Interviews
The Voice – Blind Auditions – Night Five
Q) For Shannon and Whitney, I was hoping you could tell us why you went with Alicia after expressing a preference for Blake and a little bit about that conversation the two of you were having on stage. And let me know who is speaking please.
Shannon: We definitely strategized beforehand. We kind of had planned to pick Blake because we have a little bit of a country influence and we thought that he would get our styles the best. But when we got up there, we saw Alicia Keys and she charmed us completely and so we kind of couldn’t help but go with her. We just felt really connected to her and we felt like she got us the best out of all of the coaches. And then Whitney, if you want to talk about our conversation.
Whitney: I think one of the main things Alicia said was that she didn’t want to put us in a box as far as our style of music goes and that’s really important to us to have freedom to kind of do whatever we want. And so when we were on stage, we had both talked about going with Blake and both of us, as Alicia was talking, we kind of changed our minds. So when we turned and looked at each other, we were both hoping that the other person was going to go with Alicia and thankfully, we both felt the same thing. So we picked her.
Q) Blake was correct. The Voice has been tough for duos. I’m pretty sure the Swamp Brothers are the only ones ever to make it to the voting rounds. Do you have a strategy for dealing with that?
Shannon: I think we’re just going to be true to ourselves and just work hard. I mean so far that’s all we’ve ever really done is just put in the work and do our best. And whatever the outcome is, we’ll be able to be happy with that because we know that we gave it our all.
Mark Franklin: Okay. Thank you very much ladies and best of luck.
Q) Courtney, it was a surprise that you picked Blake over Alicia mainly because you made Alicia cry and she was gushing about how much she connected with you. I know you explained your decision briefly last night but could you elaborate on that choice and what did you think Blake could do for you that Alicia could not?
Courtney Harrell: Hi. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how I fully came to this decision but prior to coming here, I did give some thought to whom I felt would be the better fit for me. Again, I’m a songwriter and I do that professionally. And so what I appreciate about Blake and just the world that he comes from – country music has some of the greatest songwriters – greatest songs ever. And I wanted to be in a welcomed into a world that was so dear to my heart that would also stretch me not just musically in terms of my performance vocally, but just my understanding in how to interpret songs that are different than my writing style. And so I really just – I felt like this was a chance for me to kind of dive into the deep. I was already taking a chance showing up in this way anyway so why not go big and I threw myself into it and just hope I can swim. And that kind of was my main motivation in making that choice. But in addition to that, Blake seems to have a great reverence for true artistry and great voices. And he — as great as he is — he finds a way to nurture and respect the stylings and the craft of someone who is completely unlike himself without stripping that artist of who they truly are. And so I can see that he has a great way of nurturing and fostering artists. He has an amazing track record and I just wanted to be a part of that legacy.
Q) For Whitney and Shannon, just curious about the song choice. You guys chose to go with the Dixie Chicks’ version and I know you guys already talked about this but I’m wondering did you guys pick that particular version because you were intending on going with Blake in the beginning?
Shannon: We’ve actually sang that version before. It’s kind of one that we were really familiar with and we think that just with our style and with having harmonies and all of that, it was the version that suited us the best. So it wasn’t necessarily because of Blake but we thought that if anyone would enjoy it, it would be Blake.
Q) Josette, when you went for your audition, did you know Miley was the only one and if you knew what was your thoughts and did you change anything about your audition?
Josette Diaz: I did not know Miley was the only one but I did have an idea of how many spots were left and I think that’s why I came in very nervous and not knowing what to expect. I knew that the teams were filling up and I knew that I was the last few to go. So that definitely made me very nervous but when Miley turned around for me, I just – I can’t even put into words how excited I was. It was a dream come true for sure.
Q) For Tarra Layne, talk to me a little bit about your connection to Pittsburgh.
Tarra Layne: Yes, I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I’m from the North Side and I actually went to Hampton Township School District growing up. But yes, I’ve always loved Pittsburgh. I started my whole self-discovery there, moved to Nashville and then puzzled my way out to L.A. and here I am now.
Q) What would you say to all of your supporters here? Because the Voice is huge and always when we’ve got someone from Pittsburgh it’s a big deal. What would you say to your supporters and the people that you still know here in Pittsburgh?
Tarra Layne: Well, obviously thank you for the support. I feel like if it wasn’t for my hometown and everybody who has been supporting me along the way, there’s definitely no way I would have been – have kept going. I mean everybody is always like, oh, you know, small people but it’s one of those things where to me, the small people are the most important. So I’m so, so, so proud from being from Pittsburgh and all the support that everybody has been showing me so far is absolutely incredible.
Q) For Blaine, I saw on the show last night you live in Arizona but on the notice they sent out today, saw you’re originally from here in Parkersburg. So can you tell me a little bit about your history with Parkersburg?
Blaine Long: Well, the show is I think a little something silly there. I was born there. My dad used to work on the Ohio River and so we have – I have a lot of family in Reedsville, and Columbus, and Ohio there but more than a couple members of my family work on the river. So I just happened to be born there. My brother was born there in the same hospital my dad was born in. So it’s kind of strange and it’s pretty random but, you know.
Q) We’re really excited here in Arizona that you made Team Blake. What went behind you picking him as a coach since so many of your songs are original and he referenced a lot of older country artists. So how do you feel about that and what went behind your decision?
Blaine Long: Right, well, I originally went in wanting Alicia. I was very excited for that opportunity but to be honest, I didn’t think anybody would turn at all. So having to choose was strange. What Blake said – and I don’t think it made the cut – I’m not sure, at one point he mentioned great songwriters and I like those guys but I don’t consider myself a country artist. I don’t consider myself a rock artist either and I’m on that chart. But what he said at one point was as an original artist, I will fight for you with the producers. I will make sure you’ll get the right songs and so that right there – I felt like I had someone on my side. So that was – besides him mentioning great songwriters – he followed I think that comment up with I’ll fight for you. So I think it was – I had to pick him.
Q) On that line, do you think the fact that he sticks by his artists generally after the show had anything to do with your decision at all?
Blaine Long: No ma’am. I’ve never really followed the show. I didn’t know about that. I think we’ll have to wait and see if he sticks by his artists as far as I’m concerned. I’m excited to see what happens. He’s been the winner, right. So I guess he’s the guy. I apologize, I should know more.
Q) Maye, how did you make your decision to pick Miley?
Maye Thomas: I think going into it, I really wanted to pick Miley. I was really hoping that she would turn around for me. Miley just as an artist is super. She’s just unapologetic and she knows who she is and she’s very loud about that. And I really love that and I’m at this point in my life where I want to be who I am loudly. And I think that she’s just the perfect coach for me because of just that reason alone and especially being in this kind of – being on this kind of platform, I want to have somebody guiding me that is making sure that I’m being true to myself and I just was hoping that she would turn because I wanted that kind of coaching. So that is why I picked Miley.
Q) My question is for the four singers we really didn’t get to hear last night. I was hoping each of you could fill us in on what we didn’t see, how your audition went, how you thought about your song, how you feel about the team you wound up on, that sort of thing. And let’s go out alphabetically, if we could start with Belle please.
Belle Jewel: Thank you so much. So that audition was probably the most fun I’ve ever had on stage. It was just so incredible to be in front of all that talent and all that wisdom and just know that they were hearing what I love to do most and that was really an incredible thing.
Q) And how do you feel about your song and team you wound up on?
Belle Jewel: I was really glad that I was able to have a song that I could make my own and put my own twist on it. So I really enjoyed that aspect of it and I really couldn’t be more thrilled to be on Team Alicia. It’s a dream come true for sure.
Charity Bowden: So (I sang) Girl Crush and it was a song that I knew pretty well so I’m comfortable out there. And when I got on stage, I was a little bit nervous but it was honestly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done. Just being on that stage and knowing that four of the biggest stars in music are listening to you is something so incredible that not many will have the opportunity to do. And I absolutely love being on Team Miley and it’s something that I never would have thought would have happened. And now that it has, it’s just been an amazing journey.
Q) And was she the only one who turned?
Charity Bowden: No, Miley and Alicia turned.
Q) Okay. And what made you choose Miley?
Charity Bowden: I chose Miley because it was one of the things that my gut was just kind of telling me to go with it, even though I almost went with Alicia. I really didn’t know what I was going to do and it came out of my mouth and I was like okay, that’s who I’m with. That’s cool. And I was – and it just happened and Miley said some things to me that were awesome and how much she believed in me and then Alicia said amazing things too, telling me to always be myself and it was really hard for me to choose but I’m glad I went with Miley.
JSOUL: I’m doing pretty great right now. I’m on top of the world. It was great watching that last night. That was probably one of the scarier moments for me though on stage. I tried out for the show nine times so the (unintelligible) that this is the first time I’ve gotten this far so nine times perseverance went through I guess the first six times when I was younger, I wasn’t ready for this chance. And then previously, last year, I tried out and it was right before my best friend passed away. So I was overwhelmed with emotion during the first audition and I just broke down and started crying. And that really kind of hit me when I got on stage this time. I just felt every note that came out I was on the verge of just bursting into tears. So it was very difficult for me to get through the entire song and I’m glad that it came out so great and I’m glad Adam turned around for me. He was the only one that turned around. He turned around really quickly too, about 12 or 14 seconds he turned around. And that hit me too. I started smiling and I looked up and I kept singing to the crowed. It was a beautiful moment in my life and I’m glad that I get to share it with my whole family and my hometown of Virginia here is really supporting me and helping. They’re out buying my single and, you know, just that 12, 15 seconds that it showed of my clip and I’m already – I’m at I think 88 now on the R&B charts and it’s an overwhelming day for me. It’s amazing to be on this show and I’m so glad that there’s something like this out there that helps all of us be able to fulfill our dreams and it was an amazing moment.
Tarra Layne: I agree with JSOUL. It’s one of those things where, like, you as artists – we’re hustling, we’re hustling, were hustling and then to get an opportunity like this to be on a stage this big with this much exposure is something that really can’t be described to anybody else. It’s absolutely amazing and even just beginning to that point when I walked up on that stage in front of, of course, four artists who are extremely accomplished – it’s like a feeling that I thought I would never have ever. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared to tell you the truth. I have (performed for) thousands and thousands of people and then you get up on that stage and you forget how to. It’s kind of crazy but the experience was absolutely phenomenal, seeing everybody on TV last night. It was so cool to see everybody that you become friends with over the past couple months and I’m really excited to see what’s to come out of it. It was a great experience and I’m excited to be on Team Blake.
Q) Okay. And was he the only one to turn and why Black Velvet?
Tarra Layne: He was the only one to turn. Black Velvet – when we were asked to choose a few songs, that was one on the list that I of course have performed a ton of times before. It was actually one of the first songs I’ve ever recorded in a studio. I think I was like 20 when I first walked into a studio my first time and did a cover of it. And I thought it was really interesting and serendipitous in a way that it was my blind audition song. So of course I love it. So it was great.
Q) Maye and Kylie, you both got two chairs I believe to turn around for you. Heading to the battle round, were you sort of worried the coaches might have already determined which artist they want to take with them going forward? In other words, did you feel at a disadvantage at all compared to, say, like the four-chair turnarounds who got a lot of hype?
Kylie Rothfield: So I think what’s really cool about this show and kind of watching past seasons is really anything can happen. And I think what maybe all of us kind of feel like is after you get those chairs to turn around, whether it’s one or four, there’s just pure excitement and it kind of drives you to want to improve the next round. nd I think what people will see is that a lot of us use that motivation and that determination and that excitement to really just give it all to the battle rounds. And I don’t know, I think that it’s probably really tough for the coaches to pick between two people on their own team. I’m sure that’s a really difficult decision but I think that everyone will see the battles are amazing and it’s a really intense time and I think there’s definitely some surprises in there too.
Maye Thomas: I agree with everything she just said. I will say going into the battles, it’s like you’re excited because you’re – so anyway- so I don’t really know everything I’m supposed to say. But I will say that that does go through your head – that oh, I wonder if the person that I’m going against did get more chairs than me. You get to where you’re kind of freaking out but at the end of the day, like right before I go on stage, I just center myself and I have to say if I go out there, I have to be undeniable. I think we all go out there and know we have to give it our best and if you give it your all and you go out there and you’re undeniable then you’re going to make it on the other side. And so everyone that we’re on the show with is absolutely incredible and we just – like the hugs that you see people give each other after everything are so genuine because we love each other so much. So it’s so fun.
Q) I’d like to hear the opposite viewpoint I guess. Maybe Blaine, and Whitney and Shannon you could talk to me about this. Since you got three or four chairs to turn, did you feel at an advantage at all going into the battle round in that maybe since the coaches really fought hard for you, they might be less likely to let you go? Or did you feel more pressure for some reason?
Blaine Long: Yes, I think anything goes. You talk to any contestant at any time. It’s rumors flying. It’s everybody guessing – everybody thinks they know exactly what’s happening behind the scenes. So for me, my experience was any time anything could happen. So just do your best and you know what I mean. Everything has to do with everything and everything has to do with nothing. You have no idea what the coaches are looking for, the producers or, you know. So for me, I think honestly, I was just confused and trying to do my best for the whole team. I have no idea. I don’t think anything mattered.
Whitney: We weren’t expecting all four chairs to turn so it was a surprise, a pleasant surprise, and of course very flattering that all four coaches turned. I think it did put a little bit of pressure on us moving forward because we feel like we have to work really hard to keep up that standard that we set, I guess. But it’s also very exciting to know that all four coaches are kind of on our side. So yes.
Shannon: I will say that we kind of felt like after that point it went back to an even playing field where it was really anyone’s game. Because we — no matter what happened that day — we knew that everyone was going to give it their all for the battles. So we felt like we couldn’t slack off or just trust that our four-chair turn would get us through because everyone was working so hard. So we really had to work hard and make sure that we didn’t just expect that the best would happen just because of a four-chair turn.
Q) JSOUL, how long has it been since you’ve been in Virginia Beach and what do you feel that The Voice could do for your career at this point?
JSOUL: I’m actually in Virginia Beach right now. I come back and forth a lot. Yes, I still live in Virginia Beach. I gig all up and down the East Coast, based out of Virginia. I go from here to Philly. I go to Jersey, New York, I go to North Carolina. So I feel like this will give me the much needed exposure I need to further my next steps, whether I want to put an album out, a single, an EP. I also I want to do a lot of things to help my city. There’s a good charity coming up that Z104 does, I know. It’s called Stuff the Bus and I’ve been active in that every year, and I really want to try to see if I can help them any way I can too to help that. It gives toys for less fortunate kids and stuff like that. But everything to do with my city is probably my biggest goal. I consider Virginia Beach my family. So the 7 by 7 is showing me a lot of love right now. Hampton Roads is blowing up all my social media and it makes me smile even more. I don’t think I’ve gone to sleep since it aired last night. I rested a little bit and as soon as I wake up, ten minutes later I have like 1300 notifications from everybody. So it’s surreal. It’s great and anything that I can get from this is going to be much needed for me to further everything else with my career.
Q) And what do you think that you could get from Adam on the show?
JSOUL: Adam is one of my – he’s one of the reasons I started to sing with Maroon 5 and songs about Jane and between him and a couple of other inspirations, I feel like he’s going to ground me. He’s going to help me perfect anything I need to do with my voice. He’ll help me – he’s obviously an amazing musician and an amazing artist himself. So anything that I can learn from him, I’m going to just soak up like a sponge.
Q) Blaine, what is your favorite place to gig or where do you gig the most often?
Blaine Long: That’s a tough one. I used to play at Pizzeria Bianco at Bar Bianco in the Heritage Square and that was my favorite gig. I love the whole Bianco family. But right now, probably my favorite place is Steve’s Greenhouse Grill. It’s downtown Phoenix and I play on a sidewalk that looks like I’m busking and I just love that restaurant. I love the family there and they really support original music and they’ve kept me gigging in the slow season and everything. So they’ve been really great to me. So it’s got to be Steve’s.
Q) Johnny Rez, is was there anything that Blake could have said to you that would have changed your mind to pick him? And also, what were you thinking when no one was turning around and it was getting towards the end of your song?
Johnny Rez: Yes, first of all when no one was turning around, I was definitely sweating on the inside quite a bit. I didn’t know exactly what to expect and I was – I basically got to the last note of the song and no one had turned yet. And in my mind, I was like, well, I guess this is going to be the outcome of this. And then all of a sudden, Adam turns and Blake turns right away right after. I don’t know, as far as Blake saying something to convince me to go with him, I realized watching it over last night that he turned around and he stood up. And I just kind of – it’s so crazy. When you’re in that moment, you step off that stage and at least in my personal case, it was so hard to remember a lot of the dialogue that took place and what had happened. I had – it was hard for me to choose between them too going into it, just because I love Blake – the person that he is and I love country music. But Adam is just a little bit more geared towards what I do. But I’m really not sure exactly what Blake could have said because to be honest, I just – in my mind I had already decided to go with Adam and I kind of just fell back on that decision that I had already made.
Q) Josette, I was hoping you could talk to us a little bit about your audition song, how you selected that song and why you thought it worked out so well for you?
Josette Diaz: Love Yourself is a very acoustic song and it’s the simplicity of it that I always really liked. Whenever I gig, it’s always just me and my guitar and the song is – all you hear really is Justin Bieber and the guitar. And so yes, I thought it was a perfect choice for me and my style of music.
Q) And do you write your own music? Do you have original music and how would you classify it?
Josette Diaz: I do. I’m a very, very, very big songwriter. I’ve been writing since I was seven. I love writing music. It’s definitely a huge passion of mine. My music is very chill – has a very kind of acoustic coffeehouse vibe to it. And yes, I’ve been writing music for the longest time. I started teaching myself how to play the guitar when I was around ten years old and yes, after this, I taught myself how to play the piano and I’ve been writing ever since.
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