The Voice – Battles Night 1

By starrymag | October 15, 2014

Q) Jean and for Sugar, it’s always sort of interesting watching the battle rounds because we know that for as much as the show’s a competition and for as much as – obviously the industry is very competitive, it’s not like you guys go around night by night or week by week having sing-offs with other performers out there. So can you tell us a little bit about what went into sort of working together to make such a good performance, such a good combination up there, but also how you sort of also were vying for yourselves and vying for an opportunity to continue on in the show?

Sugar Joans: I think, going into the battles, I think was a little bit unique maybe just because I became just, like, close and fast friends with Jean so quickly and I just think the world of her. And so I think the way that it call came down is that we just had an amazing time together and had a blast, like, just goofed around and, like, had the best time ever in rehearsals and we both just thought that the best way for us to both advance in the competition was for us to just both put our best foot forward and kind of make it like a duet instead of, like, a head-to-head battle. And so I think our plan worked. So yes, we – neither of us wanted either of us to go home so I think it was just kind of all about having fun on stage together.

Jean Kelley: Yes, I completely agree with what Sugar said. Getting paired with her was the first time I was really meeting her and it was almost instantaneous. We just had a really good chemistry singing and just as friends. So it made the whole process really fun. We both had the mindset that the best way to deliver this song as it is a song that is delivered by a girl group, is to work together and treat is as a duet rather than treat it as a battle. And I feel like you could see in the performance that we both really wanted each other to do well. We were working together for the all-over performance with the – hoping that the end goal would be that we would deliver such a compelling performance that they wouldn’t want to send either of us home and that’s what happened.

Q) Luke, what was going through your mind when the judges were having such a hard time deciding and was there one piece of advice that Pharrell gave you that you really took to heart when you were performing?

Luke Wade: Well, I had such an amazing time working with Griffin that I was confident in our performance. And it was such a magical thing that we – not to be arrogant, but we knew how good it was. We knew it was an awesome thing and we were confident that we were both going to stick around just because it was just such a magical thing that happened, like so – in making the song what it was. And one of the things that Pharrell said, he said that whoever has the most, like, who has the most fun is going to win. Like, he just wanted us to go out there and enjoy ourselves and be ourselves and not worry about whether it was a competition or not. I think that we did a really good job of that. We nurtured each other in the sense that we helped one another get better and give the best performance we could.

Q) How it was to work with the guest advisors? I know you guys have been also working with the coaches.

Sugar Joans: Working with the mentor – well, it was kind of crazy just because having Gwen and Gavin, it was kind of, like, such a natural pairing, both of them together because obviously they’re married. It was a very natural, like, welcoming kind of family-oriented vibe and it was amazing just to have two people with such notable careers in one room giving me advice on how to perform. Obviously I’ve never had that experience before and I just wanted to soak up every ounce of information that they could give me and make them proud going forward. So it was really, really special and a great opportunity.

Jean Kelley: Yes, I thought it was a very smart pairing. It made sense. As soon as I saw Gavin I thought that they would work really well together and they did because she’s a little more reserved than I had expected her to be and he’s very outspoken. And he gave a lot of insight. Well, both of them did but he, in particular, could see I was struggling with the song and he had learned about my story and just about, like, losing a parent and growing up without money and he reminded me you’re a survivor. You need to dig deep and you need to think about that. This isn’t just singing lyrics. Like, you need to bring your story into it. And I slept on that and I really tried to bring it back and in the next rehearsal, it was a completely different performance and I really owe him that insight and that encouragement and believing in me.

Q) Luke, this week you guys worked with Alicia Keys as your mentor and it seemed like you and Griffin really had a moment with your mentor in the rehearsal and everything. Can you tell us about working with Alicia Keys and how that benefited your performance this week?

Luke Wade: I would love to tell you about that. It was really a magical experience. Alicia and Pharrell were just very natural together. They were very warm and very welcoming. And one of the first things that they did effectively was to make us feel that (they) were their peers and Pharrell even went out of his way to say it explicitly, “You’re here because you deserve to be here. And we’re real. You’re real. The moment’s real,” and just soak that in and just – and get to the point where the only thing that’s happening is we’re making something. And so there was a pivotal moment in a band rehearsal with Pharrell, Alicia, Griffin and I when she – when Alicia had the idea of – originally it was an exercise that she wanted to do. She wanted me to sing – she wanted me to get some of my soul and blues influence into the song because she thought that it would translate, so as an exercise, she wanted (Paul), the music director, to play a few lines from the sing-over. And the next thing we know, the band had come in, like – and I’d sing half the song and then Pharrell (pointed) to Griffin and got him to start singing and during this whole thing, people are starting to perk up, people are getting more excited. And by the time this thing’s done, it was just – like, the producers were standing up, the people behind the cameras were standing up, like, the bands were – like, the band, when they were done, like, they were just – they were, like, literally hooting and hollering. Like, it was just this moment. And so there were elephants in the room when there’re cameras and there’s a television show and there’re celebrities. And so what that moment did was it equalized things and there weren’t celebrities and there wasn’t a TV show any more. It was just a bunch of people that were all co-owners of an amazing moment And I think it’s something that I’m going to take with me throughout the rest of the show and thinking and believing that I’m capable of just – of being co-owner of the moment with the show and with whoever it is that I’m working with and Alicia was a huge part of creating that for me.

Q) Do you worry about some of the song selections that are chosen might cause you to be compared to the star that is well-known for it and put you in a bad light? Or do you just go out and do your best and not worry about that?

Craig Wayne Boyd: I guess right off the bat, because I sang a Travis Tritt song and I wear fringe jackets, that I got compared to him big time. And I never set out to be anybody else except for myself. And that’s the only person I can be, is myself. And so I didn’t fully worry about (but it’s) all up to me.

Taylor John Williams: I’m really tired of being compared to Dolly Parton all the time. It just happens every day, but it’s just something I’ve got to deal with. I’ll get through it.

Q) Taylor, you got some interesting feedback last night. I’m wondering what you make of it. It was almost as if the judges were saying that you’re too talented, your delivery is too smooth, that you sort of have to roughen up some of the edges. I’m just wondering, what sort of was your take away from that advice and what sort of is (your share) that you’re moving forward?

Taylor John Williams: I completely agreed with most of the criticism I got and the feedback that I got for that. Looking back on it, it came across as really void of any kind of passion and it’s weird because I have my reservations about competition when it comes to – like, I just sort of feel like competition for, like, greyhounds and chess masters and that kind of thing. I have a hard time pairing the two together. So I think I was really in my head throughout that whole performance and I had a hard time disengaging from the competition of it which I didn’t think I’d have as hard of a time doing. So yes, but it was a really good learning experience. It was good to watch back and try to move forward from it.

Q) Do you think you’re going to do anything differently moving forward?

Taylor John Williams: Absolutely. For me personally, it’s so easy to get in my own head especially when there’re cameras in this, when it doesn’t feel organic to me. And that’s just for me. I know that there were a lot of battles whereas that seemed to work perfectly and they were able to deliver amazing passion-filled performances. So I think just reminding myself why I love music and why it moves me so much and making that translate on stage is – will be important moving forward.

Q) Do you have a particular story or any tips that you would have to aspiring singers who audition in the future for the Voice?

James David Carter: I guess a tip I’d give anybody is don’t be something you’re not because ultimately you do all these interviews and honestly, you forget about all – I almost forgot about all the interviews I did for, like, the – say, the blind audition round. But if you’re completely yourself, even from the first – the very first interview, the very first audition that you do, you don’t have to second-guess or think back and how are people going to perceive me or anything like that. I think the danger sometimes in the music world, and especially in scenarios like this musicians and artists by nature I feel like anybody else, have a lot of insecurities and I think it’s just really good just to lean in, just, to who you are and be comfortable with that before you even start the process because I feel like even the casting people, from the very start, can see – kind of see through if you’re faking it or if you’re being real.

Sugar Joans: I auditioned, actually, for the Voice for – this time was my third season auditioning and I never made it to, like, the actual blind auditions until now. And I think that a lot of that comes from basically just learning exactly how to do what James David Carter said, just kind of be true to yourself. It’s really important to walk in there knowing that, like, you have what it takes and that you, as yourself, as yourself as an honest artist, can deliver what people are looking for. You shouldn’t worry so much about what the show needs or what America wants or how you’re going to be perceived except for just that you are great as you are. So somehow the third time was my lucky charm and I think I just had a different attitude going into it and I just felt kind of sure and more confident in myself as an artist and hopefully that can help people who want to come forward and try out for the show.

Q) Who do you think gave the best constructive notes from the advisors last night? And which ones did you take to heart even if they weren’t applied to you? Which did you think was most important?

Luke Wade: the things that Pharrell says really resonate with me and one thing, in particular, is don’t overthink, over feel. It’s something he said to Griffin. But it’s definitely – I think that we can tweak somebody’s notes or give them vocal instruction. But if you can give them a concept that’s going to rearrange the way that they think about the act of performing, I think that that’s something that can be huge for people on the show or people who are just sitting in their living rooms at home. So don’t overthink, over feel. I believe that 100%.

Jean Kelley: Gavin was our advisor and I feel like I got a similar concept as Luke got from Pharrell. I did get some actual, like, critiques on the song. I was having trouble finding the pocket and Gwen gave me those tips. But Gavin more got me into the concept of what I should be pulling from, from my past and from my life and my experiences. And it was a night and day difference. I mean, I had to work really hard on getting the timing right of the song because I just wasn’t hearing it. But I think it was what Gavin said mostly that got me just out of my head and just got me feeling the song so that I could give a really inspired performance.

Q) Craig and for James, can you guys talk a little bit about your sort of respective victories last night? You both sort of proved that you were the preeminent country singers, I think, in the competition. Can each of you sort of talk about how your performance came across, what you thought of it and sort of the confidence that you gained moving forward from each – like I said, sort of picking up your own respective victory last night?

James David Carter: I think like everybody else has kind of alluded to, I think Craig and I, I think he’ll vouch for this – I think we definitely wanted to be treated as a duet and not – and try to (talk) each other up and give the performance the credit and not necessarily individually, try to kill each other. I didn’t feel like that was our goal. In the same breath, I think Craig and I are definitely very different stylistically. That’s why I think it was a cool collaboration just because we come from – I think we’re influenced by some of the same things but vocally I think Craig has even said he’s grit and I’m glass. So I think the mixture is really cool. What I took away from it was honestly my gut, I felt like either – one of us is going to get stolen. It’s hard to explain that but just being in the atmosphere, you just kind of get a feeling, like you look at past and country artists do – seem to do pretty well on the show. So I feel like it would be an advantage for one of the other coaches to grab the one that didn’t win but to me, it was – it really was even down the middle of a performance and I’m proud of it, and hopefully Craig’s proud of it.

Craig Wayne Boyd: Absolutely man.

James David Carter: I feel like we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish with the performance.

Craig Wayne Boyd: Absolutely. I walked off of that stage with one more step. I would’ve not been on the show anymore. But I was walking away knowing that I left everything up there on the stage and I thought that the performance with James and I was an amazing performance. watching it back, I even felt even better about it. What a great guy to sing with. And like he said, it was – I’ve been tweeting that our a little bit. It’s glass and grit and it was really fun.

Q) Craig, obviously you seemed rather shocked when Gwen stole you.We know on paper that’s maybe an odd matchup. But now that you’ve had an opportunity to work with her and sort of to reflect on her stealing you, what do you think of that now?

Craig Wayne Boyd: I kind of look at it as good music is good music and I think that she felt like that I needed to stay on the show and that’s why she hit her button and kept me on there and I was very, very flattered and honored to be part of Gwen’s team now.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*