

Pope, 23, was declared the Season 3 champion of "The Voice" Wednesday night at the end of a bloated and glitzy two-hour finale. She beat out Scottish rocker Terry McDermott and old-school funk specialist Nicholas David to capture the $100,000 cash prize and a recording contract with Universal Republic.


But it remains to be seen if Pope can thrive now that the cameras have stopped rolling. Though "The Voice" is one of the highest-rated programs on TV, it hasn't been a reliable star-maker. The show's first two winners, Javier Colon and Jermaine Paul, have yet to make a dent on the charts.

Those singers are R&B/soul specialists. Pope, in contrast. is a pop singer who has been compared to Avril Lavigne. Under the guidance of "Voice" mentor Blake Shelton, she also displayed a knack for country tunes. Her version of Faith Hill's "Cry" is currently No. 1 on the iTunes chart.

Pope broke away from the band, Hey Monday, to go solo for "The Voice."

"I was nervous to step out on my own and this experience made me feel like I could do it," she said. "All four of you (coaches) have made me feel like I could do it. Thank you."


The coaching panel will look dramatically different when "The Voice" returns for Season 4 in March. Both Cee Lo Green, who mentored David, and Christina Aguilera are taking a temporary leave to tend to other projects. Shakira and Usher will take over their spinning chairs alongside returnees Shelton and Adam Levine.


dress with feathered shoulders and sparkly jewelry.



The live performances wrapped up with all four coaches combining to sing Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)."

Terry McDermott, Cassadee Pope, Nicholas David, Carson Daly on &quot;The Voice&quot; finale.
Terry McDermott, Cassadee Pope, Nicholas David, Carson Daly on "The Voice" finale. (Trae Patton/NBC)