Idol Chatter & Voice Views

A string of impressive performances in The Voice live shows paid off for Cam Anthony Tuesday night.

He was named the show’s Season 20 champion with Kenzie Wheeler of Team Kelly finishing second, Rachel Mac of Team Nick finishing fourth and Victor Solomon of Team Legend finishing fifth.

Anthony’s teammate Jordan Matthew Young made the finals via an instant save and finished third.

It marked the eighth time Blake Shelton has coached a Voice contestant to victory. No other coach has more than three wins (both Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson).

And the Cam-Blake combination might not have happened without an assist from Nick Jonas.

Remember, Cam turned three chairs in the blind auditions with his cover of Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.”

But Nick blocked John Legend — the coach Cam hoped to chose — reducing his choices to Team Nick or Team Blake.

Blake wound up winning Cam over, promising to keep a lane wide open for him on his team.

In fact, later in the blinds, he declined to turn for another promising R&B singer, citing that promise to Cam as the reason.

More recently, Blake has made headlines by predicting that Cam will be the first superstar launched by The Voice.

“I can definitely say it gives me a newfound sense of confidence,” Cam told People when asked about Blake’s high praise.

“Hearing someone like him speaking that highly of me definitely means a lot. It’s also validation that I’m doing the right thing, and I’m heading in the right direction and that being myself is okay and it works.”

Being himself on The Voice meant not only flashing his vocal skills, but showing his versatility as well.

For example, Monday night, he performed “Stand Up” — the very same song Willie Spence had performed the night before on American Idol.

But then Cam came back later in the show with a surprising song choice, Bon Jovi’s “Wanted, Dead or Alive.”

He was impressive on both. And both charted on the Apple Music Top 200, an indication that a Voice trophy might be part of Cam’s near future.

Cam, 19, of Philadelphia, enjoyed previous brushes with fame as a singer.

At age 12, a video of Cam singing “Royals” went viral.

He wound up performing the national anthem in D.C. for the Obama family at an Easter event. He was interviews on The Ellen Show and the Steve Harvey Show.

He was also signed to a recording contract by Dr. Dre at age 12, but released just a couple of singles under that now expired contract.

A record contract is also part of the winner’s package on The Voice. Cam told People his Voice experience has helped him find himself as an artist.

“That would be the main difference,” Cam said. “I know who I am as an artist, and I know what I want.”