# Josh Kaufman (singer)
**Josh Kaufman** (born 1976) is an American soul and R&B-influenced singer and songwriter based in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), Indiana, best known for winning the sixth season of NBC's vocal competition *The Voice* in 2014.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 in Sarasota, Florida[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) |
| Base and genre | Indianapolis-based singer working in pop/R&B, contemporary R&B, and neo-soul[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) |
| Competition win | Winner of season 6 of *The Voice* (2014), competing for Team Usher after starting on Team Adam Levine[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) • [2](https://thevoice.fandom.com/wiki/Josh_Kaufman) |
| Record of the win | At 38, the oldest winner in the series' history at that time[3](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/) |
| Band | Founder of the Indianapolis soul band the New Etiquette (formed 2010)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) |
| Releases | *The Voice: The Complete Season 6 Collection* (Republic Records, 2014); the *Josh Kaufman* EP (2016); a 2025 album listed in his discography[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) • [3](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/) |
## Early life and Indiana career
Kaufman is a native of Florida and began performing in his youth, playing piano at his church by age six. In 1990 his family moved to [Blacksburg, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/blacksburg-virginia), where he attended high school and sang in the choir. At 16 he competed unsuccessfully on *Star Search*, an experience that turned him toward a singing career. After high school he attended Anderson University and [Indiana University](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-university)-Purdue University Indianapolis, graduating from the latter[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672).
**The New Etiquette.** In 2010 Kaufman formed the soul band the New Etiquette, which performed around Indianapolis, and in 2012 the group released a self-titled six-track EP. At that time he combined music with a day job as an SAT prep tutor, and he is married with three children[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672).
## The Voice, season 6 (2014)
Kaufman won his spot on *The Voice* with a rendition of [George Michael](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-michael)'s "One More Try," which he described as symbolic of one more try to make it in music[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) • [4](https://idolchatteryd.com/meet-josh-kaufman-of-team-adam-on-the-voice/). During the season he competed on both [Adam Levine](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-levine)'s team and Usher's team, moving to Usher after a coach switch[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672) • [2](https://thevoice.fandom.com/wiki/Josh_Kaufman). His cover of [Sam Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-smith)'s "Stay with Me" topped the digital charts during the run[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672).
In the finals, aired May 19, 2014, he sang [Stevie Wonder](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevie-wonder)'s "Signed, Sealed Delivered I'm Yours," a duet with Usher on [The Police](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-police)'s "Every Breath You Take," and Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain"[3](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/). He won the season over runner-up [Jake Worthington](https://www.edgepedia.org/jake-worthington) and third-place finisher Christina Grimmie[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672). At 38 he was the oldest winner the series had produced[3](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/). One of his finale performances was affected by an iTunes listing error that presented "Set Fire to the Rain" as an album rather than a single; producers discarded the iTunes-based votes, saying the outcome would not have changed the result[2](https://thevoice.fandom.com/wiki/Josh_Kaufman).
Following the win, [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records) released *The Voice: The Complete Season 6 Collection*, an album of his performances from the show[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672). He joined *The Voice* Summer Tour 2014, which ran from [San Antonio](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-antonio) on June 21 through [Redmond, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/redmond-washington) on August 2, and appeared at the Indiana State Fair in August 2014[5](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/josh-kaufman).
## After the show
**Broadway and live work.** In late 2014 Kaufman made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical *Pippin*, playing the lead and title role[6](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58fbb271197aea6d069def1b/t/5d70299f53b9370001d8d86a/1567631779844/TFP_Booklet_Final_Spreads.pdf) • [5](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/josh-kaufman). The same period found him sitting in with [The Roots](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roots) on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* and headlining the Indy Jazz Fest[6](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58fbb271197aea6d069def1b/t/5d70299f53b9370001d8d86a/1567631779844/TFP_Booklet_Final_Spreads.pdf).
Kaufman left Republic Records in early 2015 after his manager asked the label to release him from his contract[5](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/josh-kaufman). In the summer of 2016 he released the extended play *Josh Kaufman*; its first single, "Truth Be Told," was accompanied by a music video that had drawn more than 26,000 YouTube views at the time of reporting[3](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/). He performed the anthem before the World Cup qualifier between the United States and [Trinidad and Tobago](https://www.edgepedia.org/trinidad-and-tobago), held at [Dick's Sporting Goods Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/dicks-sporting-goods-park) in Commerce City, Colorado, on June 8, 2017, and later that same year he took part in *Home for the Holidays, Live on Broadway*, staged at the August Wilson Theatre from November 17 through December 30, 2017[5](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/josh-kaufman).
**Independent direction.** By 2020 Kaufman had returned to writing and playing his own music in a style embracing blues, soul, jazz, and funk, and he recorded for public radio's WFYI Small Studio Sessions[7](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2020-01-07/josh-kaufman-circles-back-to-his-love-of-writing-playing-his-own-music). In a 2021 interview with the *Indianapolis Business Journal*, the Carmel-based musician described a career as an independent artist and vocal mentor, with the management deal and recording contract from *The Voice* behind him and new songs guided by questions of philosophy and religion[8](https://www.ibj.com/articles/josh-kaufman-readies-new-songs-for-a-cozy-setting). His AllMusic discography lists a 2025 album, *What Do the People in Your Head Say to E...*, on the Historical Fiction label[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672). Tour listings show recent Indiana performances, including shows in Carmel in September 2025 and Anderson in October 2025[9](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/6533082-josh-kaufman).
## The other Josh Kaufman
A second, unrelated musician shares the name. The other Josh Kaufman is a Grammy Award-winning producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger, a member of the groups Muzz and Bonny Light Horseman known for work with Bob Weir, The National, and Taylor Swift[10](https://www.joshkaufmanofficial.com/about); profile sources give his birth year as 1978 and birthplace as Paterson, New Jersey[11](https://ifann.net/wiki/josh-kaufman). The two are routinely confused: the producer's harmonica playing appears on Taylor Swift's "betty" from *folklore*[12](https://stereogum.com/2111604/josh-kaufman-bonny-light-horseman-muzz-taylor-swift/interviews), and AllMusic's page for the *Voice* singer also lists membership in Bonny Light Horseman, a credit that belongs to the producer[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672).
## References
1. [Josh Kaufman, AllMusic biography by Matt Collar](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/josh-kaufman-mn0002108672)
2. [Josh Kaufman, The Voice Wiki](https://thevoice.fandom.com/wiki/Josh_Kaufman)
3. [What Happened to Josh Kaufman, Gazette Review](https://gazettereview.com/2017/04/happened-josh-kaufman-news-updates/)
4. [Meet Josh Kaufman of Team Usher on The Voice, Idol Chatter & Voice Views](https://idolchatteryd.com/meet-josh-kaufman-of-team-adam-on-the-voice/)
5. [Josh Kaufman: what happened after The Voice, Encore Index](https://encoreindex.com/contestants/josh-kaufman)
6. [The Facing Project booklet (performer biography)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58fbb271197aea6d069def1b/t/5d70299f53b9370001d8d86a/1567631779844/TFP_Booklet_Final_Spreads.pdf)
7. [Josh Kaufman Circles Back To His Love Of Writing, Playing His Own Music, WFYI](https://www.wfyi.org/arts-and-culture/2020-01-07/josh-kaufman-circles-back-to-his-love-of-writing-playing-his-own-music)
8. [Josh Kaufman readies new songs for a cozy setting, Indianapolis Business Journal](https://www.ibj.com/articles/josh-kaufman-readies-new-songs-for-a-cozy-setting)
9. [Josh Kaufman on Bandsintown](https://www.bandsintown.com/a/6533082-josh-kaufman)
10. [About, Josh Kaufman official site (producer)](https://www.joshkaufmanofficial.com/about)
11. [Josh Kaufman, iFANN profile (producer)](https://ifann.net/wiki/josh-kaufman)
12. [Josh Kaufman Launched 2 Indie Supergroups And Worked On 2 Surprise Taylor Swift Albums This Year, Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2111604/josh-kaufman-bonny-light-horseman-muzz-taylor-swift/interviews)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 2010s to present › Surnames H to O*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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