SoCal church celebrates 'awesome' run for 'The Voice' runner-up, worship singer Bodie
A fan favorite from this season’s “The Voice” is no stranger to using his voice for praise and worship at one Southern California church.
Bodie Kuljian, better known by his fans simply as Bodie, serves as one of the worship leaders at Oceans Church in Irvine, California, where he helps lead worship between the church’s two campuses.
A church leader who asked not to be identified told The Christian Post that 29-year-old Bodie and his family have been attending Oceans for about three years.
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In addition to worship, Bodie is also “actively involved” in writing and producing Oceans’ music, as well providing creative input on the church's media production.
But it wasn’t until Bodie went viral after the father of three sang a rendition of Brandon Lake’s “Gratitude” that everything changed.
To celebrate their hometown hero, Oceans held watch parties at both campuses, including when Bodie had his “four-chair turn” audition.
“That was a really special night to celebrate with him,” the Oceans spokesperson told CP.
When it was time for “Fan Week” on “The Voice,” when contestants had to perform a song chosen by the fans, the Oceans community gathered together to cheer him on.
And despite coming in second to ultimate “Voice” winner Brent Leatherwood, Oceans couldn’t be more thrilled by Bodie’s performance throughout the competition.
“We are so proud of Bodie, and it was awesome to watch the church fully rally and support him,” the spokesperson said.
Taking it all in stride, Bodie said, “second place ain’t so bad.”
He wrote: “I am so excited to finally be free and make music and do the things I want to do. You guys are about to see some of the coolest stuff I’ve ever done happen this year.”
Bodie has since teased new music in the works, sharing with fans on Dec. 14 this message: "I am blown away by the love and support y’all have shown me through this process. If you loved what I did on the show, just wait until you see/hear what I have planned.”
He also hasn’t been shy about his struggle with depression: earlier this month, Bodie revealed more about his song “Happy Now,” sharing that he wrote the song after he “broke up” with depression.
“I got tired of seeing songs on the radio pop up that kind of romanticize the idea of depression, romanticize the idea of let’s be sad together. I guess I kind of paid more attention after that or noticed the rising rate of suicide in young adults. It just started to anger me in a way that I can’t really explain,” he said in a Dec. 7 video.
The song is part of what Bodie has described as a larger personal effort to “take a stand and break up with those things in my life and break up with the world influencing me in a negative way and say, ‘You know what, I am called to so much more than my circumstances.
"I am called to so much more than how I might feel in this moment of pain.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
