Sadie Dahl may not have won NBC’s "The Voice," but her participation on the show last fall represents a victory for the 20-year-old Draper singer-songwriter. She overcame feelings of self-doubt to deliver vocal performances that won acclaim from the judges and support from fans. Being on "The Voice" has given Dahl the impetus to take the next steps in her career and share her music with new audiences.

"My musical journey has been pretty unique," she said. Dahl started violin lessons at age 4 and dreamed of playing in a symphony orchestra. She explained that her musical tastes changed to jazz and later R&B as she grew up. Dahl found herself singing along to her favorite songs, however, she said, “I was terrified of performing in front of anybody.”

Sadie Dahl performed the song “Colors” by the Black Pumas for her blind audition on NBC’s “The Voice.” (Photo by Griffin Nagel/NBC)

That changed when Dahl attended Timberline Middle School and watched other students perform at the school talent show. “I felt like I should be up there on that stage,” she said. “The next year I did it. I sang ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon in front of all my peers. After that, I tried to say yes to every singing opportunity.”

Dahl’s mother, Alicia, noted that Dahl studied for two years with local voice coach Dean Kaelin. “He has helped her to improve her range and even tackle songs outside of her style and range,” she said.

At age 17, Dahl was a winner in the professional division of the 2023 Sing Utah competition in Provo. The following year she won “Draper Idol.” “That gave me the confidence to audition for ‘The Voice,’” she said. “I submitted a video and, a year later, here I am.”

“Being able to represent Draper on the show has been an honor,” she said, noting that she has lived in Draper City her whole life. Dahl attended Timberline Middle School and graduated from Lone Peak High School.

Dahl’s parents are supportive of her musical career. Alicia explained, “The thing people don’t know about Sadie is that she writes and performs her own music.”

She recalled her feelings when she overheard Dahl playing original songs on her violin. “As a mom I was like, ‘Wow! I’ve got to get this girl some equipment to record this music that’s in her head,’” Alicia said. “We’ve really tried to encourage her.”

Dahl’s choice to sing the song “Colors” by the Black Pumas for her blind audition on “The Voice” was made in part because it is her dad’s favorite song. “It has an uplifting message,” she said. “It was so exciting to get the approval from the Black Pumas to do it.”

Reba McIntyre, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan and Michael Bublé are the four celebrity judges on the current season of “The Voice.” During Dahl’s blind audition, all four turned their chairs around indicating that they were impressed with her performance.

Sadie Dahl was photographed during rehearsals for the knock-out round on season 28 of NBC’s “The Voice.” (Photo by Casey Durkin/NBC)

 For Dahl, that moment was the most memorable part of being on the show. “It was such a big step for me in every way,” she said. Some of her fellow competitors had professional singing experience. “I felt some imposter syndrome and battled with feeling worthy of being there,” she explained. “I will never forget standing there in the waiting room. I had to say a really big prayer, going up on that stage felt like such a big thing to do on my own.”

As the judges reacted to her singing and turned their chairs to face her, Dahl’s confidence grew. “There’s a lyric in the song, ‘It’s a good day to be, a good day for me,’” she said. “I was relating to it with every word. It was so validating, I just couldn’t believe it.”

Dahl had many “pinch me” moments during her time on “The Voice.” She turned 20 while she was there. “Snoop Dogg remembered my birthday!” she said. At first she joined Team Snoop but later ended up on Team Niall.

The most challenging part of being on the show was the process involved in preparing for the “knock out” round. “You have less time to prepare,” she said. “I got the song ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’ by Sam Smith. I went into the rehearsal with Niall and my nerves were running high. I realized that I didn’t totally love the rendition and we changed the key. Those two days of rehearsals were stressful for me. It was crunch time.”

During the knock-out battles, two singers are pitted against each other and only one is chosen to advance to the next round. Dahl went head to head with Ava Nat who performed “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from “Grease.” While Reba McIntyre praised both singers as “absolutely fantastic” and Michael Bublé complimented Dahl’s vibrato, Nat was chosen as the winner of the round.

Dahl is proud of her performance that night. “That was by far my most confident performance,” she said. “I left the show on a high note.”

Reflecting on her experience on “The Voice,” Dahl expressed her gratitude for the opportunity. “This was the most amazing thing I have done so far,” she said. “I made some of the best friends. You can have the most successful moments in your life but what’s really important are the people who are with you along the way and taking God with you every step.”

Dahl’s career goal is to pursue singing and songwriting professionally. For her next steps, she said that she would “maybe do an EP or a single release. I’m still figuring it out. I want to get out there and start performing.”

“We’re all excited for her to get her music out there,” Alicia said.

The finale of season 28 of “The Voice” will air locally at 9 p.m. on NBC on Dec. 15 and 16.