{"id":73486,"date":"2025-11-28T19:18:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/73486\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T19:18:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T19:18:18","slug":"the-voice-humbled-ralph-edwards-then-it-made-the-fresno-singer-a-competitor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/73486\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Voice\u2019 humbled Ralph Edwards. Then, it made the Fresno singer a competitor"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you caught up with Ralph Edwards out on the street, it might not be readily apparent he\u2019s a leading contestant on Season 28 of the NBC series \u201cThe Voice.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

But there are signs.<\/p>\n

A silver chain hangs around his neck, adorned with a Death Row Records pendant. It was a gift from Snoop Dogg, given to the Fresno singer after he chose the rap legend as his coach for the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe put this around my neck, and blessed me,\u201d Edwards told The Bee in an interview this month.<\/p>\n

Edwards could have chosen any of the show\u2019s four celebrity judges following his televised blind audition in September.<\/a> He hadn\u2019t given the decision any thought until the moment came. He chose Snoop Dogg because he wanted to be a part of the family of writers, producers and past \u201cThe Voice\u201d winners that the rapper has cultivated over the years.<\/p>\n

What came out on air was: \u201cI\u2019ll get that chain Snoop. Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards \u2018could easily win\u2019<\/p>\n

Over the course of three performances, Edwards has been a frontrunner to win the show.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to NBC Insider<\/a>, quoting Snoop Dogg and fellow judge Michael Bubl\u00e9, after watching the singer\u2019s performance in the Knockout Round last month.<\/p>\n

Currently, he\u2019s in the competition\u2019s top 16. The playoff episodes start Dec. 1 and the show\u2019s finale is Dec. 16. The show streams on Peacock the next day.<\/p>\n

This makes Edwards the second most successful area musician to compete on \u201cThe Voice.\u201d He made it further than Visalia\u2019s Rudy Parris,<\/a> who was eliminated in the Knockout Round in season three of the show back in 2011.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s now only slightly behind Alyssa Witrado, who made it to the top 13<\/a> before being eliminated in Season 23.<\/p>\n

Gwen Stefani sticks with Team Alyssa. Fresno singer continues her run on \u2018The Voice\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

12th time\u2019s the charm<\/p>\n

That fact he\u2019s on the show at all is a testament to perseverance.<\/p>\n

. \u201cI never had a plan B,\u201d Edward told The Bee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stood in that 4,000-person line when I was 17 years old. It was me and my mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

He auditioned for \u201cthe Voice\u201d 11 times over the last decade, and also \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d \u201cAmerican Idol,\u201d \u201cX Factor\u201d and lesser known \u201cThe Four\u201d). At each go, he was rejected.<\/p>\n

Each rejection was a moment for growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had so much respect for \u2018The Voice\u2019 because they humbled me,\u201d said Edwards, now 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me no right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards was a born performer. There is video of him as a child, three years old in his underwear, just singing away. In a photo from around the same time, he\u2019s dressed in a suit and tie<\/a>, stood up next to a microphone. He\u2019s smiling, happy as anything.<\/p>\n

He got formal training as part of the choir at Kastner Middle School and Clovis West High School, where he went before transferring to RFK in Delano. After graduation, he did a stint at Fresno City College where he studied with longtime educators Julie Dana and the late Rebecca Sarkisian.<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where he really learned to use and understand his voice. This allows him to genre switch; pulling off rock songs and smoother R&B pop ballads with similar ease.<\/p>\n

Journey\u2019s 1978 hit \u201cLights<\/a>\u201d earned Edwards his spot on the show.<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran\u2019s 2017 track \u201cDive\u201d<\/a> got him into the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Who is VibeCheck?<\/p>\n

Most recently, his education has been on stage fronting the band VibeCheck.<\/a><\/p>\n

Over the last three years the group has become well-known as a kick-back party band, performing at both small nightclubs like Howling Wolf and Goldstein\u2019s in the Tower District and at larger events. They headlined a stage at this year\u2019s Tower Porchfest and played support for Ludacris and Juvenile at Tequila Fest.<\/p>\n

And the band is keeping busy, even with Edwards on the show. It just announced a Valentine\u2019s Day concert<\/a> at the Warnors Theatre with The Moreno\u2019s and Slick and Wicked.<\/p>\n

Fronting VibeCheck has been valuable prep work for his run on the \u201cThe Voice,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFresno is a fun crowd. I love feeding into that crowd,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, every time I got a chance to get on stage and sing for people that was just one step closer to my dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ralph<\/p>\n

Ralph Edwards sings while, from left, Bobby Griffin, Gene Abella and Marco Flores with the band Vibe Check perform during a rehearsal in front of a home in Fresno\u2019s Tower District in preparation for this year\u2019s Tower Porchfest, on Thursday, April 17, 2025.<\/p>\n