Mark Hood – The Voice

By starrymag | November 20, 2015

Q) Did you have a feeling last night that it was possibly your time?

A) I thought I would have to do my second save song but I thought that I had a chance to stay. I didn’t think I was going home. I did not think I would be sitting in an airport right now. But I had the feeling that I would have to sing my second save song. I was practicing with the vocal coach all day like we were going over lyrics because I just thought I would have to. But everything happens for a reason.

Q) So you were an artist who stayed on Pharrell’s team the whole time you were on The Voice you were never stolen. Looking back, do you think that presented you with an advantage because maybe staying with one coach was more productive for you or do you see it as a disadvantage because maybe you missed out on some additional insight?

A) It was absolutely an advantage because Pharrell is a genius. He is absolutely one of the most incredible, amazing individuals that I have ever worked with or even met. So just to be with him for the entire time was just amazing and just a blessing to have that opportunity. Me and Pharrell have a connection on a deeper level than music, like there’s a life connection, a mental connection. So I actually don’t know if I would have had that with anybody else so I’m very happy that I was with Pharrell the entire time.

Q) When watching The Voice you were seeing artists get to rehearse with his or her coach once or twice tops before a performance but last night I noticed Pharrell had FaceTimed you. How much time did you spend, how much were you in contact with him?

A) Yes I could be in contact with him as much as I wanted especially like via email and then we would get our sessions with him. And then like FaceTime and that was just an added extra, you know. I didn’t even know that we were going to be able to do that but then they say well you will be able to FaceTime your coach. So that was just incredible.

Q) So do you have a favorite memory from your journey that you can share with us, like anything that happened yesterday or maybe from the previous shows?

A) Well one of my favorite memories that America has seen is meeting Rihanna and working with her. It was so cool. Like number one she’s so beautiful besides, you know, taking the back door oh my gosh, Rihanna, and then she is so knowledgeable. Like I just didn’t know that she would kind of come in the way she did. Like she came out kind of cracking the whip on us like no, sing it like this, no do this. And I just loved every minute of being with her and Pharrell because we just vibed so well and I just laughed the whole time. Most of the time on the show intentionally and unintentionally I was making people laugh. I don’t even understand why but it was just happening. So doing that to Rihanna and her telling me that she loved me was awesome so that was a really great memory.

Q) Looking back do you think you would want to stay with Pharrell if you had a choice or would you like to choose one of the other coaches?

A) Pharrell Williams 100%. I made the best decision. Every day I was thinking myself, I said every round I would say man I’m so glad I chose Pharrell. Like this man knows what he’s doing with me. He believed in me because, you know, he called my name several times, the battle, the knockouts, The Voice playoffs. Like he just believes in me so much and I just know I chose the right person. say if I had to choose to be on anybody else’s team it would be Gwen Stefani because I love her and she loves me and she – that’s a great coach for her team.

Q) You said that you were not a one trick pony. I wanted to know what you were planning on showing to America if you stayed for the next few rounds?

A) Yes next week I was thinking a country song. I can say it now it was already picked out. So, I – that was going to show America a completely different side of me. And I was excited to do that but that day did not come.

Q) What country song was it?

A) I don’t know if I can say because then somebody else might sing it. But it was a real one and I was really excited about singing it. You know, it would have showed a very different side of me and I feel like America kind of needed to see that. But it is well.

Q) The auditions for the next upcoming season are in January for the next season or the season after. What advice would you give to somebody who is going to go audition at the open call auditions or any auditions for The Voice? What is the best advice or several pieces of advice you would tell them to do or to get where you were at or even to get into the whole thing?

A) Most importantly it’s singing with your heart. My heart got me through this competition and they were making me all the time. Like I just have a love for this, a hunger for this, a passion for this and that read to them in my performances. The Voice is about singing. Of course, you have to be able to sing but you can’t just rest on that. You’ve got to have something to go with that. So I always say sing with your heart. What comes from the heart reaches the heart and that’s very important. I live by that. So if nothing else, sing from your heart and everything else will be fine.

Q) Did you automatically know you were going to audition or did it take you a couple of times when you decided to go audition?

A) Yes I went a couple of years ago and didn’t make it and was kind of over it and an opportunity came up this year and I was like oh I may as well go, you know, I don’t have anything else to do. I’m not busy, why not, you know?

Q) You’ve done some acting in the past and of course you’ve had all this success on The Voice. What do you see for yourself moving forward?

A) I see a career, a very big acting career. My acting career was already budding before the show like with theater and television and commercials. So I see a Broadway career very in the near future. And TV as well. Before I left to do the show I was going through several like TV auditions and stuff. Next year you’ll either see me on your TV screen or on a Broadway stage.

Q) Do you think you’ll be releasing music as well and if so what genre?

A) Absolutely, absolutely. My genre is called pop soul so as soon as I’m able to release music — of course you guys know that we have contracts and stuff like that. But I was working before I left and even while I was there I was writing music and so getting things prepared for whenever my time was to be gone. And so I think I’m going to be able to give a really nice sound pop soul thing, popular music with a soul R&B vibe. That’s the plan.

Q) Last week Pharrell decided to save you when America voted Madi and Evan into the top 12. You seemed to struggle with the decision but you didn’t really have time to explain it other than saying he went out on a limb for you. What did he tell you after the show? Like what was his reasoning and how did it make you feel?

A) I was just thanking him and he was like don’t thank me, thank God. You’re special. You’re just a special guy, you know? And it’s so crazy, it’s one big circle because I got four chairs and I told him the truth which is the reason that I picked him was because God told me to. And then so to go full circle around and for him to tell me the reason that he chose me is because of God is kind of like wow, one circle with God at the center of it. It all makes sense.

Q) It’s undeniable that Jordan Smith is a frontrunner in the competition right now. The coaches are basically obsessed with him. Did you or anyone else that you know of sort of see it as he’s the guy to beat, that it’s sort of everyone against Jordan in a way?

A) No, he wasn’t the guy to beat because nobody is going to beat him. You’ve got to know your role and your lane on the show, at least for me, and to know where you sit. I knew that I wasn’t going to beat Jordan, I just wanted to stay in it long enough to hang around. But, I mean, I knew – it’s kind of like – it’s the snowball effect, it’s inevitable. It’s clear that there is a fan favorite. So you just play your game and play your cards right for your personal career and that’s what is most important.

Q) Is there a certain TV show or anything that you would like to be involved in?

A) Yes, I would really love to be on How to Get Away With Murder with Shonda Rhimes or Scandal or if shot in Chicago I would love to be part of Empire or the new Dick Wolf trilogy, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med as a reoccurring character. Like I have been on Chicago Fire. I would like to be a regular on one of those shows. It would be great to do that in my hometown.

Q) I was just wondering if you could give me a little feedback on the performance with Pharrell last night. You guys seemed to sing great together. How was that experience?

A) Oh my God, man like that’s the kind of stuff that makes me like sad, you know, because it’s like I won’t be able to do that again, you know. That was the most incredible thing ever. Rehearsing for it the day before, I just kept saying to him like P, I never thought it coming, like I never thought us getting together or standing together on this stage just rehearsing and chilling and talking. Like he doesn’t treat us as like contestants, like he treats us as like almost like colleagues. So like we’re just like bouncing ideas off each other, he wants us to do it how we want to do it, like it was just incredible.

Q) And also just your performance of Signed, Sealed, Delivered was just fantastic. Just going out of the show on a high note, can you talk about that a little bit? It was an excellent performance?

A) I said this could be my last time. I looked up to God and said let’s do it, you know, I just wanted to give everything I had. And I did. So, you know, I have no regrets or nothing at this point because I can really say that I gave everything I had for my last performance and, you know, it just wasn’t good enough for that moment. But it’s okay.

Q) Adam was saying how he was scared to perform with Stevie Wonder. Who is someone that you would be like scared or intimated to perform with?

A) Oh well absolutely like Stevie Wonder. He is one of my heroes. But somebody more close to like what I do would be Usher. Usher is like my ultimate hero and I just love him so much. And so if I have to perform with him I’ll probably be like oh my God, I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it because he’s so great. So he is someone like that for me.

Q) We don’t see a lot of the rehearsals and stuff that you go through because I know there’s a lot of it. What was the toughest part of doing the process?

A) The process is grueling. It’s so many more hours than you can imagine. Like it’s so many things if we’re going live on a Monday. Like at the live playoffs we had Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to get ready for a live show. So, you know, we were recording iTunes at 1:00 in the morning, we were rehearsing with Pharrell like 10:00 at night, there were interviews, photo shoots, it’s a grueling schedule. It is little sleep, loss of voice, but it’s all worth it. It was all worth it.

Q) Now that you’re not on the show, is there anyone you’re rooting for, anyone you think will take the whole thing?

A) I am rooting for each and every one of them. I love them all as brothers and sisters so I want them all to make it. Of course I want my hometown boy Jeffery Austin to do well, Chicago, I want to keep Chicago there. But I don’t have any bias towards anybody, each and every one of them, Jeffery, Amy, Braiden, Madi, Evan, everybody, Jordan, Shelby, I shouldn’t call names because I’m forgetting some. But I want them all to do well.

Q) Pharrell, I mean, he seemed like a very good coach and you guys seemed to have very good chemistry. What was the best advice that he has given to you?

A) He really helped me with not doubting myself. Like he went kind of like uncle mode on me like is this the end of that doubt? Because before the knockouts I was really going through like with doubting myself and not thinking that I could do it. But he really like instilled in me that I should have no fear, that I can do anything, and like the doubt in myself is cheating myself and that’s not okay. So I appreciate him so much for that.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*