“The Voice” has crowned its third-season champion, pop singer Cassadee Pope, and it’s clear from her victory, won after the most votes ever cast for a “Voice” finale, that America wants her to have a long and successful singing career. But as those who’ve followed Pope’s pre-”Voice” career know, the sweet and personable singer has been working hard to make it in the music industry for quite some time now.

The Florida native discovered her love of singing at a young age and cultivated her talent as part of her middle school’s award-winning jazz band. Things didn’t get serious until 2008, when she became lead singer of the newly formed pop punk band Hey Monday. The band was discovered by Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz, and they later signed a joint record deal with Wentz’s label Decaydance and Columbia Records. Read more here