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By
Krista

Interview with contestants of "The
Voice" on
NBC 3/3/15
THE VOICE ADVANCING ARTISTS PRESS & MEDIA
Moderator: Shauna Wynne
March 03, 2015 1:00 pm CT
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by.
And welcome to The Voice advancing artists press and media
conference call. During the presentation, all participants
will be in a listen-only mode. Afterwards, we will conduct a
question and answer session. At that time, if you have a
question, please press the 1 followed by the 4 on your
telephone.
If at any time during the conference you need to reach an
operator, please press star 0. As a reminder, this
conference is being recorded Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015. I
would now like to turn the conference over to Shauna Wynne
with Voice Publicity. Please go ahead, ma’am.
Shauna Wynne: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining the
conference call for The Voice’s advancing artists today. If
you’d like a transcript call, please email me at swynne@mprm.com.
Joining us today from Team Adam, we have Barry Minniefield,
Bren’nae DeBarge, James McNeiece, Michael Leier, and
Nicolette Mare. From Team Blake, we have Jacob Rummell,
Kelsie May, and Matt Snook. From Team Christina we have
Clinton Washington, Gabriel Wolfchild, and Sonic. And from
Team Pharrell we have Kimberly Nichole and Travis Ewing.
Out of respect for all reporters queuing up, please only ask
one question at a time. And then you will have the option to
queue up for additional questions. And if you’re asking a
question to the general group, please indicate who you’d
like to answer first. And I’ll now turn the call over for
the question and answer.
Operator: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’d like to
register for a question, please press the 1 followed by the
4 on your telephone keypad. Our first question comes from
Earl Dittman with Digital Journal. Please proceed with your
question.
Earl Dittman: Hi. Good morning, everybody. How are you all
today?
((Crosstalk))
Earl Dittman: I think - is it Bren-nae? Am I pronouncing
that correctly? Bren’nae DeBarge?
Bren’nae DeBarge: Bren’nae DeBarge.
Earl Dittman: I’m sorry. I wrote it down wrong.
Bren’nae DeBarge: That’s okay.
Earl Dittman: Well we didn’t get to hear a lot of your story
last night. Can you tell me a little bit about your
connection with the family? The DeBarge name of course is
pretty legendary in music business.
Bren’nae DeBarge: Right.
Earl Dittman: Can you tell me a little bit of how you got to
where you are and your connection?
Bren’nae DeBarge: My connection with the DeBarge family -
I’m actually married to Andrew DeBarge who is the son of
Tommy DeBarge. Yes. So I’m related by marriage.
Earl Dittman: And have you been doing music all your life
with the family? Or is this kind of your first foray out
into music on your own?
Bren’nae DeBarge: I’ve been doing music all my life and just
recently started with the family, maybe about four or five
years ago.
Earl Dittman: And why was The Voice important for you to do?
Bren’nae DeBarge: Actually I just wanted to really get out
there. You know? I just wanted to - I thought it was really
just time to really put myself out there. So I just figured
I’d give it a chance. And just going to see where it takes
me.
Earl Dittman: It was a great performance. Really good.
Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.
Bren’nae DeBarge: Thank you so much. Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Stephanie Piche with
Mingle Media TV.com. Please proceed with your question.
Stephanie Piche: Congratulations. My question is for anyone
who wants to answer. And that is - as this process goes on,
what is advice that you’ve gotten and that you’ve learned
about yourself in the process?
James McNeiece: I guess I can answer that. James McNeiece. I
think the biggest advice that I got was I guess just to kind
of make sure that you’re being yourself, and make sure that
you’re kind of just being as comfortable as you can be on
stage. There’s only, you know, a short amount of time on
this show. And it is a huge platform.
So you want to try and make sure that you are, you know,
taking full advantage of it. Not letting nerves get a hold
of you and that kind of stuff. And just making sure that you
are - not to repeat myself - but just taking advantage of
the opportunity that’s placed in front of you in such a
large capacity, being able to sing for so many people. You
just want to really put your best self out there.
Stephanie Piche: Great. Anyone else?
((Crosstalk))
India Carney: I’ll just be really brief. This is India
Carney. One thing I took away from the experience so far has
been to always push yourself musically. Because you never
know what you’re capable of until you do. And you could be
really surprised with the outcome. And it’s usually a really
great outcome.
Stephanie Piche: It’s worked for you so far.
India Carney: Thank you.
Barry Minniefield: Yes. This is Barry Minniefield. And I
agree with India. And what I’ve taken from this, I mean,
being 53 years old - that you’re never too old to keep
learning in this process, and to get the best of what you
can be. I mean, that’s what I got from it. And I’m still
growing as a musician, as a singer, as an entertainer. And
to be in the presence of these superstars is just
incredible.
Stephanie Piche: Great. Thank you so much. Congratulations
again.
Barry Minniefield: You’re welcome.
India Carney: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Mark Franklin from
the York Dispatch. Please proceed with your question.
Mark Franklin: Yes. My question is for Nicolette and Noelle.
Once again, we didn’t really get to hear much of your story
last night. I was hoping each of you could tell us what
you’ve done in music to this point and what lead you to The
Voice. And if Nicolette, if you could start?
Nicolette Mare: Hi. This is Nicolette. I’ve been singing
since I’m about eight years old. I’ve been writing. My
grandfather actually got me started with music. He really
pushed me to pursue it.
I went to LaGuardia to singing school. I was there for like
four months in high school. And that really gave me a real
outlook on the musician that I wanted to be. I didn’t stick
it out because it was just a lot different than what I was
used to. I wish I would have done it.
But The Voice has been an amazing experience. And it really,
really showed me who I want to be as an artist, what kind of
music I want to pursue. And it really taught me that you
have to believe in yourself. And you just have to be
confident. And yes, I mean, I do music everyday.
Mark Franklin: Okay. And what types of music do you normally
perform?
Nicolette Mare: I would say like singer/songwriter stuff,
indie pop. I think I have a little bit of country influence
in my voice. So more like country pop. Yes.
Mark Franklin: Okay. Thank you very much and best of luck.
Nicolette Mare: Thank you.
Shauna Wynne: And Mark, Noelle is not on the call. She is
the one artist that we’re missing. If she joins, I’ll let
you know.
Mark Franklin: Okay. Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Al Howard with 103.5
Big Country. Please proceed with your question.
Al Howard: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate it.
And to all the contestants, good luck with The Voice. My
question first off is coming to Kelsie May.
Kelsie, seeing that you’re originally from West Virginia and
now a resident of Louisa, Kentucky - having that Interstate
64, I-77 corridor covered there with Kentucky and West
Virginia - I guess you could be considered what Cody
Wickline considered you this morning as when we interviewed
him, as a hillbilly. Is that correct?
Kelsie May: I would definitely refer to myself as a
hillbilly. I really love - I’m like a normal teenager. Like
I love to go mud-gogging. That’s just what I do. I like to
be outside with animals. I’m just an outdoors kind of girl.
And I just don’t see myself ever changing from that.
Al Howard: Is that what gives you your country background,
is that hillbilly? I mean, is that what you want to be like?
Loretta Lynn, your idol?
Kelsie May: I definitely want to be like Loretta Lynn.
Because I love how even though she’s a superstar, like she’s
never changed. She’s always been herself. And she always
stands for something, no matter if anyone agrees with her or
not. And I just love that about her. I think that she is
amazing in every aspect - as an artist, as a songwriter, as
a musician, as a person. I just love everything she stands
for. And I definitely draw inspiration from her.
Al Howard: Well we certainly hope you the very best for
season eight with Team Blake. And of course, thank you for
sharing your story with America. Of course, being very much
involved with the Make a Wish Foundation and of course your
love for music, we really appreciate that.
Kelsie May: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from (Angela Evon) with
the (Diva Gelt). Please proceed with your question.
Angela Evon: Hi everyone.
((Crosstalk))
Angela Evon: I am a true Voice fan. I’ve been watching it
from the very beginning. So I’m wanting to know, how does it
actually feel when you are walking onto the stage and you
start to sing and you still - like the time is running out
and a chair hasn’t turned. Does it feel like sudden death?
Barry Minniefield: Oh yes. For me - this is Barry
Minniefield - and Adam actually turned his chair like a half
a second before it was over. So I was just going nuts. I
mean, I don’t get - because I’m older and I’ve been doing
this for a long time - but I was pretty nervous about that.
Angela Evon: Anyone else?
Matt Snook: Hello. This is Matt Snook. I just want to say hi
to everyone. It’s good to hear your voices. And I would like
to add that, you know, I wasn’t nervous when I heard the
crowd. I got anxious to be on stage.
But then when I got about halfway through my song, I was
kind of expecting maybe a chair to turn. And when I did not
receive that, I was very nervous on the inside. Like all my
musical failures flashed in front of me like in two or three
seconds. So I was nervous when I watched it back, you know,
on TV. I was afraid of what it might look like.
And I guess the bottom line for me is that, you know, a
little voice kind of popped in my head and said, you know,
you just need to finish strong and do the right thing. And I
did that and got lucky enough that Blake turned at the very
last second. So I heard the crowd...
Angela Evon: I didn’t catch your name when you came in. I
apologize.
Matt Snook: It’s okay. I’m Matt Snook. I’m a redneck from
Missouri. How y’all doing? Love y’all.
Angela Evon: That was funny. Thank you so much.
Matt Snook: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Bruce Fessier with
the Desert Sun. Please proceed with your question.
Bruce Fessier: This is for Barry Minniefield. Hey, Barry.
How are you doing?
Barry Minniefield: Good. How are you?
Bruce Fessier: I’m doing well. Hey, you know, you’ve been a
successful chef for a long time now here. What made you want
to go onto The Voice? And are you looking to change careers
from cooking and going into music full-time?
Barry Minniefield: Oh yes. What made me change, you know, I
was a chef at the Improve for many years. And, you know, to
pacify me - we were one of the first places to do karaoke.
So I came out of the kitchen and I’d go into the dining
room. We’d start singing and having fun. So it was hard to
keep me out of singing. I mean, that’s where it kind of all
started for me. And the second question was - what was it?
Bruce Fessier: Well what made you want to go on The Voice?
Barry Minniefield: What made me want to go on The Voice?
Bruce Fessier: And are you looking to make this more of a
career? Are you hoping to make this something into a jump
that’ll give you more national status or what?
Barry Minniefield: Yes. I mean, I got on The Voice just
because I love the show. And I love it for the fact that
it’s just voice. You know, they don’t see who you are and
see how old you are. They can’t see anything. But they just
hear your voice. And that’s what I love.
And I’ve always wanted to, you know, to sing. To be an
entertainer. And yes, and I do want to do more music. I want
music to be my career. You know, as far as the cooking thing
- I’ll cook a little bit. Like I cook for some of the guys
and the girls - my children. I call them my children. But
this is for The Voice. You know? I was cooking in my room
for everybody.
Bruce Fessier: Okay.
Barry Minniefield: Did I answer your question?
Bruce Fessier: Yes. Yes, thanks a lot. Appreciate it. All
right.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you’d like
to register for a question please press the 1 followed by
the 4 on your telephone keypad. And we have a follow-up
question from Earl Dittman with Digital Journal. Please
proceed with your question.
Earl Dittman: Great. Hi. And this is for Michael? Is Mike on
the line?
Michael Leier: Yes. I’m right here.
Earl Dittman: Okay. Great. Sorry about that.
Michael Leier: And I’m just a hillbilly from Texas. So just
had to make sure we know where we’re all from.
Earl Dittman: Well tell me a little bit about what your
influence is. What did you grow up listening to?
Michael Leier: Wow. That’s a... Honestly, I grew up on
Shania Twain and John Mellencamp.
Earl Dittman: Wow. That’s a combination.
Michael Leier: Yes. And for some reason over the years it
kind of went through Green Day when I was about 12. And I
would say John Mayer and Rihanna, (Montain), and Sara
Bareilles is where I’m at now. So it’s been quite the
drastic change in my taste, I would say.
Earl Dittman: Did you know that you always wanted to do
music though?
Michael Leier: I had been singing, I guess, for fun as much
as any kid does about until the time I was a teenager. And I
really wanted to play guitar. And there’s really no musical
influence in my family. I’ve got pretty much the only
musical bone in my body out of the five that live in my
house. But I don’t know.
I think my parents thought that it was just going to be
another toy that I wanted when I asked them if I could play
guitar. And so we borrowed one. And eventually I ended up
playing in a band and making money during high school. And I
guess it got me all the way here. So somewhere along the
line, I decided that I must be a little bit good at what I’m
doing. And I really love it at the same time.
Earl Dittman: There was no plan B? I mean, you weren’t going
to be a doctor or a fireman or an engineer?
Michael Leier: I did go to college for one year. I went
locally in Fargo and did a year at pre-med over at community
college. And second semester, I went out to Chicago to go
try out for the show. And I don’t know, you know, I kind of
shook my head at the whole college thing. I wasn’t really
having it.
Earl Dittman: I know the feeling.
Michael Leier: Yes.
Earl Dittman: Well I appreciate it. And before I get off,
let me talk to Travis real quick. Travis, you had one of the
three chair turns. And you went with Pharrell. Why Pharrell?
That was kind of surprising for some reason.
Travis Ewing: Yes. This is Travis. Looking back and
re-watching the episode last night, Christina pitched it
pretty hard. I think we had a roar. I think we had a pretty
serious connection too. I mean, she was the first to turn.
And she kind of made my performance a lot easier for me
because she kind of turned within ten seconds. And so the
rest of it was just kind of a blur, because I knew that I
was already on the show.
But I think going into the blind audition, I had the idea
that I would probably go with Pharrell if he turned with me.
Just because right now - and even throughout my career as a
musician - I never really thought of myself as a true
singer. I think of myself more as a musician.
And I think right now at the point that I’m at, I think I
needed more direction than anything in terms of my music.
And I thought that a producer like Pharrell would have a
bigger impact on me in the long run.
Earl Dittman: Well, you know, he’s worked with people like
Ed Sheeran of course. So, you know... He’s done everything.
Travis Ewing: Yes. And Ed Sheeran is one of my favorite
musicians right now and one of my big influences with the
whole loop pedal thing. So yes, I mean, know that - that
definitely helped my decision a little bit.
Earl Dittman: Well I appreciate that. Thank you Travis and
Mike and all of you. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Travis Ewing: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Krista Chain with TV
Megasite. Please proceed with your question.
Krista Chain: Hey. My question is for Kelsie May.
Kelsie May: Hi.
Krista Chain: Hi. I was just wanting to know what influenced
your decision to choose Blake.
Kelsie May: To be honest, I know it’s probably going to
surprise a lot of people, but I was actually kind of getting
swayed by Pharrell and Christina in the moment. Before I
stepped out on stage, I thought if I got Blake to turn
around for me I definitely was going to go with him, because
I mean, we both have the country vein going on. And I think
that he definitely could help me pave my way through country
music.
And I did ultimately choose him for that reason. I think
that he also helps people after the show. And I also look up
to him as a person, just because he is this superstar and he
has never changed. He’s so genuine. What you see is what you
get. So that’s ultimately why I chose him.
Krista Chain: Okay. Thanks.
Kelsie May: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Gloria Rodriguez with
Palm Springs NBC. Please proceed with your question.
Gloria Rodriguez: I had a question for Barry. Barry,
congratulations.
Barry Minniefield: Thank you, Gloria.
Gloria Rodriguez: Wondering who your greatest musical
influences are?
Barry Minniefield: My creative musical influences?
Gloria Rodriguez: Your greatest musical influences.
Barry Minniefield: Oh. Luther Vandross is one of my
favorites. Frank Sinatra. Ella Fitzgerald. Just all those
old crooners from, you know, back in the day are all my
influences,
Gloria Rodriguez: That’s great. Thank you. And
congratulations again.
Barry Minniefield: Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Lauren Beiler with
KSHB. Please proceed with your question.
Lauren Beiler: Hi. Mine’s for Matt. And your moment last
night was sort of quick. So I was wondering if you could
kind of explain more about what brought you to The Voice and
the job you gave up. And then how your wife feels.
Matt Snook: Well thank you very much for the question. And
I’ll just say, you know, what brought me to The Voice was -
I went to an open audition one year and didn’t get past the
first level. And then the next year I think I submitted a
voice video. They got some traffic.
And then somebody posted something on a casting page. And I
actually - it was another site by NBC. So I went out to
audition. And just really enjoyed from the very beginning
the casting process, the (unintelligible) casting all the
way through the different steps.
I’ve sang music my whole life. And I used to work as a
project manager for Sprint. It’s called a PMP - project
manager professional. I worked there about 11 years. But I
sang all the way through that time. And I would make trips
to Nashville and writing and recording and all those kinds
of things.
And I finally - I was driving my oldest son, (Austin), to
football practice one day. And he asked me if we were going
to move to Nashville. And I said why do you ask? And he said
- well, because you’re not getting any younger. And so we
had a serious conversation at the dinner table. And we just
decided we were going to move.
Right at that same time frame, Sprint was giving out some
voluntary separation packages because they were going to be
downsizing. And I had an unbelievable great run there and
love the people I worked with.
But I thought - you know what? Now might be the time. So I
took a voluntary separation. I had six months to figure out
how to make a living playing music full-time. And it was
about a year later I was heading overseas to Iraq to play
for the troops.
So basically, I mean, I’ve always been a musician. I’ve
always sang. I just was able to, you know, with the support
of my wife and family - I was able to actually quit my job
as a breadwinner and just take a lot of risk and go start
playing music full-time.
So it takes a million people on a team to make things
happen. And I definitely have a great score base in my camp.
And I’m just very blessed and thankful with The Voice and
Team Blake. And it’s giving me this opportunity, you know,
to kind of share my story and be on Team Blake. So I hope
that answered your question.
Lauren Beiler: Yes. That’s great. Thank you.
Operator: Our next question comes from Kristi Schank with
WAVE NBC. Please proceed with your question.
Kristi Schank: Hi there. This is for Kelsie May.
Kelsie May: Hi.
Kristi Schank: Hi, Kelsie. We’re following you on Twitter
now here in Louisville. And just saw that you were tweeted
by Crystal Gayle. Can you talk to us about why you chose
Loretta Lynn’s song and what it means to you to be, you
know, on social media now with her sister?
Kelsie May: Oh my gosh. I knew from the get-go that I wanted
to do a Loretta song. Because she’s been a huge influence to
me since before I can even remember. You know, she’s from my
area, so a lot of people know her around here. And she has
definitely been an influence in music as far as female
artists go.
So I definitely knew I wanted to do her song. Because she is
amazing, I feel like, in every aspect. I love what she
stands for. I love the way that she takes - she just, I
don’t know. I just love the way that she is so true to
everything as far as like her songwriting goes, what she
says, how she connects with people.
And I love that song “You’re Looking at Country.” And I just
want people to know that I know who I am as a person and as
an artist. So it was really, really important to me that I
got to do that song.
Kristi Schank: And how is it sharing tweets with Crystal
Gayle?
Kelsie May: Oh my gosh. I woke up this morning and, you
know, of course I checked my phone. And when I seen that she
tweeted me, I cannot tell you how hard I cried. That was a
dream come true. I love, love, love Crystal Gayle. And I
cannot believe that - I still can’t believe that she tweeted
me. I literally feel like I’m in a dream right now.
Operator: Our next question comes from Brittany Hoke with
WSAZ. Please proceed with your question.
Brittany Hoke: Hi. This question is for Kelsie May again.
Hi, Kelsie.
Kelsie May: Hi.
Brittany Hoke: Congratulations.
Kelsie May: Thank you.
Brittany Hoke: I just wanted to ask you - you’re 15. So
you’re one of the youngest competitors on The Voice, I
believe. How do you think that your age will play into how
you compete and how far you’ll go? And also just on a
personal level, you know, kind of staying grounded when
you’re instantly becoming famous.
Kelsie May: I’m very focused on my music, I feel like. I’ve
always been, since I first decided that this is something I
really, really seriously wanted to pursue. And I know I’m
really young. And I see that people probably think that
that’s like a setback.
But I want to let people know that no matter how young you
are, you should definitely follow your dream whole-heartedly
if that’s something that you really believe in. I just think
that this has been an amazing experience. No matter how old
or young you are, I think that you can do it if you really
set your heart to it.
Brittany Hoke: That’s great. What advice do you have for
other people that are your age looking up to you right now?
Kelsie May: I would just say to follow your dream. I mean,
of course there’s going to be people saying that like you
can’t do it. But if you believe in yourself enough, you can
accomplish anything. And I believe that whole-heartedly.
Brittany Hoke: All right. Thank you, Kelsie.
Kelsie May: Thank you.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you’d like
to register for a question please press the 1 followed by
the 4 on your telephone keypad. And our next follow-up
question comes from Mark Franklin from the York Dispatch.
Please proceed with your question.
Mark Franklin: Yes. My question is for Sonic.
Sonic: Hi there.
Mark Franklin: Hi. Hey, we heard a lot about what you did
early in your musical career - how you were signed. I was
wondering if you could fill us in a little bit on what
you’ve been doing more recently. And what led you to The
Voice?
Sonic: Yes. I have been in a collective (cultural group) for
the past couple of years. So that consists of three other
musicians that I work with singing, you know, sessioning,
all that. So we’ve just kind of been like writing a lot and,
you know, creating a (unintelligible) some networking.
Haven’t really set out a lot of music. So I’ve been doing
that ever since like being signed kind of fell apart early
on.
And I was kind of going back from California to New York
living-wise. And I went out there last July - I’m sorry,
June. And there was open call in Washington, D.C. And I just
decided to give it a shot and, you know, try a second chance
at my solo career. And it ended up working out more than I
anticipated.
Mark Franklin: No, great audition last night. And what type
of music do you normally do?
Sonic: R&B soul.
Mark Franklin: Okay. All right. Look, thank you very much.
And best of luck.
Sonic: Thank you so much.
Operator: And our next follow-up question comes from Earl
Dittman from Digital Journal. Please proceed with your
question.
Earl Dittman: Hi. This is a question for a couple of you.
It’s about song choices. Kimberly, why did you decide to
sing the song you sang?
Kimberly Nichole: Hi. It’s Kimberly. Probably because Tina
Turner is one of my biggest influences. And I love that
song. It’s one of my favorites by her and Ike. So I thought
it was good up-tempo fun. And I wanted to challenge myself a
bit vocally. And I felt it did that as well.
Earl Dittman: And that’s a tough song to do, though.
Kimberly Nichole: It is.
Earl Dittman: Was there a second choice, can you talk about?
Was there something else you thought about maybe to do
instead?
Kimberly Nichole: I think I have a lot of songs in my mind
that I want to do. I think that was my number one choice.
Earl Dittman: It was great. I loved it. It was fantastic.
Kimberly Nichole: Thank you. I love Tina. Thank you.
Earl Dittman: Me too. And I guess, Jacob. Same question -
song choice. Why that song?
Jacob Rummell: Hi. It’s Jacob. I chose that song because for
me I love Bruno Mars. He’s really great. And he’s one of my
huge influences. And that song specifically is just simple
and so easy and fun that I think that was a good first song
for me.
Earl Dittman: Yes. It was really another good choice. And
same thing for Clinton. So for Clinton, same question. Why
that song?
Clinton Washington: Hey there. So “Candle in the Wind” by
Elton has been something that I’ve been singing for quite
some time on my circuit in New York City as a
singer/songwriter. And it’s actually - it was dramatic and
all those different things that I felt like people would be
able to connect with emotionally.
But also give me a lot of room for melody shifts and doing
something with the arrangement that would allow me to show a
little bit more of my range and expressiveness outside of
what Elton had done.
Earl Dittman: Yes. Well, you know, it’s the kind of song
that you can, in a good way, show off your voice.
Clinton Washington: Exactly. And I got three seconds of it.
Earl Dittman: Well I think we’ll see it again on YouTube. I
think it’s on YouTube available, the whole song or
something.
Clinton Washington: Yes. I’m just kidding. You’re right.
Earl Dittman: Yes, I know. Well thanks again, guys. I
appreciate it. Best of luck.
Sonic: Thank you.
Kimberly Nichole: Thank you.
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you would
like to register for a question please press the 1 followed
by the 4. And our next follow-up question comes from Krista
Chain with TV Megasite. Please proceed with your question.
Krista Chain: Yes. This question’s for anyone. How did you
decide to go on The Voice rather than auditioning for
another show like American Idol?
Barry Minniefield: Yes. Like I said early - this is Barry
Minniefield - like I said earlier, you know, The Voice is
about the voice. In a show like American Idol, you’re
limited on how old you can even be to even audition on that
show. So, I mean, The Voice is just a great concept. I just
love that it’s all about the voice and it’s not about
anything else.
Krista Chain: Okay. Anybody else?
Kimberly Nichole: I mean, I think that The Voice is very
unique in that your coaches are actual music stars. They’re
not people that are behind the scenes. And then you also
have these advisors that are legendary or on the top, on the
charts as well.
And in addition to that, you know, it’s almost like industry
boot camp. You have wardrobe. You have vocal rehearsals.
You’re actually - you know, our music director’s one of the
greatest music directors in music. So it’s like - I think to
me it’s just like the best singing competition on the air,
period. Just because of the different elements.
You get to be mentored by Blake, Christina Aguilera, Adam
Levine, or Pharrell? Like come on, no other show’s doing
that. And this is Kimberly Nichole talking. So that’s why I
really - that’s the reason I decided to do it. One of the
reasons, rather.
James McNeiece: This is James. Yes, I agree with Kimberly. I
think the biggest selling point for me was the fact that
you’re really not getting judged by the coaches. You know,
they really don’t even like to be called judges. Instead,
you’re getting somebody to turn around who actually is going
to work with you on what you’re doing.
They’re not turning around and they give you pointers and
that kind of stuff - but then they work with you. It’s not
like every week you go up there and they just only judge
what you’re doing. You get to, you know, one-on-one work
with these amazing artists that have been in the industry
for so long. So yes, I think that was the biggest selling
point for me.
Matt Snook: This is Matt Snook. I’d like to add that a lot
of the shows that are on TV now, reality-type talent shows,
The Voice - their primary goal is to put people in a good
light and share their creative talents with the world in a
positive way. That is the primary reason why I was
interested in pursuing that. Thanks.
Krista Chain: Okay. Good luck to all of you.
James McNeiece: Thank you.
Matt Snook: Thank you.
Kimberly Nichole: Thank you.
Operator: And we have another follow-up question from Earl
Dittman with Digital Journal. Please proceed with your
question.
Earl Dittman: Shauna, I don’t think I can ask about the
advisors on this call, can I?
Shauna Wynne: No. We’ll save advisors for (unintelligible).
Earl Dittman: Just wanted to double check. Thanks. Okay,
well this is for India. India, much like Travis, you had
several chairs turned for you. Why was Christina the one you
absolutely wanted to go with? I mean, was she your first
choice in the beginning or were you swaying back and forth?
India Carney: Hi. This is India. I went with my gut on that
one. Honestly, going in, Adam was always my first choice
going into it. But, you know, Christina turned first. And
she seemed to be fighting the most for me and saying the
right things to make me want to be on her team. And so, you
know, the closer it came to the time to decide, I kind of
just went with my gut.
And like I said, she’s someone who I’ve admired for like my
whole life. And, you know, it would be - I mean, if I hadn’t
gone with her that would have been a really big opportunity
that I should have taken. So I just kind of went with my gut
on that, really.
Earl Dittman: Yes. Well this is kind of a general question
for anybody who wants to answer it. As we know, there can
only be one voice. And all of you have incredible voices.
Doing this experience, has this pushed you on - regardless
of how far you get in a competition - does this push you on
to make sure music is going to be your career? Are you going
to at least try to make it a career? Anybody who wants to
answer.
Barry Minniefield: I didn’t get to hear the question. Can
you say the question again?
Earl Dittman: Yes. No matter how far you get on The Voice,
has this pushed you even further to want to have a career in
music, regardless of how far you get in the competition?
Barry Minniefield: I keep getting calls and tweets. It keeps
breaking up.
Matt Snook: This is Matt. I’ll just say that I went into the
process not afraid to succeed or fail. And however long I’m
a part of this process, I’ll be thankful and grateful. I see
myself as a full-time musician. And it won’t change any
thoughts that I have about pursuing music full-time. Because
I’ve met too many cool people along the way.
Barry Minniefield: I agree with Matt on that one. But my
phone is going crazy. I don’t know how to turn this stuff
off.
Earl Dittman: The smart phones are far too smart for us.
((Crosstalk))
Barry Minniefield: ...and I’ll handle your phone call. All
right?
Earl Dittman: Anybody else?
Man: I want this to be a full-time career. And it’s actually
been a full-time career for me for the last 25 years. So
yes, music is just my medication. I just love it to death. I
mean, if I didn’t have music I wouldn’t have anything.
Earl Dittman: Yes. That’s fantastic. Well guys, again, thank
you all so very much. And the best of luck to all of you.
Because I’m rooting for every single one of you.
((Crosstalk))
Operator: We have no further phone questions at this time.
((Crosstalk))
Shauna Wynne: All right, everybody. Thanks so much for
joining today. And enjoy the rest of your day.
((Crosstalk))
Operator: Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude the
conference call for today. We thank you for your
participation and ask that you please disconnect your lines.
Thank you and have a great day, everyone.
END
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