‘The show is over but not my journey.’ Fresno singer is runner-up on 'The Voice’

It took more than a decade and one shy of a dozen failed auditions, but Ralph Edward finally got his chance to be on “The Voice.”

And he almost won.

The 30-year-old Fresno singer was the runner-up on the season 28 finale, which aired Monday and Tuesday and featured three performances from Edwards, including a holiday duet with coach Snoop Dogg.

Ultimately, Edwards lost to a 20-year-old singer from Texas named Aiden Ross, but not before he made Snoop Dogg cry with his rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” in the playoff round. And not before belting through Foreigner’s “I Want to Know what Love Is” backed by a cadre of dancers and a full choir, in a performance filled with rolling fog and fireworks (both literal and figurative, based on Snoop Dogg’s reaction).

“The fact that I did it on national television, that was a dream come true,” says Edwards, talking to The Bee during a break on his way back to Fresno.

Edwards has been singing since he was 3 years old and performing on stage since his choir days at Kastner Middle School (and later Clovis West and Fresno City College). Over the past 12 years, he auditioned for just about every singing competition show you can think of.

He tried to get on “The Voice” 11 times before scoring a four-chair turn during his blind audition this summer. He spent the next four months wowing audiences and judges with a series of performances that earned him the nickname “Wreck it Ralph.”

“The show is over but not my journey,” Edwards says.

“We’re not taking no days off. It’s full speed ahead.”

On the agenda:

* He’s slated to sing the National Anthem at the Arizona bowl (or, the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl) Dec. 27. Fresno State is playing Miami of Ohio in bit of happy coincidence. “It’ll be a whole Fresno thing,” Edwards says.

* Then, there’ s a Valentine Night Out concert at Warnors Theatre that Edwards’ band Vibe Check announced before the finale (you may want to check on tickets quick now).

Mostly, he’s “stepping down from the stage and straight into the studio,” Edwards says.

He’s ready to record some original music. Plus, fans are clamoring to have him actually cut and release that Christmas duet with Snoop. So, that’s an idea he’ll pursue, maybe for next year.

While he didn’t win the show, the outcome doesn’t change the message for Edwards.

“Music is why I live. It is what I do,” he says.

“We’re just scratching the surface.”