SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey Katie Avery here with the Idols podcast. This week we have Allison Porter. She won season 10 of The Voice. I didn't even know this. I just met her at Hotel Cafe. I saw her performing and I was like, this girl has an amazing voice. I thought it's got something to do with the voice. I said, hey, were you on the voice? And she said, I want it. So we talk about her experience on the voice and also her being a child actress. Stick around for the end because we sang a song that she did on The Voice. It's the song she sang when all four chairs turned around. I was in heaven just playing my bass and hearing her saying, she gave me kills. Also, there's a moment where she thinks that I'm guest hosting American Idol. She texted me a little bit later and she saw the post that I did on Instagram. It was actually me guest hosting an event in Florida at a university. Although I would love to guest host on American Idol. It was cool to get to know her as a person because I just knew her as a really cool voice, and now I know her as a really cool person. Here's Allison Porter, BC out.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Be an Idol.

SPEAKER_03 1:02

I just talked to Dan Davis at Hotel Cafe. I was like, alright.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

I didn't know that was his last name. The guy at the at the 16th.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

Used to have the dreads.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:10

Yeah, I was like, I don't think I can let this place close without having one last raw.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

So you did so you did something.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

I'm gonna set something up, I think, for like May 5.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

That's the reason I had my birthday show there.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

I know, I'm sad. That was like raised me that place. I swear. That sucks. First time I ever played like with a band. Like my band was there.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Keep talking a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Hello, hello, hello. Hello, hello.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Beautiful. You don't have to wear those too.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

Do I I don't have to?

SPEAKER_01 1:42

No pressure. You don't have to. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Your hair looks great.

SPEAKER_03 1:45

Are you gonna wear them?

SPEAKER_01 1:46

I'm gonna wear them. I want to make sure I'm getting all the levels. Testing, testing, testing. And we're looking here, here, everywhere, anywhere, everywhere. Yeah, the whole time we look into the we don't even look at each other. We just look into these.

SPEAKER_03 1:57

Oh, there's one there too. Oh my god, look at this.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

I know, right? Cray cray. We'll see. We'll see what happens. We'll see if they uh see.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

I was trying to set up a whole like area of my house dedicated to like to this, and now I feel like I don't really have to do that because you're making the like a normal home space look.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Yeah, but that's like you know, I used to have a table back there, and I used to have like dinners and stuff like that, but I always sit here, watch dinner, and watch TV here, and so like that's now there used to be a drum set over there. Um hey, uh so I want to brag. This is a semi-brag because I was watching you at the hotel cafe and I was watching a show that you were a part of, and then I I saw you, and you're I was like, this girl is incredible, and then you're like, hey, Casey Abrams is in the audience, and I was like, Oh my gosh, it was like literally watching the TV and having like The Simpsons, and Homer just looks at me and says, I know who you are, Casey. It was like it was magic. That was the weirdest uh metaphor, but anyway, uh we met before that? No, okay, well, that was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

Well, maybe in passing at Idle or something. I'm I'm not I don't remember if I can't. I was there a lot.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

At Idol? A lot. Because of Brooke?

SPEAKER_03 3:15

Because of Randy Jackson.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

That was my next question. I saw you in a video with him. Yeah. Did he produce you or did he jam you?

SPEAKER_03 3:22

Randy was my manager, producer, everything for seven, eight years. I mean, forever. My whole youth in music in LA was Randy.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Before even Idol.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

Before the voice for me, not during Idol for him.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Okay, during Idol. So did you even try out for Idol at one point?

SPEAKER_03 3:44

No, because I was too old.

unknown 3:48

What?

SPEAKER_03 3:49

I didn't know that. By the time okay, well, here's my intention was never to do a singing show.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Okay. Okay. Yeah, because you've already convinced that.

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Michael Orland and I, I've known Michael my whole life.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

So had I wanted to do Idol, I probably would have gone that route and been like, hey, Michael, I want to try out for Idol, but I don't know why I never went that path. And then my best friend, Adam Lambert, did Idol.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

I know.

SPEAKER_03 4:19

Yeah, this is why I'm like how the our connection was so funny to me that you like that we didn't weren't friends because I was like, we are a part of so many of the same circles. Yeah. Um so like when he was doing Idol, obviously, I was there the whole time. And I can't remember how that lined up with me and Randy, but it must have been like around the same time. So I was just like full on in there, but not.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

That's so crazy. So you're going to the shows?

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Yeah, I went to so many shows. I was there the night Debbie fell through the stairs. Like, I was at Idol so much.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

She tells me all about that story.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

Yep. I was there that night. I was there the night Ruben won.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 5:03

I was there the night Chris Chris won because uh Adam was the runner up.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Chris Chris. Chris. Uh uh, yeah, that guy. Are you sure his name was Chris? Um, no. Chris Allen? Chris Allen. Yes, I love that guy. He's actually really nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:26

No, yeah, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

I think we need to keep that in, actually. I was gonna say, let's edit in now. No.

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Um, okay. Yeah. Oh my god, that was the best. That that finale was wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

So she really bro she really broke her leg. I mean, I so what?

SPEAKER_03 5:40

Oh, it was crazy. It literally, like the stairs, she was walking down the stairs, and the stairs just like parted and she fell through. It was gnarly, and then something else fell, and I was literally like, this is like watching like a horror movie. Like it was a really scary moment. Oh my god. But I was there for that. I don't remember if I was in the audience the night that Brooke live, Brooke White went and restarted her song, which was wild. I don't remember if I was there in the audience, but like I remember that being like topic of conversation all the time. Like so many things. That's amazing. So yeah, I was around idol. I was at Lauren Elena's audition. I know. In Nashville, I was writing with our band, and we were just like with Randy and Steven, like toting around Nashville. I know. Crazy. What? I know, I know, it's so weird. Oh my god. I had a very strange existence.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

No, that well, I mean, it sounds it sounds like a very powerful existence. The fact like it makes sense that you went onto the voice and then won the whole thing.

SPEAKER_03 6:40

Well, yeah, I yeah, my friend literally at night at the hotel cafe came up to me after a show and was like, I signed you up for the voice. And I was like, No. We have a young baby. I had like two really young kids. I was like, I don't think this is a good idea. And he's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the next day I went, or not the next day, I I got a whatever email. I went to an audition, to a call, and I got there and was like, I'm not gonna probably do this. And then one of my favorite bands of all time is Incubus. Oh yeah, which is so random. They're great, yeah. And they were rehearsing next door, and I was like, Okay, it's a sign.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Wow. What would do you remember what they were playing? What song?

SPEAKER_03 7:20

No, I don't, but I just remember being like this, like they were playing. Okay. And I remember being like, This is okay, this is gonna be the moment that I'm like, all right, fine.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

You yeah, I'll do it. And were you relaxed because you had so much experience? I didn't know you did all these musicals and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_03 7:34

I was actually, yeah. I was like strangely relaxed. I think because I was a mom, I was like a young mom.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

So that helped, okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

Of two kids under two. So I think anything that had anything to do with like me being the focus was like a vacation and like a walk in the park. Okay. So everybody like f always freaks out about motherhood and like not being able to be an artist post-motherhood. I think for if anything, it just kind of like made me more it amps you up. Yeah, and it also just grounded me. Like at the end of the day, I was going home to these like two amazing kids, now three amazing kids. So whatever happens, like outside of that, just was cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah, you have you it's it's almost like there's something to compartmentalize. Like even when you have a relationship, you have like you're gonna see your girlfriend at five or something like that, and so you have to get all your work done and then go right. So I I I understand. Yeah, it's cool. It's it ended up in a multitask as well. So like maybe you have all these feelings, maybe maybe you're a little bit nervous, but you're like, I'm not that nervous. Let me focus on this.

SPEAKER_03 8:34

Let me be real. I was really fucking nervous. Like during lives, like when it got real, and obviously during like the blind audition, I was like shot out of a cannon. I had no idea what my emotions were gonna do, what I was gonna talk about. Looking back, I'm just like, oh god, like don't say that. You cringe a little bit. Yes, so many moments. So I wish I could go back and like recreate some of those moments. And maybe I will because it's a 10-year anniversary. Oh, yeah. Maybe I'll like sing some of the songs differently and just are you gonna okay?

SPEAKER_01 9:04

So there's a there's a big like kind of reunion that's happening.

SPEAKER_03 9:06

There's no reunion, there's a reunion in my soul, my heart, okay, Casey. Okay. You're about to have a really cool reunion though. I'm really I once again big fan of Idol. You know, they're having you come on as a as a guest judge, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Uh they're gonna have me as a guest judge.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

Isn't that something I saw?

SPEAKER_01 9:23

No.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

What?

SPEAKER_01 9:24

No, I would like that.

unknown 9:26

Why?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Please tell me that that would happen. I would love for that to happen.

SPEAKER_03 9:28

Did I have a dream?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Maybe you had a dream. A guest judge. Hmm. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

Okay, well, we'll cut that one back.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

I mean, maybe uh the I don't think you would have heard this, but we we go on the Dave Cause cruise every year.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yeah. Um, and I swear to freaking God, I saw like a maybe it was AI.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Maybe it was AI.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

You know what I did, I maybe people I'm like telling people like this is bullshit. You know it's having Casey on us again, Chad. What's wrong with the voice?

SPEAKER_01 9:58

Let's manifest it.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

I'm gonna be on the talking about this forever.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

I will do uh I'll do AI and I'll do it. I don't know. I do want to do it though. Maybe maybe it's just like a a collective thing. Yeah, you're gonna look it up.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

I mean, I feel like oh Dan Davis.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Dan Davis, oh my god, tell him what's up.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

Let's see.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Tell him how his anthropology is doing.

SPEAKER_03 10:16

Main stage or second stage?

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Oh my gosh, you're setting up your hotel cafe gig right now.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Main.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

Main, of course. Yeah. I just did the main stage.

SPEAKER_03 10:24

What do you I don't even know what day that is. Just sounds good. Sounds like a day people would want to come to the hotel cafe like.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

May 5th, yeah. May it's right after May the 4th be with you. Yeah, so Stephanie knows.

SPEAKER_03 10:34

It's a Tuesday. Maybe not. Is that stupid?

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Um, I don't know. I I am a firm believer of if you build it, they will come. It doesn't even matter. I've I've done Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and people will come.

SPEAKER_03 10:45

Alright, let's see.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

Tell me what he says. Tell me what he says. I love it.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

Um okay, anyway, rewind. I can't believe that that's not a thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

I know it will be at some point. It it will be at some point.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

You're not like gonna go as a guest. I saw nothing.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

No, but I have been using AI and people have been a little bit scared. I used um um So maybe you put Maybe I put it out there. No, I I did have Paul McCartney technically say uh uh, hey, I'm hey, I'm going to Casey Abram's birthday show at the hotel cafe. And I remember um one of my buddies who was in his 60s, he was like, dude, is Paul McCartney coming to your show? Oh no. I was like, no, dude, that was AI.

SPEAKER_03 11:21

No, no.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

So maybe maybe that's maybe that's what it was. Alright, anyway.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

We have better things to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

No, no, no. I want to be a judge.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

I want to be a judge. God, I hope I get it.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

I was in that show. I know.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

I know.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

Did your research.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yes. That's pretty crazy. So you were on Broadway or where where were were you? Okay, that for how long?

SPEAKER_03 11:42

I was in the revival of a course line, the original cast of the revival of the show.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

That's amazing. Yeah. I I forget which character you were.

SPEAKER_03 11:50

I was Bibi Bensenheimer. First full year of the revival I did.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Okay, that's awesome. And that's that's a Jewish character, right?

SPEAKER_03 11:58

Yeah, she is.

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Just like you.

SPEAKER_03 11:59

Just like me.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Very type of.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

Do you celebrate Hanukkah and all that stuff? I celebrate anything where I can get a present.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Nice. Me too. We s my mom, my mom is kind of like an agnostic uh ex-Catholic, and then my dad's Jewish, so we we get we I get all the presents.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

We do Christmas too. We kind of just like love a holiday.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

We'll do we'll do any of it.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

How did you so how did you get into PMJ, postmodern jukebox? Did Scott Bradley hit you up? Do you know what that is?

SPEAKER_03 12:26

I think, yes. I think that I think uh former manager who I adore Kimber Kimberly Knowler. Wow. Kimberly Knowler, she set us up. I think that's how that happened.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:39

But I remember like going to the mansion and the cool wallpaper and all that.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

It's a pretty cool place. Did you um like I saw that you are you were excited to get away from this kind of child actress kind of vibe, and now you're on the voice and you're gonna live that up. I remember there was a time where um I because I just my first big thing was American Idol. Yeah, and then in the streets people would point at me and they'd recognize me and be like, yes, but they'd be like, American Idol guy.

SPEAKER_03 13:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

And I would be like, uh I'm much more than that, you know? And so I would have it in my contract. Don't put American Idols, Casey Abrams, just put Casey Abrams, right? And sometimes they would they wouldn't follow that because American Idol's a big name. Sure. And I it it kind of bothered me. I talked to a lot of my my other alumni, and they said that it bothered them too. And it still kind of bothers some of them, but then I got postmodern jukebox, then I was in Scary Pockets, and then some people would be like, Hey, you're the postmodern jukebox guy, you're the scary pockets guy, hey, your case. Sometimes they would know who I am, and that made me feel better, and now I'm completely diving into the American Idol thing. Yeah, did that happen with you? Because people would come up to you and say, Hey, you're that person from that film.

SPEAKER_03 13:47

Well, I mean, my whole life has been, oh my god, you're Curly Sue. Then it became oh my god, you're the voice girl, or so that was that a relief then? It was, yeah, I think at the time it was nice to be recognized for something other than my nine-year-old self, yes. Right, wow, and for singing, obviously, because like I as much as I love acting, like I always wanted to be known as a singer. Um so yeah, I think it was like night a nice change, but then I wanted to not be the voice girl.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

I wanted to be so there was a little bit of that.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Recording artist signed to record deal that I got, reason why I went on show, things like that. Right, yeah. And it's like when that fell falls short, which it didn't as much for Idol. Idol was a very different, you know, um, a different monster when it came to post show. When that stuff didn't happen for me though, I I took it out on the voice, but it really now looking back um and 10 years later and knowing more about everything, um, I it doesn't, it wasn't anything that they, you know, it wasn't there. It was it was age old that age old you know music industry tale of a mama trying to be a new singer, you know, like I mean just like silly stuff. That was the stuff. Do you know what I mean? So so now, like you're saying, looking back on it, first of all, it was an amazing opportunity. The fact that, you know, all of that is is, you know, really, yes, a lot catered towards coaches, but at the end of the day, the show doesn't exist without the singers. And it truly the creative team on that show, shout out to Jerry and Paul, are so incredible, and everybody else, but um, and they gave me moments that I will have forever. And I think you probably feel that way too, like looking back now. It's just like, oh, that is a beautiful moment for me to have in like my life scrapbook, and being the voice winner, Allison Porter, is fine with me now because coin is fine with me in any capacity. Coin coin, ching, and everything. That's gonna help people come to the show then. Cheers! I'm her forever, you know what I mean? Like I live it up. Here's the deal because now I really feel like I get I understand who I am as an artist, and I've been able to express that a lot, and I'm about to express it again in a fifth studio album, and I'm like, I don't care, you know, I don't care. Now I want all of that notoriety because I'm feel like I'm in a different place to accept it, yeah. Like walk differently with it.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah, my my buddy told me he was like, you have to every time you hashtag something, like if it's President's Day or if it's Halloween, hashtag those things, yeah, and then you're all you're like almost like writing a giant wave and you'll get more numbers. And it's like, I'm gonna hashtag idle till I die now, you know? I I I didn't like it at first, but it's like there it is.

SPEAKER_03 16:50

Someone said something to me. I was working with a consultant, like a social media consultant, and I was like, it's so weird how if I do this on TikTok or this on Instagram, it doesn't like really line up or whatever. And she's like, Well, how did people meet you on Instagram? And I was like, as a singer, really, because as soon as Instagram came out, it was like a few months later that the voice for me happened. So it was a brand new tool that like I didn't really know quite none of us really knew how to use it, and it certainly isn't what it is wasn't what it is now. Um and TikTok, I went viral for our video about Curly Sue. So all of my followers were like the kid actor followers.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

So my singing on TikTok didn't make sense, right? And my other stuff on Instagram, like coming in as Curly Sue or coming, didn't really make sense. So it's like you have to figure out how to sort of like either do only one thing or cater to the fans on different platforms.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

Okay, that's good to know. I I have no idea what to do. I literally just do a video and I post it across all the files.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

Yeah, I think you're a little more I'm like funny mom, singer, child actor, sort of influencer when I feel like you know, posting a link or something. Because I've always been like the girl who's like, oh, you need this bag or you need this sh whatever.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

Oh, okay, nice. Very much like no, but I never thought about like like I don't know what my TikTok audience is. Yeah, the categories are weird. I thought they were just the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

Well, I'm trying to just show up more as a singer because at the end of the day, that's what I am. Um, but it's just you know, you can get carried away if you're creative with all kinds of stuff. But if you're gonna be smart about it now, I think we have a a great shot at um putting stuff in people's faces in a different way as artists.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

For sure. Do you remember um there I saw this one performance where there's like a bunch of like lanterns and they were behind you?

SPEAKER_03 18:49

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Like uh idol, we didn't have. We I think they would give us a budget. Hey, here's a white piano and a white bass. Like make it look jazzy, and here's a little weird microphone. But for you guys, it seemed like there was a bunch of budget to make it look great.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

I was really in the prime of the voice. I think like if you look at season, I mean, I just know like, you know, me and Jordan Smith's season, I think nine and ten were extremely strong seasons as far as like singers go, and I don't know, just like coaches, like Jordan, I think is like the best singer I've ever heard in my life. So I think for as far as voice winners goes, he's like top notch, and I was right after him.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

So I felt like I'm gonna look him up. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

Oh, I he's insane. I mean, Jordan's vocals are uh uh otherworldly.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Yeah. Um is it crazy that you beat a country person? I feel like the country person.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

You know what? I was thinking about that this morning. I knew you were gonna ask me about that.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

Yeah, it's nuts.

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Yes. That's pretty crazy. Like the country personality.

SPEAKER_03 19:44

He said it was because I had notoriety in other areas.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:48

Which might be true. But like that's the point of a competition.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Exactly. Use it. Use it.

SPEAKER_03 19:55

So, but you know, I mean, I get it, I understand. But you know, I also really wanted to be a country singer at that time.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

You had a coun you almost country songs.

SPEAKER_03 20:03

I made a lot of country records and I sang a lot of country songs. But I think at some point or another, I went, oh, I could do, I could be Adele, I could, you know, be Grace Potter, I could, there's all these. I could be Anne Wilson from heart. I could, I can sing like this, I could say, I have to show all of these because uh maybe I had like some sort of for foreshadowing about what the career was gonna look like after. And I and I think I wanted the chance to just show it all, showcase it all. But um, but yeah, country was always like I made a country record before the voice. Oh, damn, okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

Yeah, that's okay. So I came in fulky. Yeah, you have a like a folky vibe, you have your own genre almost, and it's just kind of like it's just here it is there's some good riffs, but it's almost like you can just sing the song and hold the notes, and that's that's really I think of uh Pia Toscano for my season and like a little bit of Celine beyond, but a little bit even more down home, folky kind of grassroots beyond.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

I'm like I was raised by Whitney Houston and Joni Mitchell. Oh that checks for you and Broadway. Okay, so it's like basically that's where I think my vocal came from. Okay. Like a little bit of soul, a little bit of folk, right is country, kind of. Or Americana. Yeah. Um this next record is a little bit poppier, a little bit more directional, but still me.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

Yeah, okay. And then um Pee-wee. Do you remember anything from that?

SPEAKER_03 21:35

Yeah, it was the best. I think I think I peaked at Pee-Wee.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

You peeked at peaked at Pee-wee. That's your next record.

SPEAKER_03 21:42

I played the drums on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, I sang, I tap danced, I sat on cherry. I mean, it was like that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

That's bragworthy. Have you posted about that recently?

SPEAKER_03 21:53

No, I haven't. And you know, before Paul passed away, he reached out to me and we reconnected before he got. Sick and before he passed away. So that was a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 22:01

I was so happy to hear that. I met him once and he seemed really unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03 22:05

And like what that that kind of creativity is what I am striving for in my life right now. The Pee-Wee plays out or what just the that kind of freedom in creativity. Like, what? How do you think of that? How do you you thought of that and made it all happen? Whoa. If you can do that, if you can do Pee-Wee's Playhouse, endless possible.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

It's literally do the thing.

SPEAKER_03 22:28

Do the thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

It's so it's so simple. My my buddy Tim Tam uh Tim the Tambourine guy, uh Kubart from Postmodern Jukebox, he uh he started doing something called postmodern juice box, and it was for little kids. I was like, dude, you're doing it. He's like, I I follow this one thing. Do the thing.

SPEAKER_03 22:45

Do the thing.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

You can talk about the thing, but do it. You know what I mean? So that's that's huge.

SPEAKER_03 22:50

I wrote for like a year and a half for this record, and I didn't think that like I I'm not wasn't sure what we were gonna do, but I think once we like had a nice little catalog of songs, it was like, oh, we're gonna just make a record now, right? And then we're just gonna make it slowly and do it with people we love. And ask for a couple of favors here and there and just like see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

And everyone's everyone's checking out. Has Christina Aguilera been in contact?

SPEAKER_03 23:18

Has she hit you up and Christina and I haven't spoken in a while, but like it not for any other reason other than the fact that she's Christina Aguilera and you know, like doing her thing and she she loved you though.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

That was that was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

We had a great uh we had a great bond and we had we really understood each other, and she I have nothing bad to say about Christina as far as like my experience with her was all for sure.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

And then Adam, Adam loved you too. He said he's gonna you were gonna win, and then you did. Um I know have you talked with him?

SPEAKER_03 23:47

Anytime I have seen Adam, he reminds me loudly of my choices. But I was just recently over there at the voice for the Battle of the Champions of season 29, and it was really cool, it was really nice to be back there. It was really, like you said, that full circle of just like, oh, I have a totally different pair of eyes on this experience.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

It's a little bit smaller. Did you feel that? I I I walked in and I I felt that with America.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

It's all just so much about your perspective, right? Like, I think, yeah, I my goal is to take myself right into like wherever I am and just take it.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Just be present. Do you have a group chat with your fellow alumni from that season?

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Yeah, and yeah, and a lot of like um personal, individual relationship time, um care. Yeah, like family vacation, like Asia Grammar, Asia and Andy. Oh, yes. Asia was on my season. Oh, I didn't know that. Okay. We had known like so many of the same people, we had all the same friends, we just hadn't ever hung out together. Um, so we got really close after that. Mary Sarah, who's like a Nashville country girl, she's amazing. Paxton Ingram from my season is one of my closest friends. I mean, it's just like the homies.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

That's so cool that you guys keep in contact and Drewski. What about Drewski?

SPEAKER_03 25:15

We had Drewski was great, he was funny. We had like um our season was like very like it was competitive, obviously, but uh there was like a very big portion of cast mates that just was like all love, which was super cool. Yeah. Did you have that?

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Yeah, yeah. It felt like we were we there was times where we hated each other on the sh the season, but we got to go on tour together right afterwards. Right. And that tour was magic. That was like a three-month tour in 2001.

SPEAKER_03 25:43

Who won your season?

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Uh Scotty McCreary.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:48

Wait, that was Lauren Elena's season, right?

SPEAKER_01 25:50

Yes, it was, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

Okay, so where did you audition?

SPEAKER_01 25:53

I auditioned in Austin. So I think she was in National.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

She was in Nashville, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

But I for me, I flew out to Austin just in case. I if I if I got out in Austin, I would just fly back home, and then they were doing like an audition tour, and they were doing it in LA. So I was like, I'll just I'll have two opportunities, but I made it. It was probably better that I did it in Austin because there's a lot of LA people that are very like really good. I feel like I stood out a little bit more in Austin.

SPEAKER_03 26:18

Yeah, I feel like there's like a group of idle guys that are like so specific, like that are like their own thing. Like, I think about you, I think of Blake Lewis. I feel like you and Blake Lewis are like kind of the same guy, but not. You know what I mean? Like as far as like what you did on the show.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Right. We did it, we did our.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Brooke feels like a little bit like that to me. Like she's very much her own thing.

SPEAKER_01 26:37

Yeah, I I love I need to, I definitely need to to get her. Brookie on. Brookey is that what you call her? Brookie.

SPEAKER_03 26:42

She's a good time.

unknown 26:43

Nice.

SPEAKER_03 26:44

You'll have to start. This will be you'll you'll have to put the mic like she's much louder than that.

unknown 26:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

Really? She's loud? Okay. Yeah. Okay, well, I'll I'll do that. What's the nicest thing that anyone's ever told you?

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Whoa. The nicest thing that anyone's ever told you. Probably that I'm like a good mommy. You know? One of my kids if they tell me like you're doing a good job or something.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Oh, okay. That's huge.

SPEAKER_03 27:11

Yeah, that's pri that's that's a little bit nice.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Who's the nicest celebrity you've ever met?

SPEAKER_03 27:16

Um Dick Van Dyke. Whoa. Definitely up there.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Oh my gosh, how'd you meet him?

SPEAKER_03 27:23

I met him on The Mass Singer. Were you a Mass Singer? I coached seven seasons of The Mass Singer and had my win with Bishop Riggs and a runner-up runner-up with Wilson Phillips, and a runner-up with Scott Porter, who was the gumball. He was fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 27:45

Are you on camera for that kind of stuff?

SPEAKER_03 27:46

Every once in a while, but no, this is all behind the scenes. You you know, just getting songs together, coaching them through their performances, coaching them through their costumes and the whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 27:55

And so was Dick Van Dyke one of the people?

SPEAKER_03 27:57

He was on there, yeah. And Amy Chapman was his coach, but I got to meet him.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Oh, Amy Chapman.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

Amazing. Oh, kind of Tracy Chapman. Of course.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

Okay, all right. Uh close. Okay, wait, wait. So what did he sing? What was his what was his best song that he sang?

SPEAKER_03 28:11

Oh, he only sang one song. He did, I forget what he sang. Oh, he sang I forget what he sang. I don't remember. He sang, he sang one of his songs at the end, like a spoonful of sugar or something, or super califragilistic.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

Oh wait, did he dance?

SPEAKER_03 28:24

He came out and like did a little jig like that.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

Derek Ruff, am I crazy or is that something else?

SPEAKER_03 28:28

I don't know if Derek.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

I don't know. Okay, I remember hearing Derek dancing.

SPEAKER_03 28:32

Point being, he was really nice. Let's see. There's a lot.

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Okay. Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

There's a lot.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

Uh I'm just trying to think of like standout, real stand pink. Oh, yes. Pink. I met she was a mentor when I was on The Voice.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

She said she loved you too. I think she I saw that in the TV.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

I did say that, and she was a fan, and I wanted to throw up. Well, I worked with Steve Martin when I was a kid, and I have very fond memories of him and how he was with the kids on set.

SPEAKER_01 29:08

I remember you barfed on him.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

I barfed on him, so he had to be really nice to me.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

But he was he was he was almost like mad at you on camera. But he it's behind the scenes, he would be like, hey, listen, don't worry, I'm not mad at you.

SPEAKER_03 29:20

Like, don't worry, that tube taped to the side of your mouth isn't gonna be there for me. And that that uh hot dog chip in between your toe. We're gonna get that out for you in a little bit. My god.

SPEAKER_01 29:33

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 29:33

Yeah, so nice, so many, so many nice people. Oh, I'm so really a lot of mass singer. Uh John Oates was amazing, loved John Oates, loved Bishop Riggs, like all my uh Wilson Phillips was a dream come true. I harmonized with them. I got to harmonize hold on with Wilson Phillips. Like, come on.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

You got to harmonize with them?

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Yeah, I was their coach. I was like, okay, guys, let's do it again, and I'll just pop right up above all of that.

SPEAKER_01 29:58

Um my god, I forgot about that. Okay, what what did they say?

SPEAKER_03 30:03

Uh full band. Yeah, it's a full band.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

Full band, okay. I said it was. And what's your what's your full band? Is it bass, guitar, drums, piano? That's that's it. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

It's whatever. There's like lots of singers. We'll probably do it up.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

How was Star Search?

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Oh. Uh, I was very young, but it was great. Yeah, it was like the beginning of everything. Yeah. My mom met my stepdad, who basically raised me my whole life, and I met my manager, and that's like kind of how the ball got rolling.

SPEAKER_01 30:29

You have the same manager from that those days.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

I did for a very long time. She is retired now and lives in Palm Springs.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

And she's fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Okay, that's so nice. Okay, beautiful. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

Okay. Yeah, but that's that was like definitely like a career starter.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Right, okay. That's beautiful. Um singing competition. Alright, I want to jam with you now.

SPEAKER_03 30:49

Oh my god, what?

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 30:50

Just like that?

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Yeah, just like that. Let's think of a song.

SPEAKER_03 30:53

Okay. All right. Listen, you're a bass player. Take a break, take a break.

SPEAKER_01 30:56

Let's just do um verse chorus, verse chorus.

SPEAKER_03 31:00

That's all it is. Yeah. And then the ending I do like I usually hold out, but I don't have to.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Yeah, what do you do?

SPEAKER_02 31:06

So the moon and even tie. And they just hold on blue.

SPEAKER_01 31:24

Cool. All right. All right. Uh yeah, that's going, that's going.

SPEAKER_03 31:28

How's it start?

SPEAKER_01 31:29

What'd you say?

SPEAKER_03 31:31

How does it start?

SPEAKER_01 31:32

I feel so bad.

unknown 31:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

I feel so bad, got a worried mind. I'm so lonesome all the time. Since I left my baby behind on blue by you. Saving nickels, saving eyes, working till the sun don't shine. Looking forward to happier times on blue by you. I'm going back Sunday. Come on, maybe to blue by you. Where the folks I find, and the world is mine on blue by you. Ah, where those fishing boats where the sails are float. If I could only see that familiar sunrise through sleepy eyes, how happy I'd be gonna see my baby again. Gonna be with some of my friends, and maybe I'll feel happy again on blue by you. Course, I'm going back someday. Come with me to flu by you. Where the folks I'm fine, and the world is mine on blue by you. Where those fishing boats with their sails afloat? If I could only see that familiar sunrise, through sleepy eyes, how happy I be Wolverine of mine seal the moon in the evening tide. Um blue Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:27

Oh my gosh, what a treat! Thank you so much for that. All right, yeah, do that more often. Killing it.

SPEAKER_03 34:34

We should be doing that everywhere. Let's do that all the time. It's such a vibe.