Country crooner Jaelen Johnston may have been runner-up on season 27 of “The Voice,” but he’s clearly number one in the hearts and minds of fans from the area where he grew up, near Wichita, Kansas.
On June 7, 2025, a huge crowd showed up to hear the 22-year-old country singer, who opened for Chris Jansen at Wichita River Fest, according to photos he shared in his Instagram Stories.
“Thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for an amazing night,” he wrote above a photo of him onstage at the outdoor venue. “I can’t wait to be back 😎”
Jaelen Johnston ‘Still on a High’ After Hometown Show
Johnston told Wichita festival organizers his musical career started when he was 16 in nearby Derby, back when his grandparents bought him a pawn shop guitar. When he auditioned for “The Voice,” he got three chair turns — but chose to work with country star and first-time coach Kelsea Ballerini.
He made it all the way to the finale, but forgot a few of his lyrics on the finale episode that aired on May 19, which he later told Entertainment Weekly was a terrible feeling.
“I think the worst thing is when you forget lyrics on stage,” he told the outlet. “It really is the worst side of it, to be honest.”
But Ballerini said on the show that he quickly redeemed himself. Johnston then went on to nail his other performances, including a duet with his coach. Making it all the way to be named runner-up was surreal for Johnston, and he’d been on the road performing since the finale. But seeing the support from his hometown was incredibly special.
“Still on a high from last night,” Johnston wrote in his June 8 Instagram Story. “Y’all have no idea how much your support means to me, this is my biggest show to date and I have really felt the Kansas love … I’m so proud of my roots. ❤️”
Jaelen Johnston Says Last 2 Weeks on ‘The Voice’ Were the ‘Most Stressful of My Life’
Although Johnston gained lots of exposure on “The Voice,” he told Entertainment Weekly before the finale that the best part for him was “making connections and friends, and it’s been amazing. Everybody out here deserves to be here. They’re phenomenal, phenomenal artists, even better people.”
He admitted to local station KSN that handling the pressure of the show had “definitely been a process,” adding, “The last two weeks, I think, were the most stressful of my life.”
“But I made it through it,” he smiled. “So now, being back home, it’s a great feeling.”
Johnston will play multiple shows around the state of Kansas throughout the month of June, with other performances scheduled in Nebraska and Missouri the remainder of the summer.
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Jaelen Johnston Blown Away by Huge Hometown Crowd 2 Weeks After ‘The Voice’