The Voice – Blind Auditions Night 1

By starrymag | February 26, 2015

Q) Sawyer, obviously you’re only 15 years old. You’ve accomplished a lot in a short period of time. Can you tell us a little bit about sort of the timeline that led you to this point? At what age did you realize that this was something that you could do? At what age did you put your CD together? And then at what age was it that you first auditioned for the show?

Sawyer Fredericks: Yes absolutely. I started singing basically when I was a baby actually. My mom is always talking about how I always was humming. And I started playing guitar when I was 12 years old. Started doing my first open mics. And then around my town people started offering farmer’s markets to me and I started doing them and kind of just moved up from there and being on The Voice is just amazing.

Q) You have a CD put together. What age were you when you put that together?

Sawyer Fredericks: I think I was 14 years old when I did that. It was independently produced. It’s – the funny thing is that my voice is like an octave higher on that because I had my voice change

Q) And then it must not have been too long after that that you auditioned for The Voice, is that right?

Sawyer Fredericks: Yes. One year later.

Q) What have you learned during the process so far?

Joshua Davis: From my perspective, it’s been an incredible learning experience all around. Just, I’ve learned so much from the other contestants because there’s so much incredible talent and it’s such a strong and kind of tight-knit community. I think people don’t really see that. That we’re all kind of listening to each other and really backing each other up and learning from one another. And that to me has been the most important thing that I’ve taken away from the experience so far is just getting to have that community and to learn from the other singers.

Sarah Potenza: I never thought that I could do this and I learned that I could. I thought that a show like this was for singers that were, like, really slick and smooth and people that were really young and thin and pretty. And I just learned that you just go out there and just really be you and just really be true to who you are and just do your thing, that people really respond to it. And it totally blew me away.

Lowell Oakley: I think one of the biggest things that I’d like to get across is just how genuine the show is and the integrity that the show adheres to. And even from working with my coach, Pharrell this short amount of time you can – I mean it’s real. Like, it’s not an act. None of the coaches are trying to sound a certain way just for television it’s real. And I’ve already learned a ton about myself just talking to Pharrell casually. And I’ve been able to connect with him on a deeper level on a spiritual level that transcends even the music that we’re doing. So, it’s just a real show and that’s what I’m really thankful for.

Treeva Gibson: Going along with, like, what Josh was saying it’s like a huge family. I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned about being here and stuff is just how many amazing people you’re surrounded by and just learning how to take everything in and really experience everything. Because everyone always says, like, “When you’re young time’s going to pass by so quickly.” So I’m really just learning to focus on everything, listen to everything, take into account and just really admire everybody around me because it’s the most amazing experience and full of such great people.

Rob Taylor: I would say what I learned, like, the most from this is just to never give up. Like Sarah said I just never thought that I would get an opportunity like this being from a small town. And with my family I just never thought that anything would come like this but I’m glad that I just never gave up. And now I’m here on this amazing platform with – surrounded by amazing singers and I just feel so lucky and blessed to be here. So yes the biggest thing I guess I would say is to never give up. Just go out for your dreams and live your dreams.

Sawyer Fredericks: I don’t want to repeat everything that everybody else said. I think the biggest thing for me was just going up on that stage and really coming out of my shell for it because I’m a very shy person. So just being able to go up there was amazing and to hear all these artists is just so awesome. It’s just been a great opportunity.

Sarah Potenza: And you know what else has been really cool has been meeting all these young people like Sawyer and like, Lowell, who I’ve been around a while and I’m just getting to meet them and even just having a little bit of influence on somebody so awesome as someone like Sawyer or Lowell. Lowell was asking me about a song that he was going to do and I was telling him, “Oh you should look up this version or that version” and it was just so cool to have this young person being like, “Tell me more about yourself” or it was just cool. And I felt like somebody actually wanted to know some of the stuff I knew.

Lowell Oakley: And Sarah, I mean honestly, and let me say thank you for being so sweet and actually really caring. Again it goes back to the integrity of the show and like, it’s a big family. And people, we learn with each other, we grow with each other and, you know, I’m very thankful because heck getting a different perspective on a song could be the difference between you moving forward in the competition or going home and so it’s something that I’m super thankful for.

Q) Sarah, I think Adam commented that no matter what he would have said you had your mind made up. Was that true? Were you going to go with Blake no matter what happened?

Sarah Potenza: I had watched a lot of interviews on 60 Minutes and Oprah — and all different media outlets — for all the coaches before I went there just so I would kind of be able to know who I wanted to work with. Because they’re all excellent and they’ve all – each and every one of them would have been a great choice and a different opportunity and a different path for me. I really connected with Blake when I saw some of the interviews that he had done. His sense of humor is very, very similar to mine and just the way he doesn’t really take himself too seriously. I mean that’s just kind of – I don’t know, like, he’s just kind of the way that I am. I mean he’s just, like, kind of like my husband is only with money.

Q) Kind of a kindred spirit in a way, you would say?

Sarah Potenza: I just think he’s hilarious. And the way that he approaches life and everything and Katie Couric had him on 60 Minutes and he – she was asking him about lyrics and he said – she said to him — and this is really what got me — she said to him, “Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit. That’s one of your lyrics. Tell us about that.” And he looked her straight in the eye and said, “Ma’am it just makes me tear up. You gotta give me a minute.” And I mean it was for me maybe my sense of humor you know? And not a lot of people know this about me but I had a country blues band for years in Chicago. And I love country music because I love the stories. I think that country music – the lyrics are just the best. They have the best stories and when you take somebody with a blues or like a rock and roll voice and you tell those stories it’s really powerful because blues and rock and roll are all about feel and country is all about stories and lyrics. And so if you take that feel and you apply it to those stories and those lyrics it’s so much more powerful than just your average blues song or your average rock song. So I thought that Blake would pick good songs for me.

Q) Well now Cody along those same lines now then, I mean to me Blake seemed like the obvious choice for you but it seemed like for a while you were maybe hedging going somewhere else?

Cody Wickline: Yes you know going into it, Blake was definitely the obvious choice being a country singer and, you know, me and him both had that in common. But after actually listening to what all of them had to say actually I was probably a thimble away from going with Pharrell. I mean honestly I was. He said a lot of really powerful things to me that just – and the way that he looked the way that he looked at me and with that sincerity in my eyes. It’s kind of like the saying, “You can tell a lot about a man from his handshake.” And it was kind of like that. That kind of sincerity if you go shake a guy’s hand and he gives you a firm grip and looks you dead in the eye you know he’s a serious kind of guy. And that’s the kind of vibe I got from Pharrell. I think the main reason that really got me to go with Blake is – I mean everybody just pretty much said like you said he’s just kind of the obvious choice. But the thing that really got me to go with Blake is the fact that this little voice, you know, in the back of my head was saying, “He’s country. He understand country vocalists and he can understand me a lot more then.” Because country vocalist it’s a lot different than any other genre of music really. I mean it’s kind of got a known feel to itself, you know. Pretty much every genre does but with country a lot of people don’t understand the phrasing, you know, why we phrase things the way we do. A lot of people’s like, “You know, you kind of sound muffled or not clear” or something.

Q) Or that’s just the accent.

Cody Wickline: Yes it’s just the – it’s the rough – you know what I mean? A lot of people they’re like, “Man, you got that twang” and everything. But a lot of people don’t realize is that I sing the way I talk. I mean you can tell from talking to me now I sing the way I talk. It’s just where I’m from and – but I just I thought, “This guy, he knows the country music business. That’s what I want to get into.” And I feel like that that was what really solid – really validated my choice to go with him.

Q) Well again you may work for Pharrell in the future. You know how The Voice is. You could go back and forth sort of like Craig did last season.

Cody Wickline: Oh yes and I mean as much as I would definitely love to stay on Blake’s team and he’s a hell of a guy. We really like Sarah said he’s got that personality. You can sit down and have a beer with the guy and just basically just go back and forth talking about nothing. And he’s just got that kind of personality. I related with that but I would also be – if I ended up, you know, having the opportunity to work with somebody like Pharrell it would be definitely an amazing experience. He definitely knows his stuff. All four judges know their stuff or else they wouldn’t be there. But it would be just the experience of – the learning experience of getting to work with somebody like that would be awesome. I wouldn’t be disheartened if I did get a chance to work with him.

Q) There are three of the contestants I’m hoping can fill us in a little bit more on their musical background, what they did before the show, before the blind audition aired. Treeva if we could start with you. Nice audition last night but I was wondering if you could tell us what you’ve done musically to this point, where you performed and what led you to The Voice.

Treeva Gibson: So I’m sure this has already been said before. I really have little to no experience coming from my background because my parents are deaf. It’s not like they heard me sing at a young age and, like, pushed me to go do these things. And so I’ve done, like, maybe five things on stage in my life. Like, a couple talent shows here and there. And I guess really how I learned how to sing and how I got into music was just at a really young age I would just mimic sounds. And I learned how to sing like that and I just really enjoyed it. And then by the time I got to like 11 I guess I just kind of exploded and I sang all the time and people were telling me, like, “You know you’re really good, right?And so I would just kind of go through stages of listening to different artists, trying to figure out everything that goes into their voice and what makes them sound a certain way and how they write their songs and this kind of thing. And so just every single emotion, tone behind their voices I tried to kind of mimic and then maybe to bring it to my own voice if that makes sense. And I’m still doing that every single second of every day, just learning and trying different things. And this entire experience has been so amazing and I’ve already developed so much.

Q) And how did you wind up trying out for The Voice?

Treeva Gibson: I just had a bunch of people telling me all the time, like, “You should go try out for this and that.” And I tried out for X Factor like, a year or two ago but I did not make it past, like, open call stuff. I never got a call back or anything. And then I was going to try out again but then X Factor got cancelled in the U.S. And the only reason I had been so afraid of The Voice is because I didn’t think I was good enough and I was kind of just going with my whole story because on the other shows you can walk straight up there and say, “Hi I’m Treeva Gibson and my parents are deaf.” But I didn’t really get to say that – I wouldn’t be able to say that to the coaches on The Voice. But it got cancelled and people were telling me, like, “You should just go for it.” And the open call was only an hour away for me so I figured, “You know, why not?” Went up there, ended up making it through and stuff. And it was really a validating experience to know that I actually do have talent and it’s not just my story that’s peculiar and, like, something that might attract people to me, that I do actually have some skill and talent.

Q) Sawyer, growing up on a big farm in the small town of Fulton County, what has it been like competing in such a big city on such a large stage? And do you ever feel out of your element at all?

Sawyer Fredericks: It’s really just amazing coming from this farm being such – away from the outside world and growing up was a little odd for me. And just going out onto The Voice has brought me out of my comfort zone so much and I think really just made me a better person. It was really awesome going up there and meeting everybody was amazing.

Q) I just was wondering what you’ve learned so far and what your strategy is to win and if you’ve received any sort of feedback from your local community in Montgomery County?

Sawyer Fredericks: My strategy to win? I think I really just want to keep being myself. I’m not too – I won’t be too bummed if I don’t win this thing. I just really love having the opportunity to share my music and really get it out there. And yes.

Q) And what kind of feedback have you gotten from the local community so far if any?

Sawyer Fredericks: The feedback has been amazing, just getting all my friends have all been saying how amazing I was. It’s just been really awesome hearing what they had to say. My phone was blowing up last night after my audition.

Q) Who taught you how to play guitar?

Sawyer Fredericks: Actually my uncle taught me the first – my first few chords and I kind of went on from there. But I’m mostly learning most of my guitar just from my cousin because he’s living with us right now. And he’s a lot better on guitar than me and he’s just giving me a lot of good tips.

Q) And anything else you’d like to add about your experience so far? You’re from a small town and now you’re in L.A. performing for hundreds of people. Is that just out of this world for you or what?

Sawyer Fredericks: Yes it is really out of this world for me. Just being there is so weird for me and meeting all these people is amazing. And the opportunity is so awesome. Hearing what the judges have to say is just awesome.

Q) Joshua, what do you think about being on The Voice and the reception you got?

Joshua Davis: The whole thing came as kind of a shocker. I got a call. I’d never seen the show before and headed out and so I was a bit shell shocked at first. But like I was saying earlier the community, all the contestants just, you know, the community there is really strong and everybody just kind of – it’s like a big family. And so we all got to know each other. We all got to know each other’s music. Everybody’s been so supportive of one another. We’ve been learning things from one another. So it’s made me feel really comfortable. And like Sarah was saying earlier getting a chance to kind of share my experiences — I’m one of the older people in the group — with the younger folks has been really cool. As far as the reception Michigan’s been crazy. I’ve always felt super supported in Michigan. The music scene here is unlike any other. I’ve been doing this full-time in this state for over 15 years and it’s because of my community that I’ve been able to make a living doing this. And so to feel their love going into this and to feel that support has been just absolutely amazing. It gets me fueled up and I just hope that I can be out in L.A. bringing that spirit of collaboration over competition, you know, and making Michigan proud.

Q) Sawyer, I see that you’re homeschooled. W here do you see yourself in four or five years? Do you envision going to college or just continuing as a musician?

Sawyer Fredericks: I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in five years. I’m really just kind of going with it and see where it takes me. I know I want to be a musician and going to college sounds like it would be interesting but I really don’t know what I’m going to do with it.

Q) Can you say why you picked Team Pharrell?

Sawyer Fredericks: I picked Team Pharrell just because he talks a lot about originality and I think that really speaks to me as an artist. And I think we have very similar personalities and I think he can give me a really – some really good tips.

Q) What inspired you to start as an artist? Was it a band? I know you mentioned earlier, you know, family members kind of got you into guitar, things like that. Was there any specific band or artist that really got you inspired to get going with your music?

Sawyer Fredericks: Well my favorite artist is Ray LaMontagne. I’ve always loved his music. When I was growing up I listened to a lot of Creedence Clearwater Revival and that’s kind of the music that I grew up with. I’ve just always been interested in music. Yes.

Q) I know you’ve done a lot of shows in your hometown. For small town crowds, what is the difference getting on that big stage? Can you talk a little bit about that the difference from little small town crowds and getting up on that big stage?

Sawyer Fredericks: It’s really amazing just going from these farmer’s markets going up on that stage. Just really getting the crowd’s attention. Because most of the time in farmer’s markets you’re playing for tips so you really have to get their attention, your singing and really give it your all.

Q) Joshua, how does being on The Voice differ from everything that you’ve done over the years as a solo artist and performing in bands?

Joshua Davis: Yes. I mean The Voice is just a totally – I’m totally out of my element here. My career has been built kind of in the folk vein, grassroots building kind of from the inside out, building a community from scratch, you know. Starting from scratch and building a framework myself and with my fellow musicians in the Earthwork Music Collective and bandmates. And so to go out to L.A. to be involved in something that already has this huge framework, this really wide scope has been it’s been a totally different experience for me. It’s been great to meet so many of the contestants because there’s such a range of diversity in not only the way they sing, the way they perform, the music that they listen to but also just the people that they are .So I’m meeting a lot of incredible, diverse people, working with people that have been in the industry for years and years — whether it be the celebrity coaches or the stage hands or the crew or the staff on the show. So the whole experience has been really eye-opening and wonderful.

Q) Treeva and Lowell, how did you guys celebrate after the blind auditions?

Treeva Gibson: We just went out to dinner and kind of got together. It was really just going over the night and talking about how unreal it was because I – I mean of course like any young signer can, like, dream of it and see themselves doing it but it’s never actually real once it happens and still not real even after seeing it on TV. But just kind of telling everybody how much we loved each other. My parents telling me how proud I am. My sister just, like, laughing and cracking jokes with me, that kind of thing.

Lowell Oakley: How did we celebrate afterwards? Well what was cool was during the show I got all my friends and family together and we met at a local venue in Durham — where I’m from — and we watched it on a big screen. And it was crazy. It was especially crazy because we sit down and Sarah goes and I’m like freaking out, like, “Holy crap I know that person.” And right up next my face pops up on that screen. And one of the funniest things was my a Capella group — from my university that I go to — came and supported me and they just let out this loud roar. I’m in an all-guys a Capella group and anything all guys like that is just a riot. But no it was just such a fun time. I actually went home. I don’t know why. I mean I slept late that day and I don’t know why but after – right after everything was over I was just – I saw down and I felt drained. I was so tired. So I did not do a lot of partying or anything afterwards but I actually just went home and passed out.

Q) Meghan, I just wanted to ask you about what your new goals are now. Last night you said you’re kind of starting from zero again as a solo artist since Steel Magnolia broke up. So can you tell us a little bit about how you see your career and how – what you’re inspired by as a solo artist?

Meghan Linsey: Yes. I did the Steel Magnolia thing for several years and over the course of the last three years I’ve kind of gone off on my own trying to do the solo thing. And I think for me it’s really about getting back to my roots. I grew up in New Orleans and I grew up singing soul music. And I kind of just ended up in Nashville going to school and I started writing country songs. And that’s kind of where I ended up was with my duo partner and then a band and that kind of thing. And so for me as a solo act now I think it’s just about finding out who I really am and getting back to singing more of the soulful stuff because that’s really what – that’s really where my voice — I feel like — shines.

Q) Joshua, you’ve been a musician since you were 13 and playing music and you’ve found a way to make a living doing it in Michigan. Were you on tour just in Michigan?

Joshua Davis: Before I had a family we used to do shows all around the country, in Canada. I’ve traveled to the Middle East. South America, the Caribbean playing music. So I’ve been all over the place. But when my daughter was born I decided to keep it a little more close to home. I still do trips out of the Midwest but most these days happens in the Midwest.

Q) I mean in this 24-year time frame did you always aspire to have a worldwide music career and was The Voice the platform for you to use it at this time to make that happen? Did you always want this or was this just kind of something that built up to today?

Joshua Davis: No, you know, The Voice was just something that kind of came around and it was a shock to me. It was a big surprise. So it kind of fell into my lap in a way and it’s an opportunity that I’m so grateful for. I’m very centered on the Midwest and the music scene in Michigan especially. And I’m very proud of what’s going on there and what we’ve built there and – but I love making music and I would – you know, the opportunity to be able to share my music with a wider audience is something that again, I’m really grateful for.

Q) Cody, talk about going from small town West Virginia to this huge stage and the response you’ve gotten since your appearance on the show last night. Has it just been a total whirlwind or what?

Cody Wickline: Yes I appreciate that. Yes, it was a crazy experience, you know, coming from Beckley. I grew up in a working class family. My dad, he’s worked hard his whole life and messed up his back, messed up his knees, messed up his whole body trying to support my family and make sure that we never went without. My grandpa he was a coal miner. He worked in the coal mines for 30 years. He’s got black lung and everything. I was kind of raised up in the mindset that if you wanted anything in life you had to work hard to get it. And so to know what I went through and how hard I’ve worked to just get to this point to where I even have the opportunity to actually audition for The Voice it was just – it was like a dream come true. I mean it really makes you feel like you can do anything that you want to do as long as you keep your faith and keep your work ethic and keep working hard towards your goal. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve never had anything handed to me in life and I’m proud of that. I’m proud to be a small town country boy from West Virginia. And to be able to represent my state and the great people that live here. It’s something special. That right there makes it all worthwhile, just to know that I can do this and, you know, possibly give younger people and, you know, even older people that have been chasing this dream a lot longer than me maybe give them that glimmer of hope that, you know, “Hey I did this. You can do it too.”

Q) Obviously the main goal of the show is to win and walk away with that recording contract but now that you have the whole world watching you what’s your biggest hope for the show and what it can do for you, especially you’re pared with an awesome country music artist. Obviously you’re country. What are your hopes for the show?

Cody Wickline: My hopes for the show I think would have to be, you know, obviously to – I mean obviously I want to win. I don’t think there’s one of us here that doesn’t want to win. But in all reality, not all of us can win, you know. There’s only going to be one winner. And the thing that I really want to come out of this is I just want to be able to play music for the rest of my life. I want to be able to share my feelings and, you know, share my heart with the rest of the world. And you know, maybe be able to make a difference in somebody’s life. Because music has more power than anything. I mean I’ve seen music do things that medicine can’t do. And it’s amazing to be able to have a platform like The Voice that can branch out aspiring artists and help us try and make our dream come true and try and let our voice be heard. I think any true artist and I know everybody that’s online right now is some of the most talented people that I’ve ever had the privilege to meet and work with. But I think everybody’s main goal is it’s all about the music. The fame and the fortune, that’s kind of that’s icing on the cake but it’s about the music. It’s about being able to share your message and say what you have to say to the world and possibly be able to make a difference. And that’s just the beauty of it.

Q) Joshua, I was just curious about what inspired you to try out for The Voice? I mean you have a really successful career in Michigan and a lot of followers there. I mean I know you say you’ve never watched The Voice so why The Voice of all places?

Joshua Davis: That’s a really good question. I got a call from The Voice not long before I headed out there to audition. And they wanted me to come out. It was a total shocker to me. I was surprised that they were interested in somebody that was doing what I did but – so I turned on the show and I watched some episodes of it with my family. And it turned out that the show – unlike I think a lot of other – I have a real distaste for reality television in general. But this show is a lot different from a lot of the other reality TV out there. They don’t focus on embarrassing aspects. They’re not there to knock anybody down. The culture in the show is about building people up. It’s about creating inspiring moments. It’s about growing as an artist and those are the stories that they show. Not the stories where somebody comes on the show and totally embarrasses themselves and the judges and they get kicked out. That’s not what it’s about it. I felt comfortable with my 9-year-old watching it and getting excited. And so that was a point where I was like, “Yes okay I can do this.” And I felt like I have been successful in my music career in Michigan, in the Midwest but I grew up in the folk music realm and folk music is all about passing the torch and keeping this music alive. And so I figure the wider the audience the more this music is going to be passed around. And so I went for it and I’m glad that I did. I’m grateful for The Voice to be serving as an outlet for that.

Q) Lowell, I’m wondering how you feel about representing Elon University on the national stage and what message you have to your fellow Elon classmates? It’s a strange way to start your freshman year of college.

Lowell Oakley: Gosh it’s just been a whirlwind. Honestly I’m still trying to really fathom what’s going on here. It’s definitely caught me off guard. I was not planning on actually even auditioning for The Voice last year, early last year. Thank God one of my best friends from high school actually drove my butt out to D.C. for the open call audition and one thing led to another and now look at us. But as far as Elon, gosh with that whole process of applying to colleges and it was nerve wracking but once I stepped on campus honestly I felt so at home and I was – even the first weeks of school that I was there I was like, “Wow.” Like, I had multiple moments where I was just like, “Wow. This is definitely the place for me.” We are the Phoenix. We are the Phoenix rising and I think I love representing a university that is on the rise right now. I think Elon has a lot to give this world and I’m so happy that I’m very new there but I’m willing to – I’m very excited to see where we can take Elon. I don’t know how to even articulate it. I’m just so ready to show the world what Elon University has to offer.

Q) For the younger contestants on the show, I wanted to know if your early success during the show has impacted your goals in terms of your musical aspirations. You’ve mentioned that you hadn’t had much experience before now performing onstage. Do you see yourself pursuing a career or other opportunities in music thanks to the success you’ve had?

Treeva Gibson: Definitely. I’ve always been a good kid in school and I had always said, like, when people asked me, “What do you want to be?” I’d just, like, tell them, “Oh I want to be a surgeon.” And that’s certainly, like, a career that I’ve always wanted to go into. But, like, my one true love is singing and it always has and always will be. But, you know, a lot of people look at you — especially when you’re young — and when you tell them you want to go into anything that’s sort of an art field they kind of give you that look, like, “Oh okay. Hope you make it.” So it’s really cool just knowing that there’s people out there that want to hear me and they have hope through me and they want to hear more from me. It’s an amazing thing and it’s validating myself as a singer and knowing that I can move on from this point and just continue to grow.

Q) We hear over and over again from artists and performers is the power that inspiration can lend to any performance. With that in mind, do you have any special thing that motivates you to sing? Is there any experience or characteristic that you rely on to help you get up there and give it your all?

Treeva Gibson: Definitely. Just, facing prejudice and anything that goes along with, like, the fact that my parents are deaf is something that I don’t really share real often is, like, hearing loss because that can be tough to deal with because it’s been in the past couple of years and – I’m sorry what was the question again? I just totally blanked out. Yes just basically proving that, like it doesn’t matter where you come from. You can really push yourself and work hard enough for something that you really love. And you’re going to get there.

Q) What’s been the best advice that you’ve received so far?

Sarah Potenza: Blake has really helped me to kind of hone in on really singing the song a little bit less aggressively and then kind of getting a little bit more aggressive to build into the song. That’s been really helpful to me as an artist.

Meghan Linsey: I think for me, Pharrell has really helped me work on rebuilding my confidence because I’ve been in the business for a while and I had record deal and I lost it and I’ve made some attempts to come back and making music. The business is hard and it’s not always kind. And so I think working with Pharrell and having him instill confidence in me and believe in me and really reaffirm that I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m supposed to be doing I think that has been really helpful for me.

Rob Taylor: I would say the biggest advice that I got from Christina was to just – don’t be afraid to try new things, do different and just go outside the box. I guess that would be the biggest thing is just go out on the stage and leave it all out there.

Cody Wickline: I think one of the best advice that I’ve been given is to – Blake has really helped me open up as a singer. He’s really kind of pushed me to do things that I really didn’t think were possible. And I really think that the best advice that I’ve been given is just to stay true to myself and just to always be sure to put my heart into everything that I do and make a connection with the audience. And I think that’s the biggest thing with all of us is if we can make that connection with the audience and get the audience to believe your story, believe what you’re saying to them. I guess that’s the best thing.

Q) Meghan, I think a lot of times people think that once you, you know, “make it” that you’ve made it and that doors will always open ad deals will always be available. Obviously, that’s not true and that a lot of people in your position come back to The Voice to try to make a second go of it. Can you tell us a little bit more sort of about the struggles that you’ve had in past years and what do you sort of hope to learn or to gain or to do this time around that maybe you weren’t able to do the first time around?

Meghan Linsey: Well I feel like the first time around I did a similar thing. I was on a TV show and, you know, we won and we got a record deal. And I was very young I think I was 23 years old when I did that and I didn’t know a whole lot. I think I thought I knew a lot more than I did. But I think having gone through that experience and having been in a duo and it’s so much give, it’s so much give and take and I feel like I wasn’t always able to really express myself the way I wanted to, especially being on a major label and not having any experience going in. I really kind of got steamrolled on a lot of things. And so I think I’m grateful for the country music platform. I’m grateful for that opportunity. I’m grateful for the success of Steel Magnolia because I’ve just learned so much and I have a great fan base from that. But at the same time, coming back and then trying to do the solo thing after that it’s interesting. I feel like sometimes you get – they build you up so much and then it’s like, “Okay well, you know, where are you guys now?” Making music and trying to put it out and it’s not easy. I’ve been doing it all independently and all on my own and with my own money and with my own resources. And so it’s been a little bit of a difficult journey and I feel like The Voice – when I got the call to do the Voice I was like, “Wow, this is a great opportunity and this is a great platform and the viewership is great.” So it was an opportunity for me to be seen and to sing the way I want to sing and do things the way I want to do and for that to be seen instead of just this manufactured product out of this machine. I think that’s the thing I love about The Voice. It’s just this – it’s real and we’re all real people doing this together and we all have struggles and we all have our things. We all come from different places in life. And so it’s really cool that this is kind of like it’s my second chance to do something that I really believe in.

Q) Sawyer, NBC has been promoting you and your audition quite heavily this week. I’m wondering if you’ve noticed that and what you think of that?

Sawyer Fredericks: I have noticed it and it’s amazing having that much support and just really getting my music out there. It’s so cool.

Q) How would you describe this sort of new thing that you have now? Obviously you said you’re kind of shy. Obviously a lot of people know who you are now, know about your music. You’ve had a lot of questions on the call today. How do you sort of describe, you know, the past couple of days and sort of wrapping your brain around everything that’s happened to you?

Sawyer Fredericks: Well for the past couple of days, well I live on a farm and I’m homeschooled so I don’t go to school so I don’t get out much. I don’t really – like I’m not talking to anybody in person so everything’s like on Facebook and – so I’m getting a lot of good responses and comments and all that but life hasn’t changed on the farm.

Q) Cody, what other music do you listen to?

Cody Wickline: I’ve got a lot of musical influences. That’s something I haven’t really got a chance to talk about yet on the show. But I take a lot of influence from blues and, you know, from people like Muddy Waters and as far as I’m concerned Hank Williams Sr., he was just blues and rock and roll as he was country. I’m a big rock and roll fan myself. I grew up on a lot of Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, stuff like that. My parents, you know, they were teenagers in the 80s. So I grew up on a lot of 70s and 80s music, you know, 70s and 80s rock. Led Zeppelin, AC/DC. AC/DC was like one of my favorite bands, like, all through school. I probably know every song they’ve ever done. Motley Crue all those – I even listened to – speaking of newer singers, Five Finger Death Punch, stuff like that. I’ve got a wide variety really. Even R&B, Marvin Gaye, and The Stylistics people like that.

Q) Sarah, you obviously have that blues influence too and all that rock and roll influence. Is there something that you listen to that maybe is out of that wheelhouse? I mean do you listen to opera or something like that?

Sarah Potenza: Actually when I was in high school and in college I studied classical voice. Yes which is kind of surprising. I was always like a tenor or like a baritone and I always sang with all the guys but it was cool. But actually I really love – I love Lucinda Williams. She’s kind of my favorite. When I bought a DVD of hers back in the 90s I just bought it because I thought she kind of looked like my mom on the cover. And I went home and I watched it and I must have watched the whole thing through three times in a row. I just couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth and it made me want to be a songwriter. And that kind of a thing changed my life because primarily — even though on the show everybody sees me as this rocker — I’m a songwriter and that’s really what I do. And anyway so she kind of led me down this country path. I started to see, like, things that she was influenced by like, Hank Williams Sr. and George Jones and all kinds of people like that. And she really influenced me because I listened to these country songs and I was so blown away by their stories. And when I was a kid I used to – like you said, I liked blues and I listened to a lot of blues stuff because my parents did and we had lot of blues records. But I remember in that collection of blues records my favorite record that we had was the Allman Brothers Band. Yes and I didn’t know that there was Southern rock. I didn’t know what Southern Rock was. I just knew that I liked the way that it – I knew that it sounded – there was something about it that sounded different to me and I loved the way that it sounded. And so once I kind of got my hands on that twangy sound I just loved that sound so much. I don’t know why. It’s so just the opposite of everything that comes out of my mouth but I loved the way it sounds.

Cody Wickline: I was just wanting to add in there that I’m real big into Southern rock too. I do a lot of Southern rock as well as country.

Q) Rob, there are a lot of musical influences that come out of Louisiana obviously and I would like to know if there are anything about our state that influences you specifically musically when you’re on the show, when you’re making your selections and also who would you say is your biggest musical influence within your family?

Rob Taylor: My biggest musical influence in my family would have to be my grandmother. She taught me my first song and that’s something I will never forget. She was the choir director and she was really big into church music and things like that but she pretty much started me off with everything.

Q) What about living in Louisiana and as you mentioned the gospel music specifically also another big thing here. What is it about the state that you would say inspires you or does it?

Rob Taylor: What inspires me about Louisiana I think is the amount of different types of music. I know like you can go to New Orleans and you can find blues, jazz, rock. You can just find all types of music and I think that’s what inspires me the most. The fact that it’s so eclectic and there’s all different styles.And so it’s like a little bit for everybody. I think that that’s the type of vibe I want to give off on the show is just something that appeals to everyone I guess. I think that’s the biggest thing.

Q) Rob most of the clip last night focused on your family situation. I was wondering if you could fill us in a little bit more on your musical background as well, what you’ve done to this point, whether you’ve performed as a soloist or part of a group, that type of thing.

Rob Taylor: They focused a lot on my family last night. My musical background is mostly church. My grandparents were pastors so I grew up in church. They made me sing in church all the time.As far as like other music I used to have to sneak and listen to, like, records or any type of any – any other genre other than gospel. So I would sneak and listen to rock music or R&B or soul music because it wasn’t allowed. And as far as performing I don’t really do much performing other than in church, things like that. It’s like small things around the community.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*