Category Archives: The Voice Season 1

Artist Update: Vicci Martinez

by

0

The VoiceVicci Martinez is still enjoying a newfound career success almost two years after she was a finalist on the first season of The Voice. Though the Seattle native was a talented musician well before the NBC series came into her life, the TV show vaulted her into the national spotlight, and Vicci has made the most of it. Universal Music Group, the record label affiliated with The Voice, offered her a deal after the show. She subsequently released her self-titled album, and now you can see the music video for the album’s first single, “Come Along.”

Big Red Chairs caught up with Vicci the day after she shot the “Come Along” video to look back on her album and talk about the journey she’s taken since we all fell in love with her voice.

The video for “Come Along” arrives ten months after the release of the album on which the song appears, but Vicci believes that the delay actually worked in her favor. “I was supposed to do a video this time last year and I think what happened was, the label was going to give me a chance to develop a little and see how the song and the record were going to go. But I’m really happy that it happened that way,” she explained. “It’s been a really busy year, but with a lot of evolution as far as me and this album, and playing it live and being able to have a relationship with these songs. Normally I write songs and I’ve been playing them for awhile and then I make an album. This is the opposite.”

“We’ve been visiting a lot of radio stations and the song has been going up on the charts the last few months,” she continued. “I’ve been really seeing a lot of success in actually going to stations and making relationships with people. I’m actually hoping I can do more of that. Just kind of having that one-on-one with the stations and the people. It’s kind of them taking a risk on me, adding the song to their playlist, because I’m a developing artist.”

It’s been a longer road for Vicci than many of the Voice artists who have followed her. She was the last finalist from season one to release an album, and of the four performers from that first cycle who were signed to Universal, she’s one of only two still with the label (the other being runner-up Dia Frampton). As so much of the post-reality show business now seems to rest on how quickly an artist can get material out before the next one takes their place in the public eye, Vicci is a breath of fresh air, a true artist whose primary concern is always for her work.

“I’m really happy,” she said about the trajectory of her career. “At first, everything was happening so quickly. I kind of thought, are they just going to drop me and forget about me, knowing that Javier [Colon] wasn’t with the label anymore [and] I think they let go of Xenia. I was like, ‘I haven’t even been released yet and it seems like they’re getting rid of people.’ Then they just kind of slowed it down. They didn’t put [the album] out in stores. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I supposed to do?’ I’m supposed to be with this major label [and] that’s why you sign with a label.

“My manager, Beth [Tallman], who’s just so wonderful, said, ‘Let’s go to the radio stations on our own and just go do it.’ And because of that and the song doing well, now the album’s in stores and now I’m doing the video,” she continued. “It’s been very humbling and it’s been very great to go through that process of starting from square one again. Really making the label recognize me as a real artist, it’s made it more rewarding.”

Where other artists might have expected more stardom after being a finalist on a hugely popular show, having been a working musician before TV came calling, Vicci is firmly down to earth. “I even had a line in one of my songs that says ‘Let go of all of your expectations,’ because you never know what’s going to happen,” she said, looking back at her experience on The Voice. “Adam Levine’s manager even took me aside once, and he was like ‘These shows are so unnatural for an artist. This is not how it happens. With Maroon 5, it took us being on the road for two years to get the songs to start charting.’ That’s the way it happens for everybody else. To expect everything to move that quickly, it’s just not natural. To have [the label] slow down and to have all these speed bumps come along the way, I think I needed to go through that. It was good for me to really just plant my feet again.”

While she still cherishes the time she spent as a member of Team Cee Lo Green, Vicci explained that she also wants to continue with a career that stands on its own, too. “I definitely am great friends with the people, the crew and the staff on The Voice, anything they’ve needed from me or anything I’ve needed from them. They’ve been so great. If they ask me to do anything I’m happy to do so,” said Vicci, who returned to the show in season two along with the three other first-season finalists. “But I think I’ve kind of gone through the trenches in the last couple years of kind of proving myself, not only to a new audience but also to my label. I feel like I have become a priority for them because I’ve shown that ‘Hey, you can’t get rid of me. I’m going to do my work here and I’m not going to just lean on The Voice to get any success.’ I’m in it for the long haul.”

“I don’t talk to Cee Lo anymore,” she continued. “I know I can lean on him if I need to talk to him, but he’s busy. It was great [working with him], and he did help get me out there and he sang on the record, but he’s not in this video. This was a song I chose and I invited him to be a part of the song. It wasn’t him pushing me toward doing this. This came from me. It was me choosing the song to be the single and now it’s working in my favor.”

If you see Vicci back on The Voice again, it might be in one of those big red chairs. “I always felt like I could somehow maybe be a coach one day,” she added. “But I think it takes going through the hard knocks to be able to come onto a show like that and really have advice to give and coaching to give. I don’t think I’m there yet.”

Right now, she’s hoping to get on a summer tour and planning to put more time into Vicci, including a potential second music video, before she gives any thought to a next album. When she does finally stop and look back, what’s going to make her think this whole journey from music to reality TV and back again has been worth it? “I think for me it’s just making sure that I continue to have good intention in my music, which has always been to inspire people to do what they love – any kind of art, anything that makes you feel passion and freedom in your work, in your craft, in your life,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing for me. That doesn’t just come through music. It also comes through action and your way of life. I have to make sure I’m living by those words as well. To me, that’s a success story.”

You can watch the video for “Come Along” on VEVO below. You can also keep up with Vicci by visiting her official website and following her on Twitter (@VicciMartinez).

(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.

Artist Update: Tim Mahoney

by

0

Tim-Mahoney

While The Voice is going full steam ahead, one of BFTV’s very first favorites from the series is moving forward in his career as well. Tim Mahoney – the season one member of Team Adam that Adam Levine infamously thought was a woman when listening to his blind audition – not only has a new album out, but is broadening his teaching career, too. BFTV recently caught up with Tim to get the dish on everything he has going on.

Tim dropped his newest album, Shine Through, earlier this spring following a handful of individual songs, including his playful TV experience-inspired track, “Hey Adam Levine,” which caused a sensation when it debuted. “Post-The Voice, I have come out with a few singles, [but] as far as a new release of original material, it’s the first time since 2007,” he said. “I did want to do it different this time. I wanted to make it feel like we’re all musicians playing together, so we recorded it mostly live in a few days. The only tracks that are not [live] are ‘Hey Adam Levine’ and a track called ‘Truth Can Hurt.’ Not a lot of overdubs; didn’t want to get crazy with that. I didn’t want to make it seem too shiny.”

That’s because Tim has always been a down-to-earth working musician, traveling throughout his native Minnesota playing his gigs and paying his dues. Aside from The Voice and a previous audition for Rock Star: INXS – the series which fellow Minnesotan and season two Voice artist Jordis Unga placed fifth on – he hasn’t attracted the kind of national attention that other artists from reality competition series have.  He’s just quietly continued making solid pop-rock music.

“There’s a track on there called ‘Shadow’ which, it’s a really mellow, dark song, but I do feel it’s one of the best I’ve ever written,” he said. “I was with a girl for a fair amount of time, and we split up, and that song is about her. There’s some really fun stuff. The song on there I kind of just think is fun is called ‘Put A Line There.’ The single’s actually a song called ‘Shine Through,’ which I wrote for a guy who wanted me to write him a song [as] a surprise for his wife, and I ended up liking the song.”

As it’s coming up on two years since the end of Tim’s season of The Voice, does he now officially consider the show part of his past? “I’ve already kind of moved on but people haven’t,” he said. “The show is so big now. I talk about The Voice every single day, and I don’t choose to. I just mean that [it happens], from tweets to somebody mentioning Adam Levine. But hey, if it gets a few more people to a show, who really cares?”

Next month, Tim is turning his reality-show experience into a course to help others who have the same ambition. Entitled “Nailed It: How to Audition for The Voice and Other Vocal Competitions,” the one-day class will be held at Minneapolis’s MacPhail School of Music from 2-4 PM on Sunday, May 5. The cost is $50 and it’s open to hopefuls ages 15 and up. MacPhail voice instructor Andrea Leap will be teaching alongside Tim.

“I had the idea when people were calling and sending me messages asking [about] trying out for The Voice,” he explained. “They would ask, ‘Should I do it?’ One example was Chris Mann from season two. We had a two-hour conversation, and I told him he should try out and stick to his Josh Groban vocal style. He did just that and came in fourth place.”

In his MacPhail class, Tim will cover not only the obvious aspects of reality competition, such as song choice and performance, but also other less-discussed parts, such as the business and legal issues that await should you happen to make it onto TV. Anyone who’s interested in the course can find more information at Tim’s website (timmahoney.com).

While he may not have won The Voice, the longtime working musician has carved out a steady workload for himself. So what will make him consider his career worth it? “I think as you get older, those [things] change a little bit. At least with me they did,” he said. “You start to look at the reality of it. I’ve been living for music for awhile and I’ve done well. I started to realize if you can just touch some people, that’s the success.

“I had a woman who came to me about three months ago and said, ‘I love your music, I wonder if I can get it before it comes out,’ and she said the reason why was ‘Because I probably won’t be alive when the CD comes out.’ She has this extremely rare disease and she was hoping to get my new songs before she died,” he continued. “I went and visited with her. I brought my guitar and an unreleased copy of this new record, played some songs for her. And she still is alive, she didn’t think she would be. But it was kind of surreal. She said that day kind of made part of her life complete. That’s making it.”

Shine Through is now available on iTunes and through other music retailers. For more information on Tim Mahoney, you can visit his official website or follow him on Twitter (@timmahoneymusic).

(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.

Blake Shelton & 6 Other ‘The Voice’ Artists With New Releases

by

0

Blake Shelton

The Voice coach Blake Shelton releases his new album Based on a True Story today (and if you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you can do so here), but he’s not the only one from the show who’s put new music out recently. Here are a half-dozen other artists you know from the show who have turned out fresh albums or EP’s in the last few months.

Tje Austin, Dreamin’ Big (get it HERE): A member of Team Cee Lo in Season 1, this soulful singer returns with a CD he’s been working on for some time, and that extra time and effort shows in a pleasant R&B collection that ranges from the heartbreakingly touching (earlier single “Right For You”) to the more uptempo (“Not A Thug”) and the slow jams (“Back 2 Me”). He’s not necessarily upending the genre, but he doesn’t need to; he’s got a voice that practically melts in your ears. For those of you who need something smooth to relax with, this is the album you want to add to your collection.

Tim Mahoney Band, Shine Through (get it HERE): Tim Mahoney was responsible for one of The Voice‘s first-ever memorable moments, when coach Adam Levine mistook him for a woman during his blind audition in Season 1. His unique voice didn’t get the appreciation it deserved on the show, but Tim has continued to deliver solid, enjoyable rock ever since, and this new album is more of the same. Whether it’s the earnest title track or the simple and painful “It’s Over,” his album is perfect for those who love a good singer-songwriter without a lot of fanfare. This album also includes his Voice-inspired single, “Hey Adam Levine.”

Nakia, Drown in the Crimson Tide (get it HERE): The semifinalist for Team Cee Lo during Season 1 (who competed with Tje Austin during the battle rounds), Nakia is more than doing his part to keep the blues genre in the public music consciousness. Whether it’s the uplifting “Dream Big” or something like “Pieces and Castles,” this six-song EP from the Texan has plenty of soul and a certain funky element to top it all off. This is music from an artist who’s secure in his sound, and while it may not be for everyone, those who want something different than the usual pop and rock will enjoy this one.

Pip, No Formalities (get it HERE): A fan favorite during Season 2, Pip has definitely found his groove with this six-song EP, which comes off confident and catchy. Danceable beats mix with memorable choruses and Pip’s refreshingly clear vocals to create songs that will roll around in your head for hours afterward. This is a wonderful debut release that’s purely good, clean fun, and establishes exactly what sound fans can expect from Pip in the future. It includes his first post-Voice single, “Who Cares.” If there’s any issue with No Formalities, it’s that it leaves you wanting more. Of all the recent releases from Voice artists, this is the strongest.

Casey Weston, Find the Moon (get it HERE): Team Adam’s Season 1 semifinalist has put out her first new material since appearing on the show, and while you’d probably still call her a country artist, there’s a surprising amount of range on this new CD. This is the Casey Weston album we’ve all been waiting for. The distinct twang to Casey’s voice is put to good use across the board, but it’s the songs that change, with tracks like “Into Your Heart” having more of a pop-rock edge while others such as “Like You” stay closer to country. What’s most remarkable about Find the Moon is that you can hear the added maturity, both in Casey’s voice and in her lyrics, compared to her self-titled release from two years ago. You can also read the BFTV interview with Casey Weston here.

Kim Yarbrough, Brand New Day (get it HERE): The Team Adam singer with the powerful voice from Season 2 has mostly been busy on stage and screen (did you see her on TNT’s Southland earlier this month?), but has just released her new CD-single. If you didn’t figure it out from her performances on the show, Kim can blow the doors off with the strength of her voice, and “Brand New Day” is an anthem reminiscent of power-pop singers like Kristine W. The original version runs a bit long, and it’s a little bummer that the album is comprised of remixes of one tune, but that one tune proves that a full album from Kim will definitely be intriguing.

The Voice continues tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.

For more on The Voice and its artists, you can visit BFTV’s dedicated The Voice blog, Big Red Chairs.

(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.

‘The Voice’ Season 4 Premiere Red Carpet Photos

by

0

NBC hosted a premiere for The Voice Season 4 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and pretty much everyone from the past three seasons joined the coaches on the red carpet. Scroll down to see pictures of familiar faces, from coaches Blake Shelton and Usher to Dia Frampton, Terry McDermott and Pip, just to name a few!

Casey Weston Talks About Her New Album ‘Find the Moon’

by

0

Casey Weston

As we excitedly await Season 4 of NBC’s The Voice, the performers from Season 1 are still going strong. Team Adam’s Casey Weston, who advanced to the semifinals of the first cycle, is celebrating the release of her new album Find the Moon, which arrived on February 28. Big Red Chairs recently caught up with Casey to chat about the new album and how she feels about life two years removed from The Voice.

“I really feel like this is me, one hundred percent,” she said of Find the Moon, which is her first record since she appeared on the show. “This was the first album that I did completely. I was involved with everything.  I wrote or co-wrote every song. I produced it so I had the direction. I was really focused on every little detail with this one. I learned so much from this whole album, and I’ve put so much love and work into it. It’s just a huge accomplishment personally.”

Nashville-based Casey has “a few” favorite selections on the record, but asked to name one in particular that Voice fans should take a listen to, “There’s a song called ‘Like You’ and it’s a love song, and I really love it,” she continued. When it comes to evaluating the album as a whole, “Things aren’t perfect because nothing ever is,” she added, “[but] I really think overall it’s amazing.”

“I thought, ‘It’s about time.’ That was the main thought going through my head,” she said of deciding to put out a new release, which she also self-funded. “I’m kind of a perfectionist a little bit. I was waiting and waiting and waiting, and I was just like, you know what, it’s been so long since I’ve put out any music. My fans deserve it. I want it out there and I hope they want it out there too.”

With the debut of the album, Casey has played several shows in the Northeast and is looking into the possibility of a future full-band tour (nothing has been confirmed yet), and says she’d like to open up for other artists. “I really would love to go on tour, maybe opening up for a big country act like Kenny Chesney. I just want to get out there and tour more,” she said, adding with a laugh, “I’d open for Adam [Levine] if he’d have me!”

Levine, of course, was Casey’s coach on The Voice, where she surprised fans by earning his semifinal save over fellow country artist Jeff Jenkins, before losing to eventual winner Javier Colon. In June, it will be two years since the first season ended, and Casey still cherishes what was a groundbreaking experience for all involved. “When I auditioned for The Voice, I had no idea that it was going to be a hit show, no idea who the coaches were going to be, none of that,” she explained. “I thought, ‘I hope it’s going to be a good opportunity and a growing experience.’ And that was one hundred percent what I got. Looking back now, I grew so much in a short period of time. Without that experience, I would not be the person I am today, and I know who I am. I love who I am.”

Casey wasn’t expecting The Voice to make her a star, and she expressed that she’s fine with where her career is today. “I have a lot of faith in what’s meant to be will be. I don’t really worry about the future,” she reflected. “I just kind of look ahead and see what I’m meant to be doing. I want to win a Grammy. That’s it. But everything else is just a cool experience.”

Rather than commercial gain or even critical acclaim, she measures her success by being able to touch other people with her art. “I want to be an artist that people can listen to the music and lose themselves in the song. For some of my lyrics to be able to help someone,” she continued. “I use music for that purpose [and] I just want to be that for some people in their lives.”

Find the Moon is now available on iTunes and other music retailers. You can keep up with Casey at her official website and by following her on Twitter (@casey_weston).

(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.

Countdown to ‘The Voice’ Season 4: What Have You Missed?

by

1

The Voice - Season 3We’re just shy of a month from a brand-new season of NBC’s The Voice, and only about two months removed from America crowning Team Blake’s Cassadee Pope the winner of the show’s third cycle. What’s been happening with the show and its artists since Cassadee won the title?

As has been heavily publicized, Season 4 will be the first with new coaches Shakira and Usher, who were introduced in the fall. You can read some of their early thoughts on joining The Voice here. This may also be the only season for the new arrivals, as previous coaches Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green – who are on a break this time around – have expressed interest in returning for Season 5 this fall. However, it’s worth noting that nothing has been finalized yet beyond Season 4.

The guest mentors this year will be Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum (Team Adam), Sheryl Crow (Team Blake), Joel Madden (Team Shakira) and Pharrell Williams (Team Usher).

Season 3 winner Cassadee Pope officially signed her recording deal with Universal and has been hard at work writing and recording ever since, according to her Facebook. Universal released a CD version of her Voice performances here. Cassadee posted a video update on her progress here.

Runner-up Terry McDermott hasn’t slowed down since leaving the show, either. In fact, he recently released a new single “Pictures” via SoundCloud, which he co-wrote with Dave Burman. His performance of “Baby, I Love Your Way” with Peter Frampton from the Voice finale was retroactively released on iTunes here.

Here’s a short list of major developments with other Voice artists, past and present.

Team Adam: Season 3′s Amanda Brown appears on the soundtrack to the recent Universal release Identity Thief, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. Her teammate Bryan Keith brought some new music to his live show at the Gramercy Theater; you can watch the video here. Season 2′s Pip released his EP No Formalities; you can get it here. Tony Lucca is hard at work on his new album, and performing some new originals on the road, like “Reckless Love.” Kim Yarbrough is preparing for the release of her single “Brand New Day” (here’s a teaser video), guested on CBS’s Vegas, appears in the March 6 episode of TNT’s Southland, and her Nickelodeon project has been ordered to series. Katrina Parker is working on new music of her own after the successful funding of her Kickstarter project. Season 1′s Tim Mahoney released his next CD, Shine Through, which includes his Voice-related tune “Hey Adam Levine.” Casey Weston has a new album on the way; you can pre-order it here and stay tuned for an upcoming interview.

Team Blake: Season 3′s Suzanna Choffel released her new single “Guardians.” Season 2′s winner, Jermaine Paul, postponed the release of his post-show album Finally until sometime later this year; you can pre-order it at Amazon, although there’s no specific street date listed there. Season 2 alum Jordis Unga is in the home stretch of putting together her new album, and also won a Grammy this year for her work on Jimmy Cliff’s Rebirth, which took the trophy for Best Reggae Album. Erin Willett has recently posted a new cover.

Team Cee Lo: Season 3′s MacKenzie Bourg has dropped his debut single. Season 1′s Nakia is releasing his next EP, Drown In The Crimson Tide, and is playing a few tour dates in his home state of Texas. His battle round partner Tje Austin put out his new CD, Dreamin’ Big. Also, Paste Magazine wants to help you make your own Cee Lo Green.

Team Christina: Season 3′s Devyn DeLoera released a music video with Ready Revolution that you can find here, along with several covers on her Facebook page. She has new music coming your way on March 4. The busiest Voice alum by far is Season 2′s Chris Mann, who recently taped Chris Mann in Concert for PBS to be aired in March. Also next month, Chris will be announcing tour dates, one of which is New York’s Highline Ballroom. Lindsey Pavao put out her new single “No Revelation.” Moses Stone released new music; you can find “Beautiful Nightmare” here.

Season 4 of The Voice begins March 25. For the latest on all things related to NBC’s hit singing competition, you can visit Big Red Chairs.

(c)2013 Brittany Frederick. Appears at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.

January News Roundup

by

0

Howdy, The Voice fans! You might have noticed things got a little quiet around here in January, and for that I apologize. As some of you know, I work as a full-time TV reporter, which means I had to go off and cover all the new shows coming out this month. On top of that, I got sick. So, I’ve condensed all the news from January into this one handy post.

Here’s some of the important stuff that happened this month:

  • We learned who some of the mentors are for Season 4 of The Voice. Team Blake has Sheryl Crow (good choice, but will she be as funny as Michael Buble?!). Team Shakira has Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden (who is also a coach on The Voice Australia). Team Usher has Pharrell Williams. Team Adam, we’re looking in your direction…
  • Season 3 winner Cassadee Pope officially signed her record deal with Universal, and gave us a video update on what she’s been doing – find that here.
  • Blake Shelton put out a new single, “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” and announced spring tour dates. Go here for all your Blake info.
  • Pip‘s EP No Formalities is now available on iTunes, and Tje Austin has released his new album, Dreamin’ Big. Still to come is Tim Mahoney‘s new album, Shine Through. Stay tuned for reviews of all three coming this weekend!
  • Mathai is working on her new EP, tentatively set to release in February. Stay tuned…
  • Terry McDermott posted a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and some of his original music on SoundCloud.
  • Adam Levine hosted Saturday Night Live. You can find links to almost all the sketches Adam was in, over here.
  • Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera took home some People’s Choice Awards.
  • Katrina Parker launched a Kickstarter effort to fund her next release – go here for that.
  • Kim Yarbrough is busy acting: she’s got a guest spot on the upcoming season of TNT’s Southland and her Nickelodeon pilot was just picked up to series! Congrats, Kim!
  • Lots and lots of tour dates. Be sure to check out the tour calendar to see if your favorite artist is back on the road in January or February.
  • And congratulations to new coach Shakira on the birth of her son Milan!

Is there anything that I missed over the last month? Shoot me a comment and I’ll get it added to the site!

Backstage Blog: December 18, 2012 – Chapter Three

by

0

Backstage Blog: Firstly, I want to wish a happy and safe holiday season to all The Voice fans everywhere.

We’ve reached the end of Season 3 – the season we weren’t even expecting to happen right now until NBC announced it a few months ago – and as always, I’m full of mixed emotions. I’m excited to see who you’ve voted as the winner, but I’m also sad because that means another chapter in the Voice saga, and in my life by extension, is coming to an end.

As we all wait to hear Carson Daly announce the final results, I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that we’re discussing more than just a TV show. Yes, it is a TV show, and there will be a winner, because there has to be. Yet when you’re sitting at home it’s easy to forget that it’s not about who wins or who loses. The show is merely the public venue to launch (or even relaunch) the hopes and dreams of these hardworking, talented artists. We’re not just talking about our entertainment, but their passion and their livelihood.

I think about Season 1 champ Javier Colon, who told me the night he won that if it weren’t for The Voice, he would be doing something other than music. I think about Erin Willett dealing with the loss of her father and still going on to be a semifinalist in Season 2. I think about Tony Lucca getting national recognition for how hard he works every day. I think about Jamar Rogers having one more platform to help other people. I’ve heard so many stories about how The Voice has made someone’s quality of life better.

And if I may, I’d like to share with you one of my stories.

As frequent readers might know, eleven years ago I buried my childhood best friend. His name was John Machado and he was fifteen years old. He was also the sweetest person that you could have ever hoped to meet. John never had a negative word to say about anyone and he never let anything get him down. Most importantly, he was always in my corner. John was my biggest cheerleader. He was the first person to believe in me and he always wanted to be a part of everything I was doing. When I was around him, his energy was contagious. He was always so happy just to be alive, until he was killed by a reckless driver.

I loved him like a brother but I never quite noticed what I had until he was gone. His death left a void in my heart that I never thought would be filled. Then I came to work on The Voice last year, and then I met Adam Levine.

Adam reminds me of John in so many ways – the most significant being that he brought that positive energy back into my life. When I’m around him, I can’t help but smile. I have someone standing there who believes in me no matter what. Someone who thinks I’m amazing. Someone who makes me feel excited about life. I’m always going to care about John, but Adam filled that hole in my heart, and made me able to let go of my grief after all these years. If I’m constantly hoping to cross paths with him, it’s because each moment we share is like having my old friend beside me again.

I know that if John could see me now, he’d be proud of me, and excited for everything I’ve accomplished. I also know that he would be glad that I’ve been able to make peace with his death and move forward. That’s something I had tried to do for a decade and never figured out until The Voice.

So as we name a winner tonight, I’d ask you not to think about whether it’s the ‘right’ person or waste too much time complaining about your favorite being eliminated however long ago. Let’s think about all these folks, and how far they’ve come since we met them in blind auditions, and all the moments we’ve gotten to share with them along the way. That’s what really makes this show important. That’s what makes us a Voice family. And it’s going to last much longer than tonight.

Until next time, never be afraid to find your voice,
Brittany

(c)2012 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Exclusive to Big Red Chairs. No reproduction permitted. All rights reserved.

Backstage Blog: November 22, 2012 – Dear Agony

by

0

Backstage Blog: Firstly, a happy and safe Thanksgiving to The Voice family, fans and your loved ones worldwide.

I get a lot of tweets, comments and emails from folks who say they’re jealous of the access I have and talk about how they’d love to do my job. It sure seems like fun when I’m posting red carpet photos and tweeting about who I just talked to. But to be honest, my job is not always fun. It’s a lot of hard work, and there are times when it can be really, very difficult to get through.

For example, this week’s elimination show. No matter how many of these I go to, no matter how much I try to steel myself for the results, there’s never a time when it doesn’t hurt. It strikes an unpleasant chord in me to see someone’s hopes come to an end, and more often than not, it hurts me personally because that someone is an artist with whom I’ve become friendly, either through social media or in person, and am therefore emotionally invested in. It’s then my job, like it or not, to ask them questions just minutes later so that I can write these interviews you read. It’s uncomfortable, and it’s depressing. I was fighting back tears on Tuesday night, because Sylvia Yacoub has always been such a pleasure to talk to, and because I’d just gotten to meet Bryan Keith for the first time only the day before and really got along well with him, and now I don’t know when I might get to see them again. Sure, we’ll be in touch over Facebook and Twitter, but that’s not the same thing as going to the studio knowing I’m going to see somebody and share part of their journey with them.

But it’s difficult because it means something. It’s difficult because I’ve had the chance to care. And that also reminded me of what I’m thankful for this year, and have been since I started with The Voice a year and a half ago. I am deeply thankful for all the people that I have met as a part of this show, from the artists to their family members, the coaches and the crew – everyone. I have made some of my best friends and created some of my best memories with those friends on The Voice stage, the red carpet, or some concert venue somewhere. For every artist who’s been on the show, I have a memory. For every big moment you read about, there are a half-dozen little things that I still recall.

I’m thankful for – in no particular order because it’s impossible to choose – things like Rebecca Loebe taking time before her Hotel Cafe show to have coffee with me. For bonding with Katrina Parker, Kim Yarbrough, and Nathan Parrett over lunch after a press junket. For Jamar Rogers always encouraging me every time we talked. For Tony Lucca spotting me all the way across the Universal CityWalk plaza and saying hello. For Beverly McClellan and her awesome managers Beth and Miki treating me like one of the team when I came to see her perform. For Chris Mann taking the time to stop and say hello to me even as NBC was pulling him off the red carpet for another PR commitment. For Dia Frampton doing the same when we ran into each other at the mall. For Pip and Eileen and Bridget being the little extended family I never had. For Dez Duron being the president of my fan club if there was one. For Juliet Simms telling me that she was going to miss me at the end of Season 2. For Justin Hopkins making me laugh every single time. For Blake Shelton sending me a Team Blake T-shirt just because and yes, for all those Adam Levine hugs. For all those things and so much more, I’m grateful every day. No matter what else happens in my life, I’ve been blessed.

And I’m thankful for you, The Voice fans. You have been one of the most supportive fan bases that I have worked with – not just with the artists, but with me personally. You don’t just read my articles, but you’ve taken me into your social circles and treated me as a friend. When I couldn’t find a particular magazine to read the Adam Levine cover story, one of you sent me a copy all the way from Texas. When I showed up at a concert flying solo, two of you let me spend the evening in your company, just so I wouldn’t have to be alone. You are wonderful, and it’s been my pleasure to write for you, and to hopefully connect you a little more with this show and these people we all love so much.

Happy Thanksgiving, folks.

Until next time, never be afraid to find your voice,
Brittany

(c)2012 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Exclusive to Big Red Chairs. No reproduction permitted. All rights reserved.

Lots of Updates: Team Cee Lo’s Christmas Album, Lisa Scinta’s Kickstarter, Xenia’s New Single

by

7

Thursday is shaping up to be a big day for The Voice fans, as either new music or news about new music is emerging. Here’s what I know so far, and this post will be updated as more develops.

  • Several members of Team Cee Lo, including Season 1′s Vicci Martinez and Season 2′s Jamar Rogers and James Massone, have been spotted in Las Vegas recently. Why? Because they’re appearing on coach Cee Lo Green‘s Christmas album, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment. Cee Lo’s extended an invitation to as many as 20 of his past and present team members to join him on the recording. It comes out at the end of this month; you can pre-order a copy via Amazon. (If you’re counting, that’s two coaches and one artist with a Christmas album this year…it’s a Voice Christmas!)
  • It also came out in a recent Billboard interview that Cee Lo signed his Season 2 finalist Juliet Simms “to a management contract.” It’s not clear what specifically that means, but congrats Juliet!
  • Speaking of coaches, you can also pre-order a deluxe version of Christina Aguilera’s Lotus, which is due out next month.
  • For those of you upset by Tuesday’s editing down of the battle rounds, we’ve found Team Christina’s Lisa Scinta. She has a Kickstarter up to fund a new release effort. Click here to take a look – we can’t get her more airtime on TV, but we can help her get a record made.
  • If you’re not near a WalMart, WalMart.com finally made available Chris Mann‘s Home for Christmas EP. Here’s the item page for you to order yours!
  • Team Blake’s Xenia announced via Facebook that her new single would be available on iTunes today. You can download “Hiding Places” here. Interestingly, it’s copyrighted to Xenia rather than Universal Republic, which unfortunately looks like it confirms our speculation that UMG let her go.

And here’s a new cover video from Team Adam’s Karla Davis: