The Voice – Top Nine Eliminations

By starrymag | December 11, 2015

Q) I know that you guys have a lot of mixed emotions, but now like the dust has settled, what’s next for you guys? I know everyone’s pretty much got to go back to school, but what’s next in the future for everyone?

Braiden: So pretty much for at least me, I know that I’m going to go home and start playing gigs and use the exposure we’ve gotten from jumping off of an opportunity to try and expand what I can do career-wise. I’ve gotten a couple of offers from people back home for like really cool gigs and management deals. And I’m really excited to see where it leads. I’m extremely excited for the future.

Zach: Yes, I know for me I’m just going to take what I’ve learned from this whole opportunity and keep building on my career. And I’m going to try and stick with Blake for as long as I can past this show and try and make the best of everything and with all of the huge fan base that I’ve gained from this show, I just want to continue with him and have him by side and put out some new music that they will purchase.

Madi: I think now we just kind of have to see what happens next and see who, you know, contacts us as far as like record labels go. And it’s hard to know what’s going to happen in the future, but like Braiden said I’m excited for it and this isn’t the end. It’s just the beginning. And we all have bright futures ahead of us. So there’s no need for us to be sad that this is over, except for the fact that it was so much fun.

Q) Five people getting cut last night was huge. And I just want to say you all did amazing and deserve to be in the finale. But I guess, was anyone on this call not really expecting to make it through to the end? And also, is there sort of a group consensus amongst you that one person was a real shock, like you sort of assumed at least one of you would definitely be in the final four?

Madi: I don’t think we can really answer that question very well because everyone here is so talented. And no one was going to be shocked if one person made it in and certain people didn’t. We all knew how tomorrow was going – sorry, how yesterday was going to go. And you know, and I think of course some of us are surprised because we had worked very hard, all of us worked very, very hard. And it would very nice to get into the finale. But at the end of the day. It’s just what people vote for. And seems like it’s just what happens. And there’s no way of knowing what they’re going to vote for. So it’s impossible to be surprised when someone gets voted for, if that makes any sense.

Shelby: I don’t think that you can be surprised by anything because I mean, like none of us knew how it was going to go. I mean, every single one of us were – are so talented. So there was no surprise to anything because it literally could’ve been anyone. So I don’t want to sit here and say that one person was a shock or one person wasn’t a shock because there was no way to predict anything that happened last night.

Q) Now, during that whole moment of finding out you have to perform for the Twitter save and going through that performance and everything, kind of what was going through your head during all that and kind of assessing your chances and how your performance went?

Madi: Well, they run out on stage and give us our phones when the Twitter save opens and we have to Tweet and stuff like that. And I remember just looking at the Tweets and like how much retweets Jeffrey’s post on The Voice Twitter was getting and I remember just being like not really sad but just like ok with what was happening. And at peace with the fact that I couldn’t control what was going on and Pharrell had been giving me god advice during the whole show. Every commercial break it seemed like he would run up and tell me to breathe and tell me that my value wasn’t based on voting and stuff like that. But those situations are hard but I remember in the beginning kind of freaking out. But then when it started happening, I realized that I had absolutely no control and I felt calm and I felt ready to accept whatever results happened.

Zach: Yes, I have to agree. I mean, at the beginning of all this like you find out you have to go home and being in that position was tough. I mean, especially with it being live TV andyou’re trying to hold back so many emotions. I’m just trying to keep it as mature as possible on TV. And it was tough to sing that song, especially the type of message that I had to deliver in that moment and I was extremely nervous as well. I gave it my all and I left the stage with no regrets. I’m happy for Jeffrey for moving on and going to the finale. And this is just something that we had to prepare for and at the end of the day, this is what happened and we’ve got to take what we learned from it and just keep moving forward.

Q) Shelby. I wanted to know if you were able to give us an example of how Adam drove you crazy

Shelby: There’s many examples. Let’s see, I guess I can go back to my last rehearsal. He just – it was kind of like a joke thing, but like it was just a way we like go back and forth with each other. That happened a lot. Like I did on stage, it happened a lot in rehearsals that wasn’t really shown. I mean, there’s a lot that happened. I don’t know if I can give just like one example. He would just – like the time I was crying and he was dancing. I was telling him that he probably shouldn’t do that, that he really kind of sucks at it. And he was like, “But am I making you smile?” I’m like, “Yes, because you look retarded right now.” And it was just that kind of relationship where we went back and forth like that. I don’t think many people can say that they have a relationship with Adam Levine like that, where you can joke with him and make fun of him and it still be all in good humor. So I guess that could be an example.

Q) For Madi, what do you see has changed throughout the competition within yourself as far as your music and what your vision is for your music and who you are and what you want to become? Like what do you see is changing or what genre do you think you’re going to be going into or what’s next for you?

Madi: I think I’ve realized throughout this whole process is that being talented and you know having a natural gift isn’t really enough. You need people that are willing to work with you and help you. And you need people that are equally as talented, if not more talented — like in my case Pharrell Williams or the band director, Paul Mirkovich — there to help your vision become something that’s real. And I think that’s how I’ve grown, because I used to think that that was impossible, but I didn’t really want to work with other people. I wasn’t open to that idea. But I came on the show and everyone was so good at their job that I would’ve been a fool not to take advantage of just all the help I was being given. So I think that’s something that I look back on and I think wow, I’ve really grown in that sense. And I’m actually proud of myself, the work that I’ve done to become so open to those kind of things and I think that’ll assist me in my future.

Q) Amy, what were your thoughts on being eliminated and what will you take from this experience?

Amy: Yes, so coming into yesterday’s results show was kind of a heavy day for all of us, you know. I think we all knew just how anything could happen and I think everyone’s just so insanely talented and just so unique. It’s just hard to mentally prepare for something like that. You just hope for the best but you also have to prepare for the worst because you might be singing a song or you might be leaving the stage early. And so it was quite a difficult day for all of us. I’m just so happy for the four that made it through. I mean, like at this point we’re all good friends and we’re all rooting each other on. And so what makes this week a little different is that the five of us that got eliminated aren’t leaving. We’re staying through the finale here in LA so that makes it a little better. We get to stick around with our friends a little longer and of course they bring back the top 24 for the finale, so this is going to be a celebration for the rest of us staying. I’m really just so honored to have been on the show and to right now there’s a lot still settling in and I’m trying to kind of distill all of the chaos of this whole experience. And I say chaos in the best way, because it’s been just so amazing. It’s been such a blessing to grow in so many ways. at this point I’m so excited for what’s next. We’ve all been really set up to really just pour so much more into our next projects after this. So I’m so excited to start working on my first full length album. So that’s where I’m at.

Q) I’m just wondering if you could reflect on your proudest moment of your time on the show?

Zach: I know for me, probably my proudest moment was having the courage to step up on that stage in the very beginning of it all. And just to see those chairs turn around validated all the hard work that I put into working on this craft of mine and really just validated, like I said, everything that I’ve been doing. And having Blake turn around and to have him in my corner the entire show until to help me win my battle, win my knockout, and just move forward in everything up until last night, I’d say that was my proudest moment was just having his support.

Shelby: My proudest moment was whenever I got a blind audition. And I think Adam took a risk pushing for a country singer and I took a risk going with him. And I got this far. He’s kept me during battles and he kept me during knockouts. And I mean, that was a risk on his part too, to take a country singer into live shows and I think we were both like happy with the decisions we made though, so that was my proudest moment was just taking a risk and just accepting that it was a risk and being proud of that risk.

Madi: it’s hard to pick one moment. The blind is a good example, like Zach said. But I think for me, most of my proudest moments were when I had been given opportunities to stray from my artistry but I decided to stick with it and I decided, you know, not to sing a song that didn’t mean anything to me and not to sing a song that would just get me through to the next round because that’s not what I’m about. So I think most of my proudest moments are when I maybe traded singing a popular song and a song I knew everyone would like for something that I loved and something that I felt like it captured who I was as an artist better than who I was as a sellout artist.

Braiden: So, the blind’s an extremely good example because I was actually like physically shaking when I went onstage. So the fact that two people decided to turn their chairs around saying they want me on their team, that was extremely – I mean, the feeling that you get at that point is hard to describe. But you can see it if you watch the tapes. You can see me starting to get misty eyed. That one kind of explains itself at that point. I think that’s one of my proudest moments. But I think the topper is the knockout round because that’s a style of music I’ve always wanted to do but always been afraid to do because that’s where like really good singers go. That’s if you’re not a super good singer, you usually don’t want to dabble in the crooning stuff. And I decided to give it a shot because I love that type of music. And the fact that it turned out the way I wanted it to, I was really proud of that. So I think that one was my favorite.

Q) If you guys can collaborate with any artist, who would it be?

Braiden: John Mayer. – I love his songs. I love the way he writes, and he writes a lot of intricate things as well. Like his guitar work is amazing and his lyrics, they actually have a deeper meaning other than just like pop music if you listen to if over again. So I mean, he’s an extremely good musician. I would love to get a chance to work with him.

Amy: I would love to collaborate with Ryan Tedder. I think he’s just the most talented producer, singer/songwriter, just, you know, the triple threat. I’ve always dreamed about working with him and I think he’s really talented at seeing the possibility with really combining different genres in a really special way. So yes, he would be my dream collaboration.

Q) Madi, a couple of weeks ago you did Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, something you had previously released in a different version, but sort of similar. I wonder what it is you took away from the experience, what you learned from Pharrell, what you learned from performing in front of audiences that large, and what you take away from it after that?

Madi: I’ve taken a lot away from it. And that version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun that I did on the show versus the one that I did on my EP when I was 13 is a perfect example of how when you get in a room with amazing, talented people that want to help you and want to make great music, great music is made. And that’s how that’s done. And I’ve learned that from this. And I’ve learned that being open to suggestion doesn’t mean that you don’t know who you are. It doesn’t mean that you don’t know the kind of artist that you want to be. It just it just means you’re willing to get help from people like Pharrell, who is like an award winning producer one of the greatest, you know, just artists of our time. And I would be a fool not to like listen to him when he’s telling me what he would do or advice. It’s just silly not to be open when people that are very talented — especially like on the show — people really want to help you. And so it would be silly not to be open to suggestion. So I think that yes, I mean that example of Girls, I had so much fun doing that. And I think that no matter what I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life, getting to sing that song on such a big stage, a song that meant so much to me.

Q) Shelby, earlier when we were talking about what’s artist’s plan next, you didn’t get to answer. So I was wondering if we could hear from you what you plan next, because you are still in high school as well?

Shelby: Yes. I started home schooling online when I was a sophomore because I knew that this is what I wanted to pursue. And the show was just a stepping stone and as a chapter in my book that is closed and now it’s time to focus on what I want to do with my own career and not so much what I want to do like on this television show anymore. I don’t know what is going to happen in a day or a week or two weeks from now. I think right now, I’m ready to go spend the holidays with my family and then come time after that I’m going to get to work on something. I don’t know what yet. I’m just kind of taking everything that happened last night in right now. But this isn’t the last of me, for sure. But right now, I just want to focus on my family for the next like couple weeks and then get back to work.

Q) Amy, you mentioned a debut album or an album you’re hoping to release, a full length album. How do you think it will compare to the music you’ve already released? Because you’ve got two EPs that you had put out before The Voice.

Amy: I think it takes a long time to develop, you know, your sound and, you know, the kind of album you want to make. And coming into this, you’re right — I had a couple of EPs up there, but they’re more or less really stripped down. And they were intended that way just so that, you know, they could single out the vocal and I could continue developing what I really wanted to be my sound for, you know, a potential full length. And at this point, after going through this incredible journey on The Voice and getting the coaching that we’ve been able to get, and you know, just really searching out who we are and really honing in on our craft, I’ve learned so much about, you know, what – who I believe to be I am as an artist. And I know that’s going to be huge in releasing this next album. I am so inspired at this point — especially today, after a day like yesterday, to write a lot about this experience. But I already have so many songs that I’m still working through and I’m just so ready to get to work. And I think what’s going to come after this is going to be influenced very much by who I was before the show, but I think even more after going through the show – on the show.

Q) Amy, sometimes the singers on the show, when they don’t win they kind of are of the mindset, you know, well we tried and that’s that. You seem to be the opposite. You seem to be more passionate now about a career in music. And I’m wondering obviously like you said, you’re processing everything that’s happened last night and with this whole journey, but to what do you attribute that passion? What was it about the process would you say that made you maybe more passionate about a career in music than you were maybe before you auditioned?

Amy: I came into this thing on a risk. It was before this I had been playing in small bars and coffee shops for almost five years, just writing songs for the sake of wanting to share them. And the focus was all on the words I was writing and how to convey them. And I didn’t really give much thought to the performance aspect of it. And this show after just saying, why not just see what happens? I never could’ve guessed how much I would’ve grown as an artist and how much that has just well I mean gosh, there’s so much I now think about when it comes to writing a song and about recording now. I think I’ve learned that you can create music with your body and with a set, and as a visual person, that’s really expanded my artistry. And so there’s that, but then the other side when you say passion actually, I really do attribute a lot of that from working with a coach like Adam. He actually is one of the most passionate artists I’ve ever been blessed to work with. And just seeing how he has been just so adamant about pushing for certain songs and pushing for how they should be arranged, et cetera, that I’ve just found that having an effect on how I started to feel about the last two songs that I played on the show. I just find myself with so much more passion than I had coming into this and I’m really amazed by that. But I think it’s just because I’ve just been stretched so much as an artist through this process.

Q) I thought it was interesting watching Cassadee Pope perform. Obviously, she has taken advantage of this opportunity — maybe more than a lot of the other singers that have come through in past seasons. Obviously each coach is going to work with a lot more singers who don’t win than the eventual winner. So I’m wondering how do they sort of prepare you or what sort of conversations do you have with regard to taking advantage of the moment, of the opportunity, of the popularity and really sort of seizing this opportunity that you’ve been given now? What sort of conversation or advice did they give you with regard to that?

Amy: I hope to have more conversations. We’re sticking around for another week and luckily we’ll get to see everyone a little bit longer. But the few interactions we’ve had about the potential outcome of ending the show maybe earlier than we want, it’s always been just a reminder of what an amazing platform this is. And I think honestly kind of running through with my family just the extreme platform that this has been. I haven’t really thought it through every single week. I don’t think we really focus on the fact that there’s something like 15 million people that watch us every single week and that’s huge. And I think we’re really set up to just to take off from here and it really is reliant on how much we use the work ethic that has been instilled in us over these past several months — which is I think the biggest gift in this industry because nothing truly great comes easy. And I know that it’s going to take for all of us a tremendous amount of work. I’d say even more than we’ve put in through this show. But I’m so encouraged now and that’s definitely been supported by our coaches and by the producers. They’re just reminding us that if we use what’s been given on this show, it’s going to be really hard for us not to succeed.

Q) Would any of you guys make a connection to sort of country music being a part of the voting, that maybe there’s a huge fan base for that or for maybe even Blake Shelton?

Zach: Yes, well I think country music fans are really, really loyal, especially when it comes to our music and with purchasing it and supporting us. And Barrett and Emily seem to have gotten more votes than me, which is perfectly ok. I’ve grown so close with Barrett and Emily and Blake throughout this entire show. And I know that we’re going to continue to work together once this show wraps. And yes, I think that I’ve gained a lot of country music fans from this show and I think that I’ll be able to carry them on my journey throughout my musical career. And I really do hope that they stick with me.

Madi: We all knew going in that Blake – very early on we were aware that Blake had the country mafia on his side and it was a joke that we all had but there was some truth to it. And this show historically has loved country music and I mean, I’m a fan of country music too. I know if I was watching, his team was so good this year and so was Adam’s and so was Gwen’s and I mean, Team Pharrell it was me. But something to observe would just be that pop music means popular and country music is country music. And the two finalists that aren’t on Blake’s team are both pop artists. So I think there is a certain thing that America likes and that’s just what they’ll vote for and at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a part of America that doesn’t like what I do or what Amy does or what the rest of us do. It’s just a smaller part of the world, and that’s ok. I’ve come to terms with that. And I think that that’s the best that I could’ve hoped for at this point was making it this far. And I’m really just lucky to have gotten to work with the people that I’ve gotten to work with for as long as I have.

Q) Jordan Smith is sort of like in a league of his own. Does a part of you think maybe he has the competition in the bag? Or do you think it’s still an equal playing field for everyone?

Braiden: I don’t know what everybody else thinks, but personally I think he’s just such an amazing vocalist and such a genuinely nice human being. And not to say everybody else isn’t. Everybody else is an extremely nice person as well. Just his personality and his vocal and the kind of person he is, though, I would be very surprised if he wasn’t going home with a big hunk of metal that said The Voice on it. But I mean, it’s still a competition. Whoever the country wants to win will take the cake. But I mean, I would personally be very surprised if he didn’t take it.

Q) Amy and for Shelby, did Adam talk to you two or, you know, individually or together after the elimination last night? Did you get a moment with him?

Amy: We got a very quick moment with him but then we were quickly rushed offstage. Yes, he said that we’ll talk later. But for the brief moment that we did talk with him, he was just saying how proud he was of us and just encouraging us that you know, he knew that this wasn’t the end for us at all.

Q) Amy, earlier you didn’t get to answer what your proudest moment was. Can you tell us what that was?

Amy: it was so good to hear about the blinds, just to be reminded of the blind auditions because it seems like it was so long ago. But honestly, I’d have to agree with Zack and Braiden’s just recollection on the blinds. That moment was really the first time we stepped onto that stage, and it took an extreme amount of courage from all of us to make that first step. And every subsequent time we would be on that stage came after that one. And so if I had to pick out my proudest moment, if would have to be that five minutes before walking through those silently opening doors that led to the stage. And when everything in you might – could very well have fallen apart all of us, we got up there and we just gave it our all without any of the tools that we gained through this experience. We just did that on our own. And I’m so proud of all of us for especially that first time.

Q) You were familiar with the show before you joined onto it. And realizing it is a show, a competition, and there’s a certain amount of strategy, do you feel that some of the song choices you made could’ve been changed up because you are playing a game? And strategy versus your artistry, of being an artist and being who you are is kind of a push and pull, how do you feel about the song choices and where you are, how you ranked in the show based upon playing the game and knowing that maybe country music is the song of choice to America? Or that Jordan’s doing these great, amazing songs? Do you look at other contestants and say, maybe I should try to change up a little bit to try to win this thing?

Madi: That’s something that we all struggle with throughout this entire process. There is a certain pull to do what the people like to win. But at the end of the day, my goal was never to win. My goal was just to make it as far as I could doing what I love and doing the music that I wanted to do. There were a couple times, especially in this last round, where I was like well maybe just this once I could sing a song that I hate to make America happy. But at the end of the day, that’s not who I am and that’s not the kind of artist that I want to be. So – and I think the rest of us will kind of say the same thing, because I know Shelby in particular sang her favorite song, and I sang my favorite song. I think all that you should do in this instance is change the kind of artist that you want to be or become a country artist so that you can win. What you should do is be the person that you are an be the artist that you are and sing the songs that you want to sing, because that is what will make you happy and that’s what will make you proud of yourself when you get eliminated.

Shelby: Yes, and I just want to tag off of what Madi’s saying. And I just want to say like I personally don’t regret any move I made on the show, and I hope to God no one does. But my thing is, is — this is kind of tagging off of what Madi said — if you go out and sing something that your heart’s not in, then people are going to see that. And you don’t want to go out and just conform to what people want to hear to get votes. When you have a platform like this, you want to show who you want to be as an artist because if you’re doing things that you wouldn’t do, when you finish the show and if you’re not doing stuff that isn’t similar to what you would want to release on an album, you’re not representing yourself correctly. So like if when you leave the show, you may have all this success doing things that you didn’t like, but when you go to release something that you do like and what you didn’t do on the show, it’s going to be a completely different slap in the face to people, because it’s not truly representing yourself. So I personally feel like I represented myself how I wanted to as an artist. And I sang songs that were from my heart and I sang songs that I love. And the people that connected with that, connected with that. And you know, you can’t make everybody happy but I feel if you’re making yourself happy, at the end of the day you’re successful. And I’m just going to leave it at that.

Braiden: I mean, song choice is extremely important, but at no point in the competition did I think I should sing this song for votes. I mean, they told me straight out when I wanted to do Renegade that rock songs don’t chart. And I’m like all right. I know. I still really want to do this song, though because I feel – I’ve been exploring what I want to do, like genre-wise throughout this entire process. Since I’m the youngest one, I haven’t really had like a super clear idea of what I wanted to do. I knew the basic idea, but I wasn’t super clear on it. So I was exploring a little bit. And they’ve told me straight out that certain songs aren’t going to do as well, and I’ve still decided I really want to try this and see how people react to it. And, I mean, I’ve had ups and downs but I think through that process, I’ve found what I want to do. But I don’t think at any point I’ve ever decided to do something specifically for votes. That just wouldn’t sit right with me. I wouldn’t be as proud of that performance if I knew that I had only done it for votes, because that’s not what it’s about.

Q) I wanted to know if each of you did something special with your teams or with the nine of you prior to last night’s elimination because so many more people are going home this week?

Amy: I think a lot of people don’t realize how much work we put into each day. There isn’t really much down time to really, you know, have these get-togethers. We had a very special time during thanksgiving, and that’s when we finally all could have a meal together and go to a movie together. But our schedules are so crazy, that, you know it’s often hard to find time to really, you know, hone in one that. But the good thing is that we’re not gone. We’re still here. And so I think we still have time to and out and to celebrate together. And the finale is one week away so the top 24 I think are flying in this week, and we’ll all have time to celebrate together. I think we’re all really excited about the finale and everyone who’s in it. And we get to be a part of that, so yes, I think that will be our celebration.

Q) Have any of you all discussed possible duets with each other, collaborating with each other?

Braiden: That one’s a definite yes. I’ve definitely gotten some contact information together on people to collaborate with. Well, we’ve gotten ahold of Viktor and I was hoping to get ahold of some of the people on this call, but I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it yet because I mean, we’ve only been off the show for like less than 24 hours, so we haven’t gotten that long to talk outside of the show. But we’ve definitely gotten some ideas together.

Madi: I mean yesterday me and Amy were just talking about — not yesterday, a couple days ago, Saturday were talking about, you know, maybe doing a song together or just like as a duet for fun. And I know me and Darius, a contestant from live playoffs. He and I have become very good friends and we talk. He’s a producer and he talks about he wants to produce my album every time we talk and I think that’s probably going to happen. And we all just – we’re all musicians and we all love music, so it’s impossible for us not to want to do it together — especially in this environment.

Q) Zach, Blake told you that you have a lot of star potential and he kind of made it clear that this is not the end of your friendship. So what does that mean for you? Will you be working together?

Zach: Yes, it means a lot to me to have Blake say that, especially on live TV. But I definitely think that of all the contestants that have been on this show in past seasons, I know that Blake is really good about sticking with some of his closest team members. And I really hope that he holds me to that. And I’m sure he has a lot of things in store for me as well as the other people on my team. And we’ve got to get through this show for right now, and then whatever happens in the future happens. And I’m just hoping for the best and that it all works out.

Q) If you could describe your experience in one word, what would it be?

Madi: Mine would be life-changing — with a hyphen still is one word.

Zach: My one word would be memorable.

Braiden: The whole thing is so amazing. It’s hard to, you know, sum it up in one word. We can have like a couple words. That would work.

Amy: I feel like we’ve been lucid dreaming, like this has been one big dream and I feel like we’ve just been somehow participating in it. So lucid-dreaming.

Q) So Madi, with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, did any of our tweets the week prior have anything to do with your song choice?

Madi: I actually can’t, because I get so many tweets now, I wish I could see just certain people’s tweets somehow. But I’m sure there’s a way. But it came around actually really randomly, like I was supposed to sing a different song that week and they said, you know, it wasn’t working. And then some random person came up and suggested this song and I was like ok. It’s about time. Let’s do it.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*