One Friday night in January of last year, I was sitting at home, playing a video game and minding my own business until a friend of mine called me. Here is how the conversation went:

Him: “Johanna. Oh my god, I have to tell you something.”

Me: “What is it? Are you okay?” ( I noticed he sounded a bit panicked)

Him: “Yes, I'm fine, but I just wanted to call and tell you that The Voice is holding auditions THIS weekend in Memphis! You really need to go!”

Me: …..

Honestly, I was a bit hesitant. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but people have been telling me that I should audition for The Voice for years, and honestly, it's been something I dreamed about doing for quite a while. But there were several emotions, worries and insecurities that were holding me back.

As I was thinking through these things, it finally hit me. This is something I've been dreaming of for years, so I'm gonna do it. After finishing the conversation I was having with my friend, I told my mom and the rest of my family the good news. I could tell my mother was worried about me going to Memphis, but I knew she was happy for me all the same.

I spent the following Saturday preparing for my audition. Finally settled on two audition songs, (“Like I'm Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor and “Take Me To Church” by Hozier for those wondering) , made a Walmart run to get water, snacks, and a PowerJuice for my phone since it said on the website to be prepared to be there all day, and had another friend print my audition pass for me. After I had everything together, I was set to go.

That night, I got very little sleep. I was so excited and nervous I couldn't help myself or stay asleep for very long. Next thing I knew, my phone was screaming in my ear for me to wake up and get ready for the big day. I had to be at the venue by 6 AM and since I live a couple hours from Memphis, I had to leave about 3:30- 4:00 in the morning. My brother came and got me a few minutes after three, so I gathered my things, bid my mother a kiss and goodbye, and then took off to Memphis with my brother.

We didn't really talk much on the way there, probably because I was anticipated that this was really happening, or it probably had more to do with the fact that both of us were running on little to no sleep. When we finally got there, my brother dropped me off because when you audition for The Voice, you can't bring anyone in with you. (Unless you're a minor) After I stepped into the building, there were hundreds (maybe thousands) of other hopeful aspiring singers that were waiting to audition. As everyone was waiting in line, there were a couple of security guards asking people to see their audition passes and our I.D.’s. The line was moving slowly, but surely. In the midst of waiting, I was able to become friends with a couple of the people I was waiting with, I also had the pleasure to meet other amazing people with some serious talent. As we finally got done waiting in line for a couple of hours, we got pat down and metal-detected by security to go into the waiting room and wait another couple hours. So I guess the only difference between waiting in line and waiting in the waiting room, was that you were sitting down. But I'm not complaining, because well, in the waiting room, people were more connected and were singing classic songs with each other such as “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack, and since we were auditioning on Sunday, people broke out worship songs such as “How Great is Our God”, which was honestly one of the best parts. Despite having to wait, the waiting room was filled with fun, music, and encouragement. Heck, even the security guards were singing with us! It was tons of fun.

Finally, some of the producers came in and called on a group of people to finally go audition for the show. When our section was called, we all got up and they split us up into groups of ten. As we were being escorted to our audition room, (it was about a little bit after eleven o’clock) one of the producers gave us wrist bands and the rundown of what was gonna happen next. Every single one of us were anxious, anticipated, and excited all at the same time. Before we went into the actual audition room, we all wished each other good luck and gave some small words of encouragement.

As we entered the room, there was one blonde woman with glasses on her laptop, and the chairs were lined up like a “V”. After we took our seats, the woman introduced herself, instructed us to say our name, where we were from, and the song that we were singing. Each of us got up, did as we were told, and gave it all that we had. When we finished singing, she did have a couple people sing their second choice of song. When they were finished, the judge had informed us that we all had done a great job, however, none of use made it to callback auditions. Of course, we were all disheartened by the news just as anybody else would. As we were exiting the room, a girl that I met in the waiting room came up and started talking to me and a few other people. As we were talking about our auditions, I saw one girl who did get a call back and I felt nothing but joy for her. Despite not advancing to callbacks, I have no regrets at all about auditioning for “The Voice”. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget. I learned to practice my craft and get better and better, and that sometimes the answer is just “No”. But that doesn't mean you're that much closer to something better.

Keep pushing, keep practicing, and never ever give up. Surround yourself with people who believe in you. Remember, just because you didn't make the first audition doesn't mean you can't audition again! Don't give up friends :)

Lastly, another thing that is important to remember is to stay humble if you do advance. Like that old saying goes, “Don’t let success get to your head, and don't let failure get to your heart.”