Before you audition for NBC's The Voice read this......

If you are thinking of auditioning for NBC's The Voice, read this first...


 


So yesterday I auditioned for The Voice here in Las Vegas at the Convention Center. I received an invite so I decided to do it. I have been singing for over 40 years, the whole Milli Vanilli thing, 2nd place at The World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo with a song I wrote, Newcomer of the Year in Germany, numerous TV shows, on tour for more than 15 years and blah blah.. Well, was I in for a treat. I was under the impression they were looking for "real" singers and someone with a story, and believe me, I have a story! I kind of swore off song competitions after the Yamaha World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo in 1984. I never had a chance of winning because the contest was fixed, but I could take second place and Outstanding Song Award, which I did. First place was guaranteed to George Duke and the Canadian entry, France Jolie. My record company, Jupitor Records, didn't tell me until the day of the finals in Tokyo as they knew I would never partake in something like that. They also took my $3000 that I won to cover expenses for the trip. 

Fast forward to yesterday. The wait wasn't too bad at all; about 2 hours from start to finish. I did notice that the median age was teen and I would estimate more than half or a large majority were there for the second, third, and fourth time. That kind of concerned me. I ultimately was in a room with 9 other people and one person, a girl who was "the judge". She looked unkempt, disheveled and about 25. She told us to stand on the green tape, state the name of the song and sing a verse and a chorus. If she wanted more after everyone sang she would call our name. There was a young guy 28 years old from Kentucky. His name was Kyle and he was adorable! He told me that a benefactor in the town where he lived thought he was so good, he paid his way for him and his wife to travel to Vegas for the audition. He and his wife are both school teachers. He sang a Randy Travis song and he was excellent. I sang At Last like I was on stage at The Budokan Hall in Tokyo in front of 20,000 people. The "judge" looks at me and claps her hands and says "good job!" like I'm a 5 year old who just learned to write my name. I looked at her and thought I have shoes in my closet older than you. Maybe she saw that I was 54 and thought I needed that.

Another guy in my group flew all over the country auditioning and bless his heart, couldn't sing a lick. Needless to say, my name was not called, and neither was Kyle's. There was a teen boy who sang a Jason Mraz song, out of tune, forgot the lyrics and asked to start over. He was asked to stay. I thought to myself, I'm in The Twilight Zone! I felt like I was watching an audition on TV and wanted to yell at it and say wtf are you thinking? I thought you were looking for THE voice! On a side note, there were supposed to be two days of auditions but I was told that the second day of auditions was cancelled due to low turnout. Hmmmm.

So, was the experience worth it? Nah. I didn't go for the experience. I have a lifetime of experiences that far exceed anything that I experienced yesterday. If you're a serious singer don't waste your time. Use your time and energy instead for something productive that will bring true, rewarding results.