# Cassadee Pope
**Cassadee Pope** (born 1989 in [West Palm Beach, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-palm-beach-florida)) is an American singer and songwriter who fronted the pop-punk band Hey Monday before winning the third season of NBC's *The Voice* in 2012 and building a country music career, later returning to her rock and pop-punk roots.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) Her debut solo album, *Frame by Frame* (2013), reached number one on the Billboard country albums chart, and her debut single "Wasting All These Tears" sold over a million copies.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, West Palm Beach, Florida[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) |
| Band career | Co-founded the emo pop-punk band Hey Monday with guitarist Mike Gentile in 2008; debut album *Hold on Tight*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) |
| *The Voice* | Winner of season 3 (late 2012) on Blake Shelton's team; the show's first female champion[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frame-by-frame-mw0002571014) |
| Breakthrough single | "Wasting All These Tears" cracked the country Top 10 and sold over a million copies; the first solo female country artist to go platinum on a debut single since Taylor Swift in 2006[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) • [4](https://assets.countryaircheck.com/public/d8934258-861c-45be-baeb12e4cc032f8b/Issue387-March-10-2014.pdf) |
| Signature duet | "Think of You" with Chris Young reached number one on country airplay, went gold in 2016, and earned a Grammy nomination for best country duo/group performance[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) |
| Albums | *Frame by Frame* (2013), *Stages* (2019), *Rise and Shine* (2020), *Thrive* (2021), *Hereditary* (2024)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0001017361) |
## Hey Monday, 2008–2012
Pope started singing in middle school and grew up in West Palm Beach hearing both country music, through her mother's family and a Southern vocal teacher, and rock, through her father's drumming along to Boston.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [6](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots) In high school she discovered bands like [Yellowcard](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellowcard) and [Fall Out Boy](https://www.edgepedia.org/fall-out-boy) through her local venue, Rays Downtown Blues, and in 2008 she co-founded Hey Monday with guitarist Mike Gentile.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [6](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots)
**Rapid rise and fade.** The band was almost immediately picked up by [Columbia Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-records), signing a joint deal with Decaydance, the imprint founded by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump and [Pete Wentz](https://www.edgepedia.org/pete-wentz), and toured globally supporting their label bosses.[6](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots) They released the full-length *Hold on Tight* and several EPs in 2010 and 2011, toured as an opening act for Fall Out Boy and Yellowcard, and played the Vans Warped Tour.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) By 2011, Pope felt interest in the band was waning, including from the label; she later said the band "took off so fast" without building a ground-level fanbase. Hey Monday went on indefinite hiatus, and Pope moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career.[6](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots)
## The Voice and the country years
After failing to generate label or management interest on her own, Pope auditioned for season three of *The Voice*, having previously declined the show, and joined [Blake Shelton](https://www.edgepedia.org/blake-shelton)'s team.[6](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots) • [7](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/cassadee-pope-the-voice-season-3-interview-over-you-392190/) She auditioned with [Natalie Imbruglia](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-imbruglia)'s "Torn" and won the season in late 2012, beating teammate Terry McDermott and becoming the show's first female winner.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frame-by-frame-mw0002571014) Her cover of [Miranda Lambert](https://www.edgepedia.org/miranda-lambert)'s "Over You" reached number one on the iTunes chart, displacing Psy's "Gangnam Style."[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/)
She signed with Republic Nashville, part of [Universal Music Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-group)'s Big Machine Label Group, and released *Frame by Frame* on October 8, 2013.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frame-by-frame-mw0002571014) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) The album debuted at number one on the Billboard country albums chart and reached the pop Top Ten, driven by "Wasting All These Tears," a number five country hit.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) The album was produced by Dann Huff with selected tracks by Nathan Chapman, Max Martin, and Shellback, and its making became a six-part docuseries.[8](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMA-Close-Up/10s/CMA-Close-Up-2013-10-11.pdf) • [3](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frame-by-frame-mw0002571014) She spent much of 2014 on the road opening for [Tim McGraw](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-mcgraw) and [Dierks Bentley](https://www.edgepedia.org/dierks-bentley), and also toured with Rascal Flatts.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/)
**The hit that outlasted the label run.** Her follow-up single "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" made little impact on radio, and the label pulled her third single.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) In January 2016, Chris Young asked her to duet on "Think of You"; it rose to number one on the country airplay survey, went gold, and earned a Grammy nomination for best country duo/group vocal performance.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) That June she released the four-song EP *Summer*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361)
In 2017 she parted ways with the label, citing disagreements over the direction of her new music and a writing style that had changed as she evolved as an artist.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) She later described the promotional demands of country radio, including station visits and meet-and-greet photos with programmers, as a routine that consumed months of her time without producing a number one country song.[9](https://ca.rollingstone.com/music/cassadee-pope-is-through-playing-country-musics-game/)
## Independent albums and the return to rock
Signing with Fusion Music, she marked the change with the 2018 single "Take You Home" and returned to *The Voice* that year as an advisor to coach [Kelly Clarkson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-clarkson)'s team.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) An intense period of songwriting produced *Stages*, released independently in February 2019 and produced by Corey Crowder; it featured "Take You Home" and "If My Heart Had a Heart" and reached number 39 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) That spring she opened for [Maren Morris](https://www.edgepedia.org/maren-morris) on the Girl: The World Tour and headlined CMT's 11-city Next Women of Country tour.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/) • [10](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/maren-morris-teases-new-relationship-with-the-voice-winner-cassadee-pope/)
The 2020 pandemic led her to record an all-acoustic album, *Rise and Shine*, released in June 2020 and made mostly remotely with co-producer Todd Lombardo; she said she wanted it to sound like "an acoustic Dashboard Confessional" with open-tuned guitars.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) • [11](https://music.apple.com/us/album/rise-and-shine/1516086587)
**Thrive and the pivot.** Her third studio album, *Thrive*, arrived in October 2021, produced by Nickolas Wheeler and Karen Fairchild, and returned her to a rock-oriented sound with singles like "What the Stars See" and "Say It First."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) She described the record as an attempt to merge her "emo self" and her "Nashville self" under a "y'allternative" umbrella; it was not playlisted in either country or alternative formats.[9](https://ca.rollingstone.com/music/cassadee-pope-is-through-playing-country-musics-game/)
From 2023 she committed fully to pop-punk, releasing "People That I Love" featuring Jax, "Coma" with [Taylor Acorn](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-acorn), and "Wasting All These Tears (Cassadee's Version)" while pointing toward a fourth album.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) That album, *Hereditary*, was released in 2024 on the Awake label and was reviewed as a competent entry in 2020s pop-punk, drawing comparisons to acts such as Against The Current and [Pale Waves](https://www.edgepedia.org/pale-waves).[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0001017361) • [12](https://thesoundboardreviews.com/2024/07/05/album-review-cassadee-pope-hereditary/)
## Voice and style
AllMusic describes Pope as a powerful performer whose style straddles anthemic emo, pop-punk, and country.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361) On *The Voice* she said she struggled with her lower register and compensated with a naturally high voice, choosing rangy songs and adding daily vocal warm-ups as the season progressed.[7](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/cassadee-pope-the-voice-season-3-interview-over-you-392190/) Her cited influences include Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, Blink-182, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton.[13](https://www.ticketmaster.com/cassadee-pope-tickets/artist/1676667?tt_scene=anchor_view) In live shows she has continued to mix Hey Monday songs and pop-punk covers into her solo sets, and her 2026 touring has centered on acoustic formats.[13](https://www.ticketmaster.com/cassadee-pope-tickets/artist/1676667?tt_scene=anchor_view)
## References
1. [Cassadee Pope – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cassadee-pope-mn0001017361)
2. [Winning 'The Voice' changed Cassadee Pope's life. Six years later, her career is still evolving, The Washington Post (April 23, 2019)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/04/23/winning-voice-changed-cassadee-popes-life-her-career-is-still-evolving/)
3. [Cassadee Pope: Frame by Frame Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/frame-by-frame-mw0002571014)
4. [Country Aircheck Issue 387, March 10, 2014](https://assets.countryaircheck.com/public/d8934258-861c-45be-baeb12e4cc032f8b/Issue387-March-10-2014.pdf)
5. [Cassadee Pope discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mn0001017361)
6. [How Cassadee Pope returned to her roots, The Line of Best Fit (July 27, 2023)](https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/cassadee-pope-return-to-her-roots)
7. [The Voice's Cassadee Pope On Lower-Register Woes, 'Over You' Magic And Glass Dresses, TVLine (December 26, 2012)](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/cassadee-pope-the-voice-season-3-interview-over-you-392190/)
8. [CMA Close Up, October 2013, World Radio History archive](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/CMA-Close-Up/10s/CMA-Close-Up-2013-10-11.pdf)
9. [Cassadee Pope Is Through Playing Country Music's Game, Rolling Stone Canada (February 15, 2024)](https://ca.rollingstone.com/music/cassadee-pope-is-through-playing-country-musics-game/)
10. [Maren Morris Teases New Relationship With 'The Voice' Winner Cassadee Pope, The Daily Beast (July 9, 2026)](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/maren-morris-teases-new-relationship-with-the-voice-winner-cassadee-pope/)
11. [Rise and Shine – Album by Cassadee Pope, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/rise-and-shine/1516086587)
12. [ALBUM REVIEW: Cassadee Pope – 'Hereditary', The Soundboard (July 5, 2024)](https://thesoundboardreviews.com/2024/07/05/album-review-cassadee-pope-hereditary/)
13. [Cassadee Pope Tickets, 2026-2027 Concert Tour Dates, Ticketmaster](https://www.ticketmaster.com/cassadee-pope-tickets/artist/1676667?tt_scene=anchor_view)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Country, gospel, and western singers › Country pop and crossover singers › 2000s and 2010s crossover singers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license