The Voice’s Matt McAndrew comes back to World Cafe Live

Sometimes not winning is the best thing that canhappen — at least on TV singing competitions. Jennifer Hudson finished seventh on “American Idol’’ in 2004 and later won an Academy Award; Jacquie Lee finished second on “The Voice” in 2013, and she became a breakout star with an Atlantic Records deal.

Now comes Philly’s Matt McAndrew, who finished second on the just-completed season of “The Voice.”

“Going into this process, I was just hoping to get on one or two episodes for the exposure,” McAndrew, 24, says. “Just to make it to the finals is incredible as far as I’m concerned. It’s an amazing platform. I have so much love for the show and everybody who works on it, I’m just excited about everything that’s gone down.”

McAndrew, who was coached by Adam Levine of Maroon 5, was beat by country stud Craig Wayne Boyd. But not before McAndrew demonstrated an impressive versatility on the show. His original “Wasted Love” soared on gospel wings, he delivered the pensive pop of Coldplay’s “Fix You” and he channeled the voice of the late Carl Wilson on The Beach Boys’ classic, “God Only Knows.”

“If I were making a record I wouldn’t be able to cover such a broad scope [of styles] because it would be really be in-cohesive, but in the setting of the show it was really cool,” McAndrew says. “It was fun for me to show different sides of myself.”

No matter which side, it’s probably covered with a tattoo.

“I get a lot of work done at Olde City Tattoo [by] Joey Knuckles,” McAndrew says. “Obviously, I’m always down to get some more work done.”

McAndrew, a Jersey Shore transplant who moved to the city to study at the University of the Arts, plays a sold-out, hometown show Friday at World Cafe Live.

Friday, 8 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., Sold out, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com