WTHR's Matt McCutcheon caught up with newly crowned Voice champion Josh Kaufman Saturday morning just before he served as honorary grand marshal of the 500 Festival Parade.
Josh returned to Indianapolis Thursday night amid fanfare, signing autographs and snapping selfies. His dizzying week included performances on the TODAY Show and the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon after Tuesday's big win.
Josh spoke to WTHR at the Hilton Hotel Saturday. We asked him if he ever anticipated winning.
"Not at all. Even when I started the process of doing The Voice and going through the show, you want to get to the point where you win, of course. That's what you're looking for. But to imagine that it'll actually happen and to know even having an idea of what comes with that, you can't even begin to fathom it," he said.
Josh says the implications of his success are only just starting to sink in. "I think I still need to kind of let it process. It's been pretty fast-paced. I did have a little bit of a day off yesterday but for the most part it's just kind of been 'go go go' since the show ended."
Josh is excited to be back home with his family. "They're doing well with it. I think for them it's kind of an adjustment too to let it sink in and figure out what we do next," he said.
He said he was looking forward to the parade and to his performance at the Snakepit Ball Saturday evening.
"It's gonna be a fun weekend. We're gonna be involved all the way from the beginning today through tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be a lot of fun."
Up next is The Voice tour, which starts June 21st in San Antonio. The tour includes 31 cities, but not Indianapolis - something Josh is disappointed about. But he says the tour will make a stop in Chicago July 16th "so hopefully some people can make it up there."
Josh's next big project will be his new album. The winner of The Voice gets a record deal. "That's the next couple of steps that are really important."
Speaking about his newfound fame, he remarked, "It's crazy. It's funny how many people I run into. I've made connections with people I sort of lost touch with. You have to get used to people recognizing you. But it's fun. I've had such a good time since I've been back home."
Catch Josh tonight on WTHR's Snakepit Ball coverage Saturday from 6-7 pm or watch a live stream on WTHR.com or the WTHR news app.
