The Voice – Blind Auditions – Night One

By starrymag | September 21, 2016

Q) Courtnie, you joined Miley’s team. You know, she’s a new coach this season, you know, and she’s been known to kind of be controversial at times. So what was like when you met her? And what do you think she can offer you as a coach?

 

Courtnie Ramirez: So when I first met her, I just saw like the joy and just like she was just – her energy and just she was just very enthusiastic and just like so excited to be on the show. And I think that’s what really drew me to her team. Like just like the personality, you can just see it when she smiles. And Miley is such a great person, like I never would’ve thought like that I would meet Miley. But Miley is amazing. Like just it’s a true honor for her to be my coach. So she’s amazing, she’s great.

 

Q) Dave, coming onto The Voice as such a big fan of Adam Levine’s you admitted it was the hardest thing ever not to choose him as your coach. But we didn’t really get much of an explanation as to why you went with Alicia instead. So can you talk about that? Like did Blake and Miley sort of pressure you into that decision?

 

Dave Moisan:   Yes, so it was an incredibly difficult decision to make. And I came on the show thinking most likely that if I did have the opportunity to pick between the coaches, I probably would lean towards Adam.   But the other thing that I was thinking coming into this experience thinking about it as a whole experience is that I want to grow as an artist and I want to be able to push myself in directions that I wouldn’t necessarily push myself. And so when some of the other coaches started talking about why it would make sense to pick somebody other than Adam. It made me start considering that a lot more. And when Alicia spoke, she is just so incredibly magnetic. And what she said really resonated with me. And she’s not exactly like I am but that’s why – like for example whenever I write a song, I like co-writing with people who have a little bit different flavor than I do so that way it creates something new and unique that I wouldn’t necessarily normally create.  And so that’s why I’m really excited to work with Alicia and really excited to learn from her. And I think I could’ve learned a ton of things from Adam and I would’ve been able to grow tremendously with him, but I’m really excited to get to work with Alicia because it is breaking the mold a little bit and a little bit different. So I’m excited to challenge myself.

 

Q) Jason, I was wondering why you chose Alicia when obviously Blake and Adam are mainstay coaches and they have experience on the show?

 

Jason Warrior:   I picked Alicia because simply it’s everything that she said. For me, this whole process isn’t about you know, just winning and, you know, being the greatest person of all. But it’s so much about allowing people to be moved and inspire people through my music. And that’s my ultimate goal — to change the world one song at a time.  And everything that she said to allow me to spread my wings and, you know, to grow and, you know, become better as an artist is what, you know, really pushed me to pick her over Adam. Adam is a great person. And I definitely, you know, feel as if I could have grown a lot with Adam as well. But for that reason, I picked Alicia.

 

Q) Dana, I think your coaching choice was one of the most surprising of the night, when you went with Team Blake. Can you explain that?

 

Dana Harper:       Sure. So going into it, I think myself and probably everybody else that was watching assumed that I was going to pick Alicia. And going into it, that was, you know, my plan if I were to have the opportunity, like Dave said, to choose a coach.   But piggybacking off of what Dave said about his choice to go with Alicia, I decided to go with Blake because I wanted to grow, and not that I wouldn’t grow with Alicia, but I wanted to grow in a different way. You know, we – Alicia does R&B and soul and that’s kind of the same type of music that I do. So I wanted to challenge myself and learn something different and work with an artist and work with a coach that I many not ever have the opportunity to do so again. And Blake is just so charming and his eyes are shiny and blue and I couldn’t – I had to go with Blake.

 

 

Q)   Dave, with Jordan Smith having just won, is that a little added pressure? And have you heard from him?

 

Dave Moisan:        It is a lot of added pressure because he won and he’s got this voice that’s just, it’s so unique and so unbelievable. I remember watching literally every single one of his performances just studying because this whole process takes a lot of work. And so I remember studying his performances, studying his stage presence, and just his voice is so incredible. And so I am proud to represent the city of Louisville and very proud to represent Kentucky. And am excited but also timidly petrified about following in those big shoes that I need to try and fill because he is incredible.

 

Q) Sundance, a few years back you were on another singing show. I was wondering what brought you back to another reality TV competition? If you could talk a little bit about that, how you wound up auditioning for The Voice.

 

Sundance Head:    Well, I need to find a booking agent and a new gig. You know? No, you know, it’s out of passion. And I have a lot of people that believe in me and I have children now that are getting older. And I wanted to show them that, you know, it’s important to take risks. And I accepted the challenge because they asked me to do it. And so pretty much it’s a learning experience for my family also. For me, I think I’ve grown tremendously as a musician, an artist, and a vocalist. And I just wanted to give it another shot if it was possible.

 

Q) Why Blake? Adam seemed to think that was a foregone conclusion. Was that the case?

 

Sundance Head:    To be honest, I was going to choose Adam if he had turned around for me. But when the bullets were flying, I kind of just – I’m not sure how I chose Blake. I intended to choose Adam and then I started thinking about all the success that Blake’s had in the business and he’s pretty much done everything at this point that I would like to do. He’s such a beautiful human being, a wonderful person, and he’s just happy all the time and he’s got such a positive energy and I wanted to try and capture some of that if it was possible.

 

Q)  Dave, I was just thinking that I had been reading some things about you today. One of them was from your Alma Mater Notre Dame and talking about how you would write songs as you’re swimming and looking down at the black lane markers, the lane.  So I’m wondering is that really true?

 

Dave Moisan:    Yes. That’s really true. So I didn’t start singing until late in life. It wasn’t until man, my sophomore year in college when I went to that Maroon 5 show. I hadn’t sang at all up until that point. And so I got involved in a hip hop band actually in college.  And so I remember swimming. I mean, you look at the bottom of the pool for hours. I mean, we were in the pool for four hours a day. And so you were staring at that line and you’re not hearing anything else and so you have all kinds of crazy thoughts. And so yes, that’s absolutely true. I wrote a lot of the lyrics — albeit they may not have been the greatest because they were some of the first lyrics I ever wrote. But yes, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the bottom of the pool and writing songs and that’s kind of where it all began.

 

Q) Gabe, what made you choose Team Blake?

 

Gabe Broussard:   Well, what was going through my head when I was up on that stage, it was just like flooding emotions and like everything that I could possibly think of was running through my head at that moment. So everything was just crazy and both of the coaches were giving me like reasons and like not only just reasons — amazing reasons why I should be part of their team.  But I think what made me go with Team Blake was just I just had a gut feeling that I should go with him. And I thought I should follow it.

 

Q) Sundance, a lot of Idol fans right now pretty excited that you’re back on TV and you’re auditioning for The Voice. I was wondering if you could compare the two shows, what your experiences have been like?

 

Sundance Head:    Well, for me I really feel like I squandered the opportunities that I had on American Idol. I was unprepared. I definitely was not ready for what went down. I think that they spent a lot of time trying to help me out and trying to guide me in the right direction. At the same note, I was a little bit naïve about the whole process and I should’ve paid more attention to what the show was trying to advise me to do as far as leadership.  And I can say with this show, the difference that I can see right now, to be honest with you, is that they have a lot of intent on helping the artists and the performers on this show to grow and they go out of their way to try to give you outstanding advice and leadership.  Now, it was probably done that same way during the Idol show. I just like I said was immature and unprepared as a human being for that whole experience. And I’m really thankful this time that I’m going to get another shot. And I hope that this time, I can do things correctly, to be honest with you.

 

Q) You were like 20, 21 then.

 

Sundance Head:    Ma’am? Actually I was 26. I mean, my wife might still tell you I’m immature now, but I feel like I’m kind of old here.

 

Q) Having gone through that experience once, when you come at it again you know what mistakes you made or when you can do better the second time around, so.

 

Sundance Head:    Absolutely. That’s asolutely the true. Like I said, I’m thankful that I’m having this other opportunity. But I also would advise anyone that can hear this that has any kind of aspiration to be a singer or a vocalist just don’t be scared and give it a shot. I’ve talked to a lot of people that they would like to do it but they’re afraid to lose. And I have to tell you that if you don’t take the chances, you’re never going to know what success is. That’s my only advice.

 

Q) You had a day job for a while and then you lost your job and then you went back to music. Is that how it happened?

 

Sundance Head:    Well after American Idol, I signed with Universal Motown. I’m the only artist on that show that signed a major record deal that didn’t make it into the top five. Had a four-year contract with Motown and we recorded some stuff. They decided not to release anything, so I just rode the contract out. And then whenever I came home, I started getting work. You know, people wanted to hire me but I didn’t know enough songs on the guitar to play 45 minutes. So I had to start learning how to be a musician all over again, you know? So one thing I’m really thankful about the experience with American Idol is that it did teach me in my soul that what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was write music and be a musician. And I spent the last good part of nine and a half, ten years to trying to devote my life to being the best father, husband, son that I can be along with making a living playing music and writing songs and figuring out how to juggle all of it to create a good life for my family.  And I feel like we’re doing that right now. And I’m just really excited about everything that’s going on right now. And I’ve met a bunch of wonderful people on this show. Everyone you guys have spoken to this morning I personally know and I would endorse anything that they have coming out. And I’m just so thankful that, you know, I’m even on the phone with you guys right now.  I did take a job at a machine shop and I worked there for the good part of eight years. I was an expeditor for a machine shop. And when the oil companies started to go down about a year ago, I told my wife I needed to do music full time. So I’ve been doing it full time now for a year. Back in Texas, I’m nominated for new male vocalist, artist, and song of the year with a song called Darling Don’t Go. The Music Awards are this month. I’m really excited to see if we were able to bring any hardware home. But even just to be nominated I’m really proud of that.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*