Covid-19: The Voice star Johnny Manuel reveals why he left LA

The Voice finalist Johnny Manuel has opened up about his private pain following his stint on the singing show and why he left LA.

America’s Got Talent star Johnny Manuel captured hearts on The Voice with his spine-tingling vocals and positive demeanour but outside of the show, has dealt with a painful tragedy.

The singer told Confidential that while he managed to escape Covid-riddled Los Angeles last year for a new life in Sydney, he lost two family members and one close friend to the virus.

“I have some family members who we lost, one was age 55,” Manuel said.

“My dad is considered an essential worker and just yesterday he got a call saying someone who he had been with all day tested positive so my dad had to go and get two tests done.

“It affects everyone in the US unfortunately because it’s running rampant and they’re not doing a good job of managing it at this point.”

Johnny Manuel in Centennial Park. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Manuel relocated to Australia for love and is thrilled to be living Down Under, where Covid cases are significantly lower.

He spent most of lockdown pouring his pain into music which he’s excited to share with fans.

“I feel for my family and friends in the US but I’m so happy to be here, I love the culture here I always have,” he said.

Since his stint on The Voice, where he finished as a finalist under Team Guy Sebastian, Manuel has taken a few gambles with his music career including going independent.

He was previously signed to Warner Music and has opened for artists like Jay Z and Destiny’s Child.

He believes the pandemic has significantly impacted the music industry.

Johnny Manuel was a finalist on The Voice.

Johnny Manuel now lives in Australia.

“Covid has definitely made things more challenging in a lot of aspects especially performing live. A lot of my friends who are musicians have missed out on work due to events like BluesFest being cancelled,” he said.

“Many musicians are looking for work and those who are fortunate enough to play can only do so for smaller crowds due to restrictions which makes it harder for us to make money.

“I’ve had a few record deals before with major labels and I’ve never had the opportunity to express myself the way that I wanted to and to have complete creative control. So I wanted to try it on my own just to see the differences that it would have in my career.”

Manuel will hit the stage at Oxford Art Factory on June 18.