The NBC show "The Voice" has a great premise that many can get behind. The show features up-and-coming artists that might not have had the chance before to get their big break. The show starts off with blind auditions so the coaches can only judge the person on their voice and not their appearance. What most don't know is that what you see on television is a couple auditions after their first audition.
Ava (not her actual name for privacy reasons) auditioned for "The Voice" in New York this past summer. What was told to her was shocking based on the show's premise.
For those readers that do not know, "The Voice" has four judges who sit in chairs that face away from the singer that is auditioning. Once the singer starts to sing, the judges have a chance to hit a button to turn their chair around to indicate they want to be their vocal coach for the rest of the competition. This puts the emphasis on the voice of the singer rather than their appearance.
The audition process begins with a simple online application consisting of your birth date, your name, and some other basic information. You then select what location you want to audition at and print out your information.
Ava drove into the city with both her parents since she was a minor at the time. She waited in line with about 30,000 other individuals for their chance at a big break.
Upon first walking in, the set-up seemed disorganized. Ava submitted her paperwork and was brought to a room with five other individuals. Her father came along with her, and she auditioned in front of one of the producers.
With the sounds of others singing in rooms beside them, Ava sang "One and Only" by Adele. She felt confident in her performance and the producer picked out Ava and two others to move on. Ava chose to do the second part of the audition later that day.
The second round was much different than the first. The crowd was noticeably less and the audition was a little different. The audition was set up like you would see on television, with a camera in front of you and your family watching backstage.
The producers instructed her to sing like she was on television. Ava sang "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse and was unsure how the producers would react. She was stopped and told her their thoughts. One producer said, "Thank you for coming out here today. You're really good and we love your voice, but you're not the look we're going for."
Ava was confused, considering the show is based on how the person sounds rather their look. The producers continued to tell her, "But seriously, you should come back with a different approach."
Ava left and her family was angry for her. They were confused because the blind auditions are not really blind auditions.
"Why would I want to be on a show that's like that?" Ava said.
"The Voice's" blind auditions are not actually blind and its upsetting. Although the voice of the person is important, they want the look too. Don't believe what you see on TV.
