The Voice – Knockouts Night One

By starrymag | October 30, 2015

Q) Braiden, what did you think of the look? And is this the Braiden that we can expect moving forward?

Braiden: I thought the performance was – well, it was a lot of fun just because of the whole – the old time sound – not old time, but the older song choice. It was revamped a little bit. And the suit and everything and the hair – that was fun. And I think that you could see some more of the older stuff going forward because that’s just something that I really like to do but I haven’t done as much. And I want to be able to show I do enjoy that kind of stuff and I want to write like that. I mean, not like really old like that, but something along those lines taking some inspiration from that kind of music. And the hair – it took a long time. So I don’t know. Whatever Gwen wants to do with it because she’s very good at that. So I don’t know how that one’s going to turn out. I couldn’t tell you.

Q) Amy, I was wondering if you could elaborate a little bit on why you chose Adam, especially with Blake giving you such a hard sell on the steal last night.

Amy: Man, well, goodness gracious. That moment was kind of a blur for me. You have two of the handsomest, most charming people on the planet saying the sweetest things you’ve ever been told in your life and it was just a little overstimulated. But I’ve always been such a huge fan of Adam’s and he’s literally – I’ve grown up with him in my head. I’ve been listening to his music for so long and he’s such a multifaceted artist. And so I always actually – even during blinds I wished that I had the opportunity to work with him. And so that was always on my heart. You know, in the moment you just – I mean, I’m surprised that any words came out of my mouth just because I was so blown away, but Blake is such an amazing artist and amazing songwriter and all-around person, and so encouraging. You just can’t go wrong between the two of them. So ultimately at the end of the day I chose Adam because I just felt like we would have – we would see more eye to eye on the road in.

Q) And what did you think your chances were of getting the steal once the verdict was announced?

Amy: Man. I mean, I was preparing what to say to Pharrell to thank him for this trend so far. And it was both an honor and intimidating to go against Madi because she’s just such an amazing talent and I’m such a fan of hers. So I totally agreed with the verdict. And so I just didn’t expect to get stolen at all, let alone have two buttons pushed. So that really blew me away.

Q) Viktor, what was it like for you to be stolen by Gwen?

Viktor: Honestly, it was kind of awesome. So a guy can’t wish for a better situation. I had twice the opportunity to work with Adam Levine. He’s a super guy and he’s super intelligent and he really likes what he’s doing. You can really tell that he likes being on the Voice and helping people. And now I get to finally meet up with Gwen Stefani and learn from her. So I think it’s a super situation.

Q) Madi, after hearing Amy, she did so amazing. Like, what were your thoughts? Because I looked at your face at one point and you kind of looked like a little bit like – oh no. because she did amazing, of course, but what were your thoughts going through it at that time?

Madi: I think I was pretty distraught, to be honest. She’s so amazingly talented and the way that Amy does what she does – it’s indescribable. She’s mastered the art of stillness in music and captivating people with just her softness and just everything about here is really captivating. So I was sitting there and I was absorbed in her performance. So I wasn’t even really thinking about how I was going to go next or anything like that. I was just listening to her because I love that song and I told her so many times when we were rehearsing how much I love that song. And what do you know? We end up going against each other and I got to see it live. And that’s how I see it is I got to watch her perform and I’m really thankful for that because it was a beautiful performance, like you said.

Q) Amy, I’m sure you had a certain expectation coming into this whole thing, but now have had the opportunity to work with Pharrell, to work with Adam, to work with Missy Elliott, to work with Rihanna. How do you process the wealth of talent that’s been around you and mentoring you lately?

Amy: It’s been so much like stepping into a boot camp, just like this intensive environment where each day trumps the next or trumps the previous day and how much you learn and who’s mentoring you. It’s been totally incredible. Like you said, coming into something like this as someone who never thought that they would step into an opportunity like this, a show like this, a contest like this — I’ve just been blown away time and again by getting to learn from these incredible artists and getting such helpful, constructive criticism. And I really feel myself growing in ways I never thought I would and at a faster rate than I ever have before. And of course this is – there’s the added challenges in the public eye now for all of us. But I think that’s what amplifies how much we’re growing and I’m so grateful for it.

Q) So Barrett, I feel like the comment that we keep hearing from the judges when you perform is we can’t believe that you’re not out there doing this professionally, doing this twenty-four/seven. You’ve got such a stage presence. You’re so polished. You’re so professional up there. I’m wondering – tell us a little bit about the process of how you got into this point and tell us a little bit about – was it easy for you? Has it always been as effortless as we see? How did it get to be as good, as professional like I said, as like we’ve been seeing for the past couple of performances?

Barrett: It’s been a long process and one that has spanned the course of a decade and a half. I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was nineteen years old, which is younger than a lot of the people on the show and not too much older than a few of the people on the show. And so I found myself in a situation where I needed to perform as a college student and then moving into young adulthood for the money, frankly. And started playing frat houses and smoky dive bars and crappy gigs all over the place just for a couple hundred bucks and often times way less than that in order just to survive. And so I think the process of becoming a good performer and somebody that really commands the stage and delivers an undeniable performance is cast in years and years of playing gigs where the crowd has been a tough crowd. And there is no tougher crowd than a bunch of boisterous, drunken fraternity guys. And you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to connect with those people and make them enjoy your show. And so I’ve been working for ten years and ten plus years in the corporate world, but also as a – in the last few years as a high school teacher. And that’s – but at night, leaving my house and going out into the entertainment world and playing gigs and just doing what I can to get better. And really it was in the past five years or so that I really decided to start focusing on how to make my life show the best it possibly can be. And most of those gigs were just me and my guitar. And I think that once – as a budding artist and as someone that is trying to cut their teeth and understand how to perform, when you strip it all down and it’s just you and your voice and your accompaniment which in my case was an acoustic guitar, you really force yourself to do things from a performance standpoint to connect with an audience and draw people in and hold them there. And especially when you’re playing shows that are three hours long, you don’t’ have a choice but to do something neat and different and special. And for me, it wasn’t always that way. My first several years of playing out and performing – I’m sure if I look back out from now I would probably cringe because I was just so green and not very experienced. But over the course of that amount of time and playing literally hundreds of gigs, it’s something that now is sort of innate and instilled in my DNA now to be somebody that just knows how to get up there and rock out. And that’s just what I do. I don’t have much control over that. It’s not really even something that I think about anymore. They hand me a microphone. I walk out of the tunnel now on The Voice and stand on that stage and just do what I do. And that’s comforting to know because it’s not – it’s one less thing for me to think about. There’s so much going on in that moment when you’re looking out at Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton and Pharrell and Adam Levine looking at you while you’re performing. It would be easy to get distracted by that, but for me now luckily it’s been a process of getting better and getting good at it. And I don’t really even have to think about it now. It’s just something that I just do.

Q) Madi, could you elaborate a little bit on why you chose the song you did for the knockout round and then tell me how you think you’ve improved since your time began on The Voice?

Madi: Well I chose “A Case of You” because it’s one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs, if not my favorite Joni Mitchell song. So Joni Mitchell is an amazing artist and she’s an amazing songwriter. And she’s really helped me realize what it means to be an artist and what it means to be a woman in music. And I just felt like for my knockout I had to do something that was really showing my true colors and there was nothing that I could think of that could really do the job better than that song. And then as for how I’ve grown, I feel like I’ve grown tremendously not only as an artist but also as a person. Working with Pharrell – I mean, we all know how calm and peaceful and amazing he is. And everybody that gets to work with him is really touched by just his presence. So to get to be around someone for two rounds of the show is amazing. And then to get to continue to work with him into the live shows is absolutely a blessing and I can’t really think of anything that could be better than to continue to work with Pharrell Williams because he’s become such an important person and role model in my life. But the biggest thing that I feel like he’s helped me with is my confidence. And that’s opened up so many doors for me vocally that I feel like a completely different singer and artist. And most of that has to do with my view of myself and my view of my music, and that’s something that only this show I feel like can offer someone like me. And I’m very grateful for everything he’s done and everything the show has done for me up to this point. And I’m excited to move forward.

Q) Ivonne, why did you pick the song you picked and how do you think you’ve improved over the course of the show?

Ivonne: Well, the song I sang was “Part of Me” by Katy Perry and I think it’s such a special song. I feel like when Katy Perry wrote this song I feel like she was going through a very tough time in her life. And this is kind of like her anthem, like she’s saying that whatever she’s going through it’s who she is. And I really felt like I could interpret my music with her lyrics. That’s why – like when I heard that I had the opportunity to sing this song, I was so excited because I knew that I could really connect to it emotionally through my music. And because music is such a huge part of my life now and I know that – music just continues to grow every day. So it was really cool for me to go on that stage and sing this song, saying music is a part of me no matter what anybody says or no matter what negative comments I get on anything. Music is always going to be a part of me and it’s just something that nobody’s going to be able to take away from me ever. I looked back to my blind audition and to my knockout performance and I’m like a completely different person. Even just from my last blind audition to this – the blind audition from this year, you can see more confidence and so much more growth and strength. And I’ve gotten to work with two of the most amazing humans being every, Pharrell and Blake. And it’s just an honor to be in their presence let alone receive advice from them. I’ve learned so much from both Pharrell and Blake, but I feel like through this round Blake definitely helped me with my confidence because that’s always been something I struggled with as a performer. And I don’t know, it’s just such an honor to continue to grow and just continue on the show. And I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the coaches’ help and advice. They just both encouraged me so much and they have helped me grow and they have encouraged me to find my sound and be comfortable with myself, and be comfortable with just sharing my voice with the world. So I feel like there’s been a tremendous amount of growth from me throughout the competition.

Q) Blaine, last night we got to see the advisor for the knockouts was Rihanna. What was that like having her as an advisor?

Blaine: Just like anything in this process, just surreal. You walk into the room that you’re going to do your performance on on the same stage with Rihanna and Adam. At the same time, you’re like hey, somebody needs to pinch me because I’m dreaming and I need to wake up. At the same time, they’re both so down to earth that it was like being in the room with a couple friends. And just for me, the things that she said to me just as an artist – wow. It was just huge. She was like, hey, it’s like you just stepped up the Warped Tour, or like you’re freaking weird and I love it. Your hand motions and emotion and feelings – after I did the first run with the band, both Adam and Rihanna were just like, thank you. Dude, you just get it. And for both of those guys, artists that I both look up to and have listened to growing up pretty much my entire life, that’s huge for those guys to just be like, dude, you just get it. You are a rock star. That’s – it’s surreal. So yes, walk into a room and stand on a stage with those guys – that’s – it’s really surreal.

Q) Jordan, how was that to have Rihanna as your advisor?

Jordan: Walking in that room and seeing Rihanna standing there waiting for me was such a surreal experience. She’s a person that I’ve grown up hearing her music and her voice is so signature. She’s just so well-known and you hear her music everywhere you go. And to have her standing there in front of me talking about my voice and giving me advice on how to do better and how to use my body language, and how to really let loose and just feel the music – but also to hear her compliments about my voice was incredible. And a little funny story – actually, I told my family this and they laughed. But I’m telling you, there’s a part where she sang a line. She’s like come back and try to sing a line like this. She sang and it hit me. I was like oh, my gosh, Rihanna is right here in front of me singing right now. And it was a voice that I’ve known for years, but to have it right there was so incredible and I just almost was moved to tears. And I think I even said that on the show. I was almost moved to tears. But right in that moment, it’s just like I felt God. And it was just like you’re here right now. You’re living your dream. I’m giving you everything that you desired. I’m allowing you to wake up in the morning in do what you love and meet all of these amazing people, and learn and improve in ways that you never knew you could improve. And so I know it’s crazy to say that when Rihanna sang I heard the voice of God, but it was just so incredible to have here right there in front of me, an artist that I’ve known and looked up to and heard for so long giving me advice and singing to me, and just showing me what to do. It was incredible.

Q) And Ivonne?

Ivonne: I don’t even know how I didn’t pass out in front of her. I’ve grown up listening to her. She’s such a huge megastar pop star person, and I’ve always been a huge fan of her. And oh, my gosh, I don’t even – this is real life. I don’t know. I don’t even know how to talk about it. I was so in awe of her presence and the fact that she was so technical and she was really putting me to work – was so cool because a lot of the media today doesn’t really talk about how great some of these artists are today. They’re just like, oh, she sings and she’s kind of cool. But they don’t’ talk about how really talented they are. So like I said, I was completely in awe in her presence and just – oh my gosh. She was so helpful and so encouraging and humble and so sweet. And I still can’t believe that I got the opportunity to work with her.

Q) Amy, I know that during your time with Rihanna she told you that she thinks that your performance could use you being more in touch with yourself. And I noticed during your performance you didn’t really take too much to that critique. Do you think that the turnout would have been different had you have?

Amy: I think one thing that – maybe the biggest thing that I took away from the session with Rihanna was just how she really started a dialogue in my head about – and started these questions. Just like – well, how do I define what is sexy? And how do I think that applies to this song? And it’s constantly a balance between the critiques you get from the coaches and the mentors and the advisors on this show with who you think you really are and how you can honestly follow through or accomplish what they think needs to be done, or the changes they say need to be made. And so I’m so grateful for all of the comments that she made to me. I do think I took them to heart but in my own way. And I totally agree with so many things that she said, but like anything some things take time. And it’s just like with – just like hard ground needs to be tilled before you can plant something and before you can let it grow and bear fruit that’s useful. I’m a work in progress and I just have to give it my best shot with as much as I have at the moment every time I step on that stage. So I’m grateful for all that she said but I’m still letting it work on me.

Q) Braiden, how did it feel for you to be in the presence of Rihanna and telling you what she thought of you. How did that feel and how did that make you want to allow her to do whatever she wanted to with your hair and everything?

Braiden: I know I’ve used this word a million times, but I’m going to use it again because it’s true. It’s surreal. It’s completely – it doesn’t feel like reality because this kind of stuff I never would have in my wildest dreams expected to have done. I never would have expected to be standing next to Gwen Stefani and Rihanna. Like, come on. They would have told me that, I would have been, like, yes. Cool. No, you’re crazy. Thanks. But no, it was amazing. And some of the things she said really were very good. Like she said if I had a voice crack then I need to commit to it. I can’t just back off because that’ll show that I didn’t mean to do it, that that was actually a problem. So I can’t show that I mess up. And that was – the hair thing – that was actually really funny. I was actually kind of concerned that a couple of my friends back at school would be mad about it because I get messed with about my hair all the time because it’s a bit different than the normal straight cut that usually people get. But I was concerned that people would mess with me about it. And then she said that – well, she said that they won’t mess with you for making money. I’m like, alright. Let’s try it. So that was actually really funny, but it was an amazing experience to work with her because she’s actually a really good coach and she’s an amazing person.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*