‘The Voice’ Winner Jake Hoot Still Has a Regular Job

He might be the reigning winner of The Voice, but Jake Hoot still has a day job! The 31-year-old took time away from his work with radio stations to compete on the reality TV talent show, but is now back at his regular employment, all while juggling his music career.

“I’m a sales executive for the radio stations in Cookeville,” Hoot told CMT, speaking of the Tennessee town he calls home. “Being on The Voice has been hard because I love spending time with my clients. Just going to sit and talk and catch up and whatnot. It’s all about building those relationships. God tells us to be good stewards of what we’re given, and so I actually want to see my clients succeed.

“But now, I get there and people want to take pictures and get my autograph,” he added. “Which is awesome, and I’m grateful, but that makes it hard to get my work done.”

Hoot graduated from college in 2013, and had an eclectic career path since then, although never pursuing music full-time.

“I’d worked in a zinc mine, on a demolition crew in New Orleans, then with an electric crew in Houston,” Hoot recounted. “So I stayed busy. And then when I graduated, I had offers to teach, but I really wanted to get out and do something outside the classroom. So I started doing electrical work, and did that for a while.

“Then I got a job in heating and air, and did that for a while,” he continued. “And then I heard about a job opening at the radio station one day, and thought that would be a good opportunity. I’ve been there for six years now.”

It’s ironic that Hoot spent time doing electrical work, since electricity wasn’t something he was used to, at least in his early years, thanks to being raised on the mission field in the Dominican Republic by his parents.

“The way we grew up made me who I was,” Hoot insisted. “I was blown away when we got to the United States and we had electricity 24/7. And I remember when one of my brothers stepped on grass for the first time when we were in the U.S., and he was like, ‘Dad, what is this?’ We just weren’t used to that kind of stuff, and that influenced me. There were moments when I thought that the things my mom and dad did were the norm, and then come to find out that there’s not a whole lot of people like that.”

Hoot was on Kelly Clarkson‘s team, marking Clarkson’s third win overall.

Photo Credit: Getty / NBC