When I Get There, I'll Know.

one year ago this past weekend I appeared on NBC’s The Voice for the first time. to say the subsequent 12 months have been a bit of a roller coaster is putting things mildly. my career has seen some of the most amazing milestones to date. not entirely sure where to begin, actually. a lot of it has been rather well-publicized, having made it all the way to the finals on the show, making several TV and radio appearances along the way, as well as numerous public appearances, performing in front of thousands of people. on the heels of the show, I was fortunate enough to continue working with my coach Adam Levine, signing to his 222 Records record label. a lot of people have been curious what that must be like. it’s kind of funny how people’s perception differs from the reality of such an experience. Yes, I’m still in frequent contact with Adam, though as most can imagine, he is an unbelievably busy guy so our exchanges are mostly via email and texts. he has however, assembled quite a team of people to run the label and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to work with them. in a nutshell, I’m in the final stages of writing songs for the record, working with the producer to make sure we’ve mapped out the best direction possible. I’m in constant talks with the label determining the best course of action once the record is complete and am preparing myself for quite possibly the most sizable workload of my career to date. it’s going to be yet another unforgettable year, no doubt. 

when you’re preparing to perform your Blind Audition on The Voice, of course they have you give a number of interviews that they then edit and piece together in the show leading up to the actual performance. the final interview, right before you take the stage, is where they really try to tap into your emotions and get you to say things that make for suspenseful TV, I suppose. this is where they get you to put to words the degree to which you are invested in your journey, the stakes of this singular oh-so-critical performance, the intensity of this crucial moment in your life. it was during this interview that I realized something so important, so special, so cool that I thought it worth recalling now, one year later. I don’t remember if it actually made the broadcast however, when the producer asked me the rather pointed question: “What do you have to prove on that stage tonight?” I simply responded with, “I just have to prove my fans RIGHT.” I realized in that moment, that had it not been for all of the little victories along the way, the tireless support and encouragement from so many of you, that there’s no way I could have ever persevered long enough as an artist to ever get to this point in my career where I honestly felt I had what it takes to not only get on that stage but to possibly get one of these 4 amazingly talented celebrity coaches to turn their chair around, (much less ALL 4!!) if you go back and watch the footage of my performance of Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble”, after everyone had finally turned around, you can see me quite possibly the happiest I have ever been on stage. it was in that very moment that I can honestly say I had achieved exactly what I had hoped to and that is to prove my fans right. that right there, in front of millions of viewers, I had shown people what my fans had believed in all this time. that my fans WEREN’T crazy. that I wasn’t crazy for having chased this dream for so many years. man. what an incredible memory to take with me. 

that said, I may never be able to fully express the gratitude I have for your support, your time and attention. God knows there are so many amazing artists out there today. all of whom are equally as invested in what they do as I am. but to be able to do what I love and have it stand out enough for you to want to take part in it, to believe in it and share it with your friends and family, means more than I can begin to describe. so, thank you. thank you for an unforgettable experience on The Voice. thank you for tuning in and continuing to follow me onto the next chapter. thanks for taking the time to read this, possibly share it. maybe even “Like” it. (Oh, the simple pleasure of getting “Liked”.) 

peace and praise