The Voice winner Sawyer Fredericks bravely comes out as bisexual: ‘I’ll probably lose fans’
Sawyer Fredericks performs onstage at the United Talent Agency Showcase during the IEBA 2015 Conference on 12 October 2015. (Jason Davis/Getty for IEBA)
The Voice season eight winner Sawyer Fredericks has come out as bisexual in a candid, heartfelt post on social media.
The blues singer-songwriter, who won The Voice at just the age of 16, came out in a statement shared on Instagram.
Fredericks, now 22, posted a casual photo of himself wearing a rainbow tie-dyed shirt with his trademark long hair loose around his shoulders.
The singer began by frankly saying he is bisexual, explaining: “When I was younger I thought I was straight, because I was more attracted to women, and I didn’t know there were more options besides gay and straight. So I just assumed I was straight.”
Fredericks continued: “I am privileged and have never been discriminated against for my sexuality or ashamed of it.
“I’m truly sorry for any of you who have been, and I hope it gets better.
“I’ll probably lose some fans over this post, but that’s fine with me.”
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Several fans shared their support for the singer on Instagram.
One person wrote that “any kind of Sawyer is a fantastic Sawyer” while another called the singer a “truly brave and inspiring man”.
A follower added that anyone upset by Sawyer Fredericks’ living his truth was “never really a true fan” to begin with.
“Mad respect for you to be able to speak your truth,” they added.
Fredericks was crowned the winner of season eight of the NBC singing competition in 2015, making him one of the show’s youngest male winners. He was part of coach Pharrell Williams’ team on The Voice.
In a recent interview with the Daily Gazette, the singer-songwriter revealed that he had moved from his family farm to an apartment with his partner. He told the outlet that the pair have been together for nearly five years after meeting each other at a rock climbing gym.
Fredericks added it was the first time that he’s lived with someone else besides his family so he was still getting used to divvying up some household chores.
“We both have our responsibilities of making sure the apartment is clean,” Fredericks said. “I can’t even really call them chores.”
He added: “I’m so used to chores being like ‘you are going to go out to the barn and muck a giant stall’.
“So I just sweep the floor? It feels easy.”
