The Voice – Blind Auditions

By starrymag | September 24, 2015

Q) I’m wondering, a four-chair turn in the preshow season is obviously a very big deal. How has your life changed since the episode aired last night?

Jordan: Yes, getting four chairs was a phenomenal feeling. And since last night, I have just received so much support from my family and from everyone in my hometown but also I’ve been like getting a tremendous following on Twitter already and Instagram and my Facebook page – the likes on my Facebook page have over doubled. So yes, it’s just been pretty overwhelming all of the support and the reaction of people because of the show.

Barrett: , I mean, it’s been an incredible thing and incredible day so far. It’s amazing to think that only a few hours ago I was just a guy and a guy who sings some songs every now and then and now I’m a guy that people know. And much like what Jordan said, just outpouring support and positive energy from people here in my community and certainly across the nation has been just unbelievably humbling for me as an artist, somebody who’s been working really hard at making music for a long time but also is a validating experience because when you really push really hard for over a decade to make something special happen with your music and then to see it finally come to fruition and to actually be standing in the crowd of people while they watch you perform on a national TV show is just so validating and so humbling and really great experience and it’s been a lot of fun.

Mark: And I cannot believe it. Like, I’m literally just overwhelmed. It’s just been so much support and just love from friends and family and people I haven’t heard from in years. So – and just to see it on TV to see in the moment, I blacked out like as soon Adam and Pharrell turned around I didn’t know what was going on. So it’s good to finally see what it looked what was going on up there and just the emotion that I had watching it, it was just – man, it was invigorating. So I’m so grateful for all of the support that I’ve received from all over. I’ve been on – I’ve been grinding for a long time, so this isn’t arbitrarily, like, this is – I’ve worked hard which is good to see like “Man, Mark, like, your hard work is not in vain.” I’m just genuinely happy.

Q) Jordan, a lot of you actually got some celebrity attention last night. I mean, a lot of celebrities watched The Voice. How does it make you feel having such an incredible fan base now?

Jordan: Yes. The experience on the show has just been unbelievable. I’m so blessed to be able to be part of it. And like you said, the show has a huge following and even has kind of a celebrity fan base. But, yes, it’s just an incredible feeling to know that a lot of hard work getting to this moment and just a lot of cool opportunities that I can never earned.  So I was just been gifted with, have been blessed with, have led to this. And I hope that somehow anything I said around music inspired someone else watching. That’s what I want most of all. But it was just incredible, incredible thing to, yes, to experience that and to know that so many people were watching.

Q) What have you learned about yourself on this journey that you didn’t know you could do before?

Kota: It’s been a crazy journey so far. This is just the beginning of this so. And I feel like I’ve already grown a lot. I was so a lot of opportunities to kind of change the song up and really show us who I am. This isn’t necessarily a song that I would cover with my band or anything. It was kind of a different side and I kind of want it so – that there’s more to me than you can see like on YouTube or wherever. So I worked really hard to change up the song and kind of do something new with it and it’s been really crazy to learn that I’m able to do something like that, especially with the help of the incredible team that’s on The Voice. So just the fact that I was able to show a different side of myself really brought out like a lot of new experiences for me and it was amazing to see how the reaction has been to that so far.

Keith: Yes, I was going to say I didn’t think that I could actually be nervous anymore. And then I’ve learned that that’s far from the truth because I’ve done this for so long and I like do many shows. I’m like “Oh, it’s just another stage performance.” And then I got up there and I was absolutely a nervous rack and I’m like “Oh, that’s what it felt like.” And that was a really cool feeling to be like humbled by that, just the experience, what it’s like to be genuinely nervous to the point where you don’t even know you can do it. That’s normally not something somebody in their 30s actually experience anymore. So yes, that was the one thing for me that’s very surprising. That’s about it.

Barrett: One thing I learned from the show, for doing the show, not necessarily just the audition itself but from being in the presence of so many fantastic singers and artists is that it’s just the power of music as a shared experience kind of thing that there’s so many of it and we’re so different and so unique. But when we all sit down together, it doesn’t take long before the thing that we have in common, which is performance and vocal ability, really kind of binds us together and it’s just – in my experience, it’s just another proof that music is the universal language and especially after last night the outpouring of support that we’ve all felt nationwide and on social media just goes to show you that music is a language in itself that everyone understands and appreciates. And so that’s been – I’m really grateful for that experience and something that I’m glad that the show was able to remind me of.

Mark: I just want to say that I learned and more so gained greater respect in love for music and performing in general just being around these people, not even – I’m not even talking about even getting on the stage and performing for the coaches but just literally the process of being around these phenomenal singers. I thought I love music and love performing at 100 level but like I just – music and performing got another 100 points in my – like, man, I really love it because I love to see other people doing it and the love that everyone has we’re all passionate about the same thing. So I just gained more of a love and respect for music and that is what this is about.

Nadjah: I would have to agree with everyone on everything that they said. But, Mark, you definitely hit the nail on the head. There’s a community with all the contestants. I came out there thinking that I have to hide myself and hide my talent. But when I got there, I quickly realized that everyone was so genuine and wanted to help each other and it made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my journey to being an artist, a true real artist. And it felt so good I didn’t feel alone at all. They were all very nurturing and I learned so much in each and every one of them whether they were a country artist, a rock artist, a pop artist, it didn’t matter. We all have things that we could teach each other. And on top of that, we all love each other and that was beautiful.

Q) What tips would you have for anyone who wants to go through this journey?

Braiden: If anybody would ask me what they will want to – like any advice to do this, I’ll just say “Go try it out. Go to a blind” – not a blind audition, go to a – an open call audition. Just give it a try because I honestly did not think I’d make it past an open call. My mother didn’t even tell me we were going to an open call because she knew that if I knew, we wouldn’t be going. I wouldn’t want to do it. We actually just showed up at the open call audio and she said “You’re doing this.” I’m like “All right.” So – and look at where we are now. So, I mean, I’d encourage anybody who wants to, to just give it a shot and don’t doubt yourself. I mean, it – that’s your worst enemy. You are your worst enemy in that area because being self-critical can really put yourself down. And I know that from firsthand experience.

Jordan: One thing I would like to say to people who are considering starting the journey and starting the process is to not be afraid to be yourself and to be who you are. This show is all about expressing who you are as an individual and there are all sorts of supporters and the entire process is designed to highlight each person’s personality and what makes each person unique. So I would encourage everyone to just be yourself, do what you do and do what you love and don’t try to change yourself or try to fit a certain kind of standard of what you think that they might be looking for. But also in that security of being yourself is also being open to try new things and to growing and learning and changing which has been a huge learning process for me and that’s one of my favorite parts of the show is how much I just got to learn even working up to the blind audition. And so be yourself but also be open. Always remain teachable and, yes, and just be who you are and always be willing to keep growing.

Q) I wanted to ask you about your decision to join Team Blake. The expression on your mother’s face when you did that was priceless. Can you explain why you’re joining Team Blake and also a little bit about what you’re doing musically right before The Voice?

Nadjah: Yes. I called my mom I was going to go with Adam or Pharrell like I was dead set on that. But I also realized that I am – I have to be open and willing to learn from anyone and all four of the coaches together, they’re amazing. So whoever turns around I was just honored to be chosen. But specifically I chose him because of what he said. I felt like he heard my heart and everything he said told me that – I mean, I love everything that Adam said but Blake just – it felt a little more personal. I really felt like he felt me in my performance. Yes I was nervous and I have this but for the most part, I tried to convey everything I wanted to through that song and we saw that. That’s what mattered to me. And before The Voice, I’ve been working on piecing together my band and seeing soul music. I’ve been influenced by jazz music and R&B and pop and I’m just trying to find myself as an artist gigging around Delaware a lot, just kind of find my way. And my family pushed me to go into the competition, so I did on a whim and I so happen to end up where I ended up.

Q) Mark, it seemed like you were pretty dead set of who you want to go with and again it changed along the same lines. What was special about changing your mind?

Mark: I knew going in I want Blake because nobody is going to expect it and everybody is going to think “Oh, he’s going to go with Pharrell,” and I just thought that Blake will have a lot to offer but in the moment – and at the show, they kind of tell you “Don’t dead set yourself on anybody. Keep an open mind because you never know once they turn around and when they start talking, it changes everything.” Legit, like as soon as they start – they’re arguing and all this stuff, you’re like “Whoa, Lord Jesus, what am I going to do?” And literally, don’t laugh at me, but the Lord told me “Pharrell,” like as soon as my audition was over, I heard a guy say “Skateboard P.” I’m like “Oh, Jesus, I got to change my mind.” And then the very last hook and bait was when he was like “Who are you going to choose?” He asks who are you going to choose. And then I did like – on accident, I did like a little run, a little vocal rest and then he was so fazed by it and I was like “Okay, well, that was it.” I choose – and then I just kind of yelled it “Pharrell.”

Q) Barrett, do you pretty much have your mind set before? I mean, were you just as an open-minded who you’re going to go with?

Barrett: it’s so funny how different people’s experience is on the show and in the moment last night I’ve always been the kind of person when it comes to being an artist that’s really diligent about the move that I make and I think every step through. And honestly, it’s to my detriment probably sometimes. But in this regard we had a fair amount of time to spend thinking about every scenario and what we would do in that scenario. But just like Mark said, it’s interesting when you get up on that stage and you’re standing there and you just had four uber celebrities who are so successful in the industry that you’re trying to just eke out existence in tell you that you’re amazing and tell you that they want you and tell you that they fight for you and they bleed for you and they do special special things for you, it can easily – you can have a plan going in but you sure can get your mind changed pretty easily and I was on the verge of going with Adam just because of how hard he fought for me. So I went into the blind audition thinking that if I had an opportunity to work with Blake Shelton, then I would probably take and then sort of began to lean towards Adam. But just as he does like I just kind of had a connection with Blake and – especially when he just started to talk about country music that the kind of music that I want to make is right in his world. And once he said those things, it doesn’t matter what you call it. The keyword is “country” and that’s what I do every day. I thought “Man, I’m trying to get better.” That’s my entire goal for this process, whether I made it past blinds or any further, was just to be better at making music and writing songs. And when he said those things, I thought, “Yes, that’s it. This is it.” So I chose him.

Q) Jordan, you had people vying for you. What was it about Adam that just made him the one to naturally go to?

Jordan: Leading us to the Blind Audition just like Mark and Barrett already said it, I kind of in my mind had an idea of who I wanted to go with. And that was actually between Adam and Pharrell. I’m a music business major in college. And so I knew that I could learn from the producer side of things, from Pharrell. And so I was really interested in working with him and just learning about just more about the business and different aspects of it. But, yes, just in that moment, Adam had so many good things to say. And they both have wonderful things to say and they are both extremely encouraging. But when it came down to it, I think I felt more of an emotional connection with Adam. And he behaved a little differently than what I usually see him behave, which kind of showed me that he did understand where I was coming from and that he was emotionally invested in what was happening and in me. And I really felt that. And so I knew that if I made that connection with him that not only would my singing be important and what happened on the show be important but that I could perhaps cultivate a good working relationship with him that would help me grow and learn. And he’s also just a phenomenal musician. He has a great ear. So I did end up going with Adam which was a wonderful decision. And immediately after, he came up on stage and he hugged me. And he said some of some of the nicest things to me. And that was immediate confirmation to me that I made the right choice.

Q) Jordan, you had the choice of all the judges and everything. How did it make you feel to know that all four judges wanted you?

Jordan: Yes. It was an incredible feeling that all four of these superstars really wanted me on their team and wanted the chance to work with me and invest in me as an artist. That was just an amazing feeling. And I, in the end, ended up going with Adam. But I know that no matter who I chose, in the end that working with any of them would be a phenomenal opportunity. And I’m just thankful for the chance to get to meet them and to have the chance to even work with one of them.

Q) What do you want to say to your hometown folks and all the fans?

Jordan: I just want to say that I’m so thankful for my hometown. I’m so happy and proud to say that I’m from Harland and from Kentucky. And I owe everything that I am as a person and every – just everything about who I am to this place and to the people here that have invested in me, important to me. And so I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude. I can’t say thank you enough for fostering the growth and the love of music in me but also just being such a good place to grow into a good person and godly young man. I’m just so overwhelmed with gratitude.

Q) Barrett, I was wondering, are you going to focus solely on country music throughout the program or are you going to let Blake sort of guide you in a direction wherever he feels comfortable?

Barrett: That’s a great question. And the answer is yes, I’m really excited –  I think I’ve said earlier that my entire purpose for doing this show, the number one goal for me is to come out of it whenever that happens to be, to come out of it and as a better musician and better songwriter and better performer. And so I’m going to take that attitude when it comes to song choice, when it comes to coaching. I think it would be a huge, huge mistake for any artist to go into this and not be open to new ideas, to direction from their coach. I mean we’re talking about somebody who is at the absolute pinnacle of success in an industry in which I’m trying to break into. And so if Blake Shelton sat down with me in a room and said “Hey, man, I really think that we should try to do a Stevie Wonder song,” or, “I really thing that we should try to do a Pink song,” or something like that I would say “Cool, man. What idea do you have? Let’s talk about it. Let’s come up with a way to make it mine.” And so, yes, I’m totally open to doing anything that my coach has ideas for. That’s the great thing about Blake, I think, that I’m going to – that I’m excited about to continue to work with him and that I know that he’s going to be open for suggestions coming from me. And I’m certainly open to suggestions coming from him for sure.

Q) Siahna, your website indicates that you’ve been performing ultimately and writing original music since you were about 13 years old. Can you tell us a little bit about your music, how you would describe it and what else you did to prepare for The Voice?

Siahna: I’ve always tried to write my own songs but I’m only 15 years old, so I haven’t had much of life experience. But just I tried to put myself in other people’s shoes and tried to tell different stories. And just like for preparing to be on the show, I did just that. I put myself in someone else’s shoes and tried to tell their story on the stage.

Q) Keith and for Mark, can you describe what your process was for getting ready for the Blind Auditions? How much did you practice? Just kind of practical stuff.

Mark: I will say that my process, I normally – because I perform all the time, in theater and in just – in general, I don’t like to go do any like rituals or anything like that. I just like to let a lot of things happen in the moment. But for this national TV, I say, no, no, no, no, no, no, you’re going to rehearse every day, every five minutes. You’re going to do your vocal exercises every day. And I even would practice – I’m very, like – I just kind of say what I want to say. But I was practicing what I would say when they turned around and who turned around, what I would say to them. I literally played by played everything in my head before the audition, which turned out to be good. But I didn’t end up even using any of that, like, everything just came from the heart. So I would say my process was just literally trying to imagine every possible situation that could occur, rehearsing my song. I was in the mirror bending around. I know you all saw my spin when I was up there. I was up there practicing that spin. And just I’m trying to make it work. And I’m glad it did.

Keith: Yes, for me, it’s more of the other – stuff other than music that I do to prepare for it. So I – it was just working out at the gym and reading my books and having lots of Irish cup of tea and basically just chilling. Most of the time I go in my room and listen to everybody else practice, including, Mark’s. And, yes, I mean I just try to relax because I say – I mentioned earlier that I was much more nervous than I expected to be. So I figured if I kept practicing the song too much, I was going to basically mess with my own head. So I didn’t practice at all that much. I just made sure I wouldn’t forget the words and wouldn’t forget the chords and just went with it in the moment. So I guess I can say that worked because people turned around. So I’m going to take that as a good idea to do (some night off).

Q) For Kota and Keith, both of you have a background of forming bands. I was wondering where you’re hoping The Voice leads you in terms of a music career. I mean, are you exploring a solo venture or are you just trying to enhance what you’ve been doing to this point?

Kota: Yes, I have been in band for a while since I was 15 years old. I’ve been doing music my whole life and kind of exploring different genres throughout my life. And as soon as I joined the band, I decided this is where it’s at. I want to be a rocker. I want to be in the band. This is what feels the best, feels the most me. And this experience on The Voice is just another chapter for me and my band. I’m still much with my band. We’re still working on music every day. And they were actually both in my support. At my blind audition, you can see my band in there. So they are 100% with me on this journey. And we can’t wait until we can start releasing more new music after this whole new bump of activity that has happened. It’s crazy now. There’s tons of more people listening to our music, not just my music on The Voice but people are clicking through and finding my band, Bad Wolf, and finding our music videos. And it’s just been amazing outlet, opening the door to so many new people who can hear our music.

Keith: Yes, I guess it’s pretty similar for me. I’ve never not been in a band. So I don’t really know what it feels like to not be in a band, like I started my first band called AARK back in – when I was 14 or 15. And it’s called the AARK because it was (Andy), (Andy), (Ryan) and Keith. So it was two As. And we thought that was like the coolest thing in the world at that time. Not so sure now but anyway. I’ve always been in a band. And every band I’d ever been in knows how much drive I have for this business. And they’ve always been behind me in whatever that means, whether that means going – ending up on my own or being with them or finding a way to make both work. And I would say though that today, I’m in the best band I’ve ever been in, which is my band Semple, after my last name. The guys are just not only great players but I genuinely love them as brothers. And it’s a very weird feeling to know that you don’t know how all this is going to unfold. But they’re behind me 100%. And no matter how far I go in this process, they want to be behind me. And of course, if I can and things do well, I would like them to be able to be a part of what happens after. And we’ve all discussed it. And we hope that that’s the way it’s going to work out. If, for some reason, they are not able to for whatever reason, they are behind me 100% and will probably be with me everywhere I go, anyway. I’ll just make them like my entourage or something, like I’ll just make them guys that could just come with me everywhere and hang out with me. And I’ll just – anything to where they can be involved and can go with me because they’re definitely the coolest guys I’ve ever hung out with.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*