The Voice – Blind Auditions Night 4

By starrymag | March 7, 2015

Q) Brian, you kind of walked in thinking you were going to go with Team Adam but you ended up going with Blake. What made you change your mind?

Brian Johnson: Yes, that was definitely on my mind. When Adam turned around first, I immediately thought in the back of my head great, I’m on Team Adam. I was ecstatic about working with Adam. In the back of my head, that’s what I was thinking. But when Adam and Blake started talking and started kind of fighting over me being on their team Blake said something along the lines of: If you go with Adam’s team there’s going to be a lot of people on his team that may sound like you or may have the same style as you or may have the same sound as you and if you come on my team, you’re going to be unique and you’re the type of artist that I would protect. And after he said that, in the back of my mind it just kind of clicked and I was like done, I’m in. So that’s what made me decide to go with Blake.

Q) Yes because I would assume his team is a little more country-heavy, so you would kind of stick out a little more.

Brian Johnson: Absolutely, and I mean I’ve made some great friends with some of the country artists on the team, but, you know, it was great to be unique in a field of a lot of other talented musicians.

Q) Corey, you kind of had the opposite thing. Pharrell was really, really trying to get you on his team, but did he have a chance or were you going to go with Blake no matter what?

Corey Kent White: I think that in my mind I had kind of already made my decision up before I stepped foot on that stage because I had no idea what was going to be said and how I would react under the pressure just being in that situation. So I think if I were going based off of compelling arguments I’d probably be on Team Pharrell right now because he – man and especially when he got up out of his seat and came up and looked me straight in the face, shook my hand, it was really tough to say no and it hadn’t crossed my mind until that point and he really did have me going back and forth for a second. But had I not already looked forward to working with Blake, a fellow country musician, fellow Oklahoman for so long, I might be on team Pharrell right now but I’m very happy with my choice and excited to work with Team Blake.

Q) Jack, was there something that you had in mind before coming on the show that you were really focused on possibly being an artist on one of these teams or was it just a spur of the moment convincing arguments?

Jack Gregori: Well, he was the only one that turned for me. But definitely going in I thought for me that the top two choices – the top obvious choices were Blake and Adam – and probably more so Blake just because that’s really the kind of music I like to sing. I like to sing everything, but yes. So I would say Blake was sort of the front runner but Blake didn’t turn around so Adam was kind of my 1-A choice anyway.

Q) Well moving forward with the show you’re part of social media. Are you looking forward to that instant fan feedback you’re going to receive when your performance begin more frequently to air?

Jack Gregori: Absolutely. Already the fan response has been great and I can’t keep up with my phone and it’s really nice to get all that positive feedback right away. And I even looked for some negative ones, but I couldn’t find anyway. You know, I was a little disappointed.

Q) Well yes I guess haters are going to motivate you as well.

Jack Gregori: Sure. I mean I’m kidding but no, it’s great to have that positive feedback. It’s been an overwhelming response and I’m just – I’m really happy with it.

Q) So obviously we saw last night that you’re very talented. We know that obviously this show is a competition and I’m thinking that probably there was a lot of competition at West Point to be the male lead in the band. I’m wondering if you could tell us a little bit about some of the things that you’ve done to make your talent – to make your music stand out and maybe how that applies to what you’ll have to do on The Voice.

Jeremy Gaynor: Well as soon as I have the opportunity, I’d love to share my story. And it definitely was a process getting here with the West Point band. There was an audition being held. And so I mean just really my whole army career has kind of prepared me for this moment, prepared me for this moment in time. And so I mean it’s just really been – I mean, it’s just really been gratifying but as soon as I have the opportunity, I’ll be more than happy to tell my entire story. There’s no secrets here.

Q) Well I mean can you tell us though a little bit about what you did it become the male lead, how you maybe won that competition and maybe how that would apply to you trying to win this competition? Like what have you done to this point to sort of make yourself stand out from other singers?

Jeremy Gaynor: Well, first of all I thought out every which way that I can improve upon myself as a person, you know, before I improved upon myself as an artist. And so I kind of reached out to every different avenue in order for me to be able to surround myself around the most talented professionals, the most talented individuals, the most talented artists and just kind of got lost in that atmosphere and just learned as much as I could. I mean with my army career I was fortunate enough to be part of the Army Entertainment Detachment where for about three years I kind of sat in that seat and just soaked up as much knowledge as possible, sitting in the background doing production as the production stage manager, eventually leading to a point to where I had enough knowledge and enough experience to be able to share some of that knowledge with other amateur artists within the army. I guess with the way I’m built with my work ethic I kind of got lost in being a background guy, being a behind-the-scenes guy and just pushing other artists to the forefront. And I mean when the opportunity opened up for the West Point Band I was actually a bit timid to audition, but at the same time it had been something that it was also like a dream come true for me to be able to serve my country doing the thing that I loved, the thing that I feel like I was put on this earth to do and that’s encourage and motivate and inspire other individuals. Share my gift with the world. And so auditioning for the West Point Band it was strenuous process where I had to submit a DVD application. They had to screen through it and I was selected out of I don’t know how many contestants but I was selected to be one of the top four guys who came in and just day by day it was kind of like a gauntlet-type situation to where each day there was one singer eliminated and at the end of the day I ended up being on top. And so with that, my army background basic training, just everything that we have to go through I felt like The Voice was just right down my alley. And I mean it ended up being a sporadic situation where I was just really going out to do a mission for the army and sing the National Anthem and I just so happened to find out that they were having Voice auditions at the same location that I was singing the National Anthem. So I saw it initially as an opportunity for me to tell the army story and it started off that way and I just began to rediscover myself as an artist, fall back in love with my music and just redevelop this passion for being an individual artist and it kind of led me to the blind auditions and Team Christiana, where I am now.

Q) And where was the audition?

Jeremy Gaynor: The audition was at MetLife Stadium, the Giant’s stadium.

Q) Josh, I know going in your hope was that Adam would be your coach. So that dream came true. Why were you so certain about him right from the start? What about him?

Josh Batstone: Yes, I think going into it I was hoping to work with an artist that really appreciated the same kind of music that I appreciated so I think just going into it I was hoping to find someone like Adam who really just – I sang a lot of Adam’s music and I really enjoyed him as an artist and watching him coach the people on this show in the past seasons has really just sparked an interest and really looking forward to working with him.

Q) We saw such a brief clip of you. Did Blake say anything that made you waver for a moment?

Josh Batstone: Yes. He was more compliment-heavy, which usually people are drawn to more the people that flatter them the most. So he was definitely the more flattering but Adam gave me a lot of constructive criticisms, things I can work on and improve, while Blake was just really – it was flattering. So I think I definitely went into it really hoping – I was battling for sure.

Q) But so what Adam said to you, what sealed the deal for you? You already knew it, but what finally convinced you?

Josh Batstone: When he said he felt a lot of nerves in the beginning and how he used to do that too. I wanted to work with someone that related to me as well, not just who could help me out technically. So I think, you know, hearing that he’s been through what I’ve been going through performance-wise definitely sparked a serious interest.

Q) For Corey, how did you decide to choose Fried Chicken for your audition song?

Corey Kent White: Well, it’s a Zach Brown song that I’ve played at every college show that I think I’ve ever played and we were on the college circuit playing day in and day out and it was something that I was just very comfortable with and whenever I stepped on the stage, I wanted to know that I didn’t have to worry about remembering the words or being uncomfortable with the melody. It was just something that I had practiced and I could let practice take over, because I think anybody will tell you that’s about the most nerve-wracking situation musically that you could be in. And I didn’t want to have to worry about forgetting something or doing something wrong; just wanted to let practice take over.

Q) What was it like to watch yourself at your watch party last night with all those people?

Corey Kent White: Man, just to see the community rally around… We’ve been doing a weekly watch party for the last two weeks and last week was a great turnout, but we had no idea what to expect this week. And just to see the community roll out and we’ve been very big on supporting local, so we did it at a local restaurant in Bixby, a new place that’s – they’re trying to stay afloat. So it was just a really cool way to give back to the community that’s been so supportive of me. And just a great time with family and friends and even though I knew what was going to happen I still got pretty nervous because they took every second they could to press those buttons.

Q) How nerve-wracking was that?

Corey Kent White: Oh man. I think everybody has in their mind a point in their song where they think if the judges are going to turn around or the coaches are going to turn around it’s going to be at this point and for me I hit that point in the song and realized that nobody turned around and I’m not going to lie, I got pretty nervous and basically told myself you’re going to have to grab another gear. This thing is going to be over in a couple seconds and oh man, it was a scary position but I think that’s where you find out actually what you’re made of is when things are going your way how are you going to handle the situation. Are you going to lay down and give up or are you going to fight even that harder – that much harder?

Q) Katelyn, being from Parkersburg obviously kind of small town and that’s a pretty big deal to be on TV like that and be on that big stage. What was that like for you having the background of small area, small community that you’ve come from?

Katelyn Read: It’s definitely crazy. I think we all feel – we all think of ourselves as pretty ordinary so to get to be a part of something that is so big and such a big deal was just a mind-blowing experience and just very surreal. You feel like it just feels like a dream as it’s all happening, so it was crazy to see your face there on the screen.

Q) Did you have a lot of support from back here at home? I know even just in my newsfeed from things that other people had shared it looked like there were a lot of people rooting for you. Have you had a lot of support and a lot of comments and feedback from people here at home?

Katelyn Read: Oh, it’s been amazing. People from elementary school, all the way through high school, family friends and people that I have only gotten to meet just a few times just really, really sharing my things and supporting me and it’s been just incredible. I don’t know. It’s just hard to expect to have that much of a response from your community, so it’s very humbling, very humbling.

Q) I watched your interview on the website and you had mentioned about Christina having some, what you called, tough feedback and so having her as your coach I mean what do you hope to gain from her given all the experience and background that she has?

Katelyn Read: Christina is just a completely different artist than I am, which is kind of – it was such a shock to see her turn for me but I think there’s so much benefit in being placed with someone who is so different than you are that you have the opportunity to maybe discover parts of yourself as an artist that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to discover on your own. So it’s exciting and she’s not a bad singer so I’m totally okay with working with her.

Q) What is your strategy from here on out to hopefully make it as far as you can in this thing and hopefully win it?

Katelyn Read: I just want to do the best that I can each step of the way and take it a step at a time. My goal since starting this process has always just been I just want to be one step further; I just want to make one more step. So to be here is already exciting and I just want to be able to show myself, you know, who I am as an artist and what my music sounds like and if I can do that and connect with people and make an impact, I mean that’s success to me.

Q) About your song choice last night because we all know that doing a Whitney Houston song is a really big risk and how did you choose that song and how did you feel about it going into your audition?

Ashley Morgan: Well I obviously have been a huge Whitney fan like my entire life. It’s one of my favorite songs to sing. I actually perform as a part of a wedding band for like different corporate events and weddings throughout the year and I sing that song with the band and it’s just always so much fun. Out of all the songs that I get to sing, that’s one of my favorites. So it’s really upbeat, it definitely shows a lot of my range so I just wanted to do something like that. And with the way that I sing I tend to get pegged to do a lot of slower ballads and I wanted to do something that was a lot more upbeat to show that side of my voice. So that was one of the reasons for choosing that song.

Q) Can some of you just tell us about your auditioning experience and what it was like for you getting on the show or tips that you would have for other musicians or artists that would audition in the future?

Katelyn Read: I think that it’s a lot harder than what it looks like and I know I have been critical of people who have stepped up on that blind audition stage and after going through it and realizing how nerve-wracking and how much pressure there is, I have a lot of grace for everyone who has auditioned and – but I think it’s definitely something that is worth aspiring to and a great way to start pursuing a career as a musician.

Jack Gregori: I just want to chip in on that real quick and just say that I’m someone who’s – I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of live performances and there’s no question that that is a new level of stress and anxiety. And it’s really tough to perform under those circumstances so having experience under your belt is certainly handy but I don’t know that there’s anything that can prepare you specifically for that kind of situation.

Jeremy Gaynor: I’d just like to chime in as well. And I would just say that confidence is key; what Katelyn and what Jack said is definitely spot on, but confidence is key. And I would say to anyone aspiring to audition for The Voice to just live in each and every moment because you don’t get those moments back so you don’t want to regret. No regrets. You don’t want to regret anything, so just live in each and every moment.

Q) Lexi, why did you decide to sing that song in particular?

Lexi Davila: Well the song I think the reason that I wanted to sing it so badly was just I felt like I could relate to the sound just on a just me being Hispanic and her story, it’s like a sound that you can just get into and it’s so emotional just knowing her story. And just being a young Hispanic just like her just so young but I just have big dreams and I feel like just a lot of people that I’ve talked to that have talked to me about my audition told me that it was just kind of emotional for them just knowing her story. And that’s kind of what I wanted. I wanted to give like a tribute to her. And just the song itself, I – it like engages people emotionally and yes, I’m a pretty big Selena fan so yes.

Q) Bay, we didn’t get to see all of your song. Can you tell us why you decided to pick the song you did and a little bit more about your audition?

Bay Brooks: He is absolutely incredible and has really inspired me just from what he’s done. Our stories are a bit similar in that he moved when he was really young to pursue his dream and just kind go for it and that is what I’ve recently done. My family and I picked up and moved to Nashville after a lot of struggle and strife and just kind of picked up and started over and tried to pursue my dreams and my calling and so I relate to Ed Sheeran in that way and that song just had a lot of meaning to me because just the meaning of the song that The Stars Will Always Guide You Home. I’ve had recently – for my audition I dedicated the song to my uncle who committed suicide two years ago and that just had a huge impact on my life and it was just very special to me and my family because it was just a reminder that no matter where we are, whether we’re (on earth) or not that he’s there. And just that – that was just really important to me to do and to inspire others as well that no matter what happens that there’s always hope.

Q) Corey, what do you think about the battle rounds? That’s going to be such a different situation than you’ve probably ever been in before. What do you think that next step is going to be like for you?

Corey Kent White: Yes the battle rounds are a completely different animal. You’re performing a song with someone else and you’ve got to find a way to showcase both of your voices and really still do the song justice. It is a little bit outside of my comfort zone but then again in my western swing group that I was in for five years there were two vocalists and we did a lot of back and forth so I’ve had a little bit of practice on figuring out – really working out harmony parts and figuring out where somebody’s voices shines a little bit more than someone else’s and handing over those parts to someone so that you can take a different part later in the song. So it’s not completely out of my wheelhouse, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge.

Q) Koryn, you’re Team Christina; correct? What is it about Christina? Now I’m sure you’ve watched this show over the years and you’ve seen her do things. What is the most surprising thing about Christina that you didn’t know about her now that you’ve had a chance to work with her?

Koryn Hawthorne: The most surprising thing about Christina would probably be she’s really like into it and she really wants to know who you are not only as a person but as an artist and I think that we can kind of overlook that with the coaches we think that they’re just there for the show and they care about you but not actually really to the point of getting to know who you are and I think that she is just the most loving person and she just really cares and as so for the rest of the coaches because they all are like really caring but for her I was really surprised and just happy to know that she wanted to get to know who I was.

Q) For Brenna, what is kind of the coolest thing you’ve learned about Blake now that you’ve worked with him that maybe you didn’t notice when he was on TV; you’re next to him now as opposed to watching him on the show.

Brenna Jaeger: I don’t know if they show it on the show but he has a pretty funny sense of humor. I don’t know, he kind of gets all the jokes that I say even though I’m kind of awkward. I feel like I can relate to him because I’m such a big Miranda fan. So obviously it’s his wife so he’s obviously her biggest fan but my whole family grew up listening to him and her so I kind of felt like I already knew him but it was really cool how much he wanted to get to know me and all the questions that he asked and we kind of had some similar interests. He seems like a guy who would probably shop at the general store so I thought that it was really cool to get to know somebody who you would think is larger than life but it kind of makes you feel like he’s just another person like me, you know? He’s just really relatable.

Q) And for Josh was there ever a plan B for you if music didn’t work out?

Josh Batstone: I think everyone, like my entire family and everyone in my life kind of threw plan Bs at me whereas I didn’t want to do anything else besides music so yes and no. Personally as an artist now like me nothing would have amounted to this. This is exactly what I wanted to do and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else and I can’t imagine doing anything else ever. So that’s about it, yes.

Q) Corey, what was your reaction to meeting Blake, working with Blake? Was he who you thought he was? Has he been – have you been a fan of his for a long time? I know your mom said Garth Brooks was your favorite.

Corey Kent White: Yes Garth has definitely been my favorite from a young age and I was introduced to Blake after Garth obviously and he kind of when I was really getting into music is when his career really started rising again and he had a couple really big hits early on and then his career now is bigger than ever and he’s really proved that he’s the kind of artist that has a sustainable career, like a lifelong career and that’s exactly my goal entering the country music industry. So to be able to work with a guy like that is unbelievable. It’s incredible to get to learn from somebody that has been there and done it but as far as Blake as a person what you see on the voice is exactly what he is. He’s witty. He’s funny. I’m sure a lot of the stuff that he says they don’t put on camera but he’s a character. Exactly what you see is what you get and that’s what I love about him. That’s what I love about anybody is if they’re authentic, if what you would see on camera is the exact same as when they step off the stage. I just have a lot of respect for the guy.

Q) Brian you kind of brought to the forefront in your interview before the song about being bullied and being made fun of when you were younger going up through college. I guess revenge is the best thing when you’re on the voice now and you can laugh at all of them but what advice would you give to somebody young who is going through being bullied? I mean how do you survive it? What’s the best way to do it, deal with it?

Brian Johnson: Yes. Well thank you for bringing that up. That’s something that I was really looking forward to addressing on my platform on the show. I was bullied a lot because of my weight and just because I had a really interesting experience in front of a middle school singing and I had a really high voice and just kids can be really tough. And throughout this experience a lot of the producers would ask me questions, what would you say to 13-year-old Brian or what would you say to somebody who is dealing with the same things right now in their life. And the one thing that just kept coming to my mind is you have to – you have to make your own definition of who you are and you can’t let other people define you. I’m a really strong believer and I have gone through a lot in life where God has given me the strength to kind of shake off a lot of the things that has happened in the past which has given me the confidence to do something like The Voice. But to a lot of kids out there they really just need to hear that they need to define their own path, they need to define who they are and they shouldn’t let other people define their confidence or define who they are as a person. And I think that that’s something that a lot of kids really, really need to hear and to be able to be on a platform to tell somebody like – to tell somebody that is incredible.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*