2004; Melanie Martinez, Adam Levine’s pick on The Voice in 2012; and Koryn Hawthorne. Among the public’s picks in those seasons, 19 did, from Kelly Clarkson to Gabby Barrett.
Equal chances in each season predict about 7 gold records for the judges’ picks. A gap that size can come from chance.
Gold records after the finale, by who kept the singer in
The same finalists. Lit: a record released after the finale went gold or higher.
Judges’ or coaches’ picks: American Idol, 1 of 59 (gold record after the finale: Jennifer Hudson); The Voice, 2 of 85 (gold record after the finale: Melanie Martinez, Koryn Hawthorne). Public’s picks: American Idol, 15 of 166 (gold record after the finale: Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Josh Gracin, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Colton Dixon, Phillip Phillips, JAX, Gabby Barrett); The Voice, 4 of 151 (gold record after the finale: Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, Vedo, Corey Kent White).
Judges’ or coaches’ picks
American Idol Jennifer HudsonThe Voice Melanie Martinez, Koryn Hawthorne
Public’s picks
American Idol Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Josh Gracin, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina, Scotty McCreery, Colton Dixon, Phillip Phillips, JAX, Gabby BarrettThe Voice Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, Vedo, Corey Kent White
Point at or tap a dot to see who it is.
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Read the storyPhoto credits (9 photos)
- Juliet Simms: Zeddawg · Public domain · Photo source · cropped.
- Jessica Sanchez: Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade derivative work: Axb3 ( talk ) · CC0 1.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Jena Irene: procktheboat · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- The Swon Brothers: Memorial Student Center Texas A&M University · CC BY 2.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Will Champlin: RealTVfilms · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Chris Jamison: Kemarorr · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Javier Colon with an acoustic guitar: rcraig09 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Cassadee Pope performing at a USO show: chief national guard bureau from usa · CC BY 2.0 · Photo source · cropped.
- Fifth Harmony: orangesporanges · CC BY 2.0 · Photo source · cropped.
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