The Voice – Battle Rounds – Night One – 2018

By starrymag | March 26, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) Yes, my question’s for D.R. and Jackie. Congratulations on a great performance last night, you too. I was wondering if you can talk a little bit about what you thought the secret to the success of that battle round was because there haven’t been a whole lot of battle round matches that seem that have come off that well. And if we could start off with you, D.R.

 

D.R. King:   Teamwork makes the dream work, you know? When we went into it, we didn’t go into it as a battle. We were just trying to create good music. And I feel like that’s what we did.

 

Q) Okay. And were there any specific pointers you got along the way that you think helped?

 

D.R. King:  Yes, there were a lot of pointers. Kelly’s an amazing coach. When we were holding notes wrong or holding vowels wrong, she would definitely correct it, fix it, and make it fit. So she definitely did a great job of assisting us and creating magic.

 

Q)  Okay. All right. Thank you very much. Jackie, how about you? How did you feel about – what did you think the secret to the success of that battle was?

 

Jackie Foster:        I think the secret to our success was how close D.R. and I are. I think he said it perfectly — we walked into this not considering this a competitive song but just to make magic happen. And I think we just wanted to build each other up in the process and we got along so well and we found it so fun to figure out what we were going to do and how we were going to make this song so epic. And I think it came off that way.

 

Q) Okay. And the song ends and D.R. is announced as the winner. Did you feel pretty confident that you would get stolen and why did you go with Adam?

 

Jackie Foster:        You know, I felt confident with my performance. To me I guess it didn’t really matter if I got stolen or not. I was just so proud of what we put on that stage and it really was such a special moment for the two of us that I was just so happy with how we delivered it. And it was more so I was in shock when I got the steal from Adam, Alicia, and Blake. And so I really wasn’t expecting that and I’m truly grateful for it.

 

Q) And why Adam?

 

Jackie Foster:        I picked Adam because for me, he’s someone that started off as a rock musician. And even though I haven’t been showcased doing rock on the show yet, he understands it with Maroon Five and their startup and how they really introduced themselves to this music industry. And I felt like he would be such an incredible coach to really direct me and kind of bring forward my rock sound. And ultimately that’s why I picked Adam. He has an incredible reputation and he can work with me very well.

 

Q) Rayshun, I think it’s safe to say that you realized going up against Tish was going to be a big challenge, if not a total uphill battle. Did your victory surprise you? Or had you gotten the impression from Adam he might be leaning towards you going into the battle? And why do you think Adam did pick you as the winner?

 

Rayshun LaMarr:  So I was totally shocked. First of all, going into the song, a Chaka Khan song, singing up against Tish was already a challenge. Tish is a monster powerhouse singer and I knew that – as soon as I found out I was going against her, I knew I had a challenge. I knew that I had to do some work. But the good part about it is me and Tish were really cool. We were really great together as far as friends and as far as making things work together, so that was kind of easy. But mentally, it was a challenge and when I won that battle I was totally shocked because I just knew Tish had it in the bag. I just knew it. And so when Adam said Rayshun won the battle, I was like in complete shock, as you probably could see.

 

Q) And a question for Tish and Jackie — given the fact you were both stolen artists heading into the knockout round, did you feel you were at a disadvantage because you kind of needed to play catchup with your new coaches and they might have already invested in their original team members? Or did you think you were at an advantage for some reason? I guess we can start with Tish.

 

Tish Haynes Keys:  Well, considering I tried to give it all in my blind audition to just show every coach what they would have basically on their team and it only gets greater from there. And I think me now getting on Team Kelly is definitely I don’t know if I would even call it an advantage. I’m just excited to just still be here. I think that’s my main answer. I’m just really excited to just be here.

 

Q) Great. How about you, Jackie?

 

Jackie Foster:        I mean, to be honest, if I’m going to be real with my emotions, once I was stolen by Adam or I chose to go with Adam, that thought of being a disadvantage definitely ran through my mind. I realized you know, my gosh, I don’t know Adam and other contestants have been with him from the blinds and they got the incredible experience that I got to share with Kelly and I haven’t yet shared it with Adam. And I know how much I grew with Kelly and I was so nervous. And really it was an honest thought that went through my head. But you kind of have to take a moment like this and not overthink it — not look at the negatives in a situation like this. It’s all about looking at the positives and saying you know, Adam believed in me just like Kelly believes in Tish. They both saw something in us that was worth them using their steal. And the fact that they used that. So that they’re invested in us as much as they’re invested in someone who’s been with them since the blinds. So I think it’s just being grateful that we’re still here and we still have this opportunity to move forward to the knockout round.

 

Tish Haynes Keys:      A perfect way of saying that, Jackie.

 

Q) I had a question for D.R. My question is at the end, Kelly mentioned something about your willing to go somewhere with a song as far as selection goes and that you’re bold. And I was curious if you could expand on that more about what we can look forward to seeing from you come in the show — like the knockout rounds or like what are you planning on doing to continue on standing out from the pack?

 

D.R. King:    Well song choice is everything. And I just feel like, you know, the strategy that I have and that I’ve been using is I don’t want to be typical, you know? I am a black male and I was brought up on gospel and R&B. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want people to just see me as that, you know? I’m classically trained. I sing jazz. I sing everything. So I want to always go outside of the box. So with my song choices, yes I’m going to always go left field. So you might see me do some rock. You even might see me do some classical. Who knows? You never know what to expect. It’s The Voice, so I’m just excited to be here.

 

Q) Tish, I was wondering the same question I asked Jackie earlier. What’s running through your mind when Rayshun was named the winner? Did you feel pretty confident that you had a chance to get stolen?

 

Tish Haynes Keys: Well, I try not to overthink it and think that I’m going to get stolen, like it’s something that’s just going to happen. I was just praying that we had a good song, a good battle, and everybody appreciated what we gave. When Rayshun won, I was super excited for him. That’s just my personality. I’m just excited for anybody, that we’re taking a big step out on this show. And so yes, it was definitely exciting.

 

Q)  So the other three singers who won battles last night, I’d like each of you to tell me what you thought the key to your success was. And if we could start off with Sharane, please.

 

Sharane Calister:  I would say just practice, you know? Practice is a key. Especially with my partner. We had to connect with each other just to go out there, and put on the performance that we put on. So the key thing was just practicing. What Alicia Keys says, don’t be pretty, you know. Don’t try to be pretty in front of the cameras. Just go out there and be you and just slay the stage basically. And that’s what I did.

 

Q) Okay. And how did you feel about the song that you were given?

 

Sharane Calister:   I was happy about it. I love that song personally. So the fact that I got to sing it was great and the fact that he was our advisor was even more pressure, but like said, it was awesome, so awesome. The fact that he got to coach us, like it’s his song so you know, even though he said make it our own, the fact that he was our coach for that moment, it was crazy. And we got to sing his song and the song is beautiful. It has a beautiful message in it as well. So I was glad to be able to sing it, and especially in front of him.

 

Q) Kyla, could we go to you next? What did you think the key to your success was?

 

Kyla Jade:    In this kind of situation, I think you just do your best period. Jess Lee and I both prepared as best we could for a song that was out of our wheelhouse. And it was actually very difficult for us to kind of grasp. So I don’t necessarily think there was a key to my success, but I think both of us put our best foot forward as best as we could. And it could have been either way.

 

Q) And I was going to ask you what did you think of that song choice? Because it wasn’t something that either of you were going to be incredibly comfortable with.

 

Kyla Jade:    Yes. At this point in the competition, I think it’s more important for me to be challenged than to necessarily be comfortable. And I think that’s what Blake was trying to do, is if he gives us both a song that we’re uncomfortable with, then either we’re going to rise to the challenge or we don’t deserve to be in the competition. So even though it was difficult and definitely not something that I would sing typically, I was excited about the challenge. I was excited about being kind of knocked out of my comfort zone. And that’s what I think a show like this is – it’s a good thing that that happened at the time.

 

Q) And Christina?

 

Christiana Danielle: I agree with Kyla. I feel like if you know, you just do your best from leads. I sing from a very vulnerable place, so I had to make sure I had a clear mind and just went in there and sang from my heart. Even the rehearsal that we had with Alicia Keys, she told Sharane and I just to go home. She’s like light some candles, you know, take a bath, do whatever you have to do and just stay in this good place, this good mindset. And then go out and just leave your heart out on the stage. And so I think that is what’s key for me — not the key to winning, but the key for me to deliver a heartfelt performance.

 

Q) And how did you feel about the song that you were given?

 

Christiana Danielle: I didn’t hate it. And it was like a shocker, but as soon as we sat into – because I like the song. I just wouldn’t think to sing it. But as soon as we got into our arrangement, I fell in love with it and found out what message we wanted to put out there. And I really loved it, so I like the song as a rock song, but when it is slowed down, I was like okay wow this is me and I stepped into it.

 

Q) Kyla, I was curious if you could react to what Alicia said last night about never being subdued and I don’t know. If you could give us your feedback on what she was saying about that?

 

Kyla Jade:    It was overwhelming, actually. And I was serious about my lashes. Like if you cry, they’re ruined. So it was just overwhelming. I think sometimes, especially when you’ve grown up being in the supportive role, I’ve always even in church, even working in ministry, working with others, teaching music I’ve always been in a supportive role. And in that place, you kind of learn how to let other people shine because that’s your job. And I love that job. But, The Voice is forcing me to really appreciate and learn who I am as an individual artist in front. So it has been really challenging. And for her to be that perceptive and not know me and not even to be my coach was crazy. It was crazy. I take everything that the coaches say — all of the contestants I think can attest to that — we take anything that the coaches give us, and take it to heart. Anything you deal with, you know, I’m a country girl — you eat the meat and spit out the bones. But in that instance, it was so on point and so great and perceptive and kind and gut-wrenching at the same time, that it’s a moment that I will never forget.

 

Q) Okay. And then can you tell us what else have you learned so far by working with Blake and switching now thst you’re singing on a big stage — and I’m not saying that you haven’t before, but it’s kind of a different like you said you’re kind of more in the forefront now. Could you kind of tell us what else you’ve learned so far working with Blake?

 

Kyla Jade:    Absolutely. This entire experience, you have to self-evaluate. You have to just see all of your quirks, all the things that you need to work on. I don’t say dislike, but all of your challenges — the things that hold you back, the things that, you know, those secret things that you didn’t know were a problem. And with Blake, he’s like listen, Kyla, it’s sink or swim. He’s very direct. He’s so kind in a southern gentlemanly way. So he’s one of those that if he actually says something, you need to listen very carefully to what he’s saying. And so anytime I’m with him, he is pushing me to think outside of the box, to not hold back, and to just show people who I am. And again, I am grateful for everything the coaches say to me. And it just really makes you go home, write your notes, pick yourself up, and come back and do it again as best as you can.

 

Q) What is the one thing that stood out that you took away from Trace Adkins?

 

Kyla Jade:  Trace is few words but when he says it, he wants to make a point. And he said Kyla, can you sing that high note? And I said yes. He said so why aren’t you? And I just looked at him and he just looked at me. So it was one of those moments where he was like you’re either going to give me everything, Kyla, or don’t do it at all. Both of them were pretty black and white. Kyla, sing the song. Don’t hold back. And let’s move on. So again, I love that kind of talk. You know, don’t hold – take the cuffs off. Give me everything you got. They definitely did not hold back.

 

Q) Jackie, when you heard Adam tell you that you could win this whole thing, that you could actually win The Voice this season, I mean what was going through your mind? Because I feel like for some people it might put a lot of pressure on them, while others it might light a fire under them. And I’m just wondering what type of impression it made on you?

 

Jackie Foster:   Honestly that was one of those comments that like you just said it — it totally lights a fire underneath of you. And to hear that kind of feedback, I mean doing The Voice was something I actually didn’t plan on. I was just about to graduate college from Berklee and this wasn’t necessarily on my radar of things to do just yet.   And so when you get to a point where you’re at the battles and you have that type of feedback from Adam, I remember I was just brought to tears. I was so overwhelmed with this feeling that every single one of them are coaches I have looked up to in the music industry ever since I was a little girl. And to have someone like Adam Levine make a comment to me, there’s no words to describe this, right? It really is one of those how is this happening right now and I couldn’t be more grateful and just it’s time to keep pushing. If he says something like that, then I want to prove it to him, too. That’s why I’m super excited to be working with him now, because for him to make a comment and then for him to work with me, I feel like we can really make some amazing music.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*