Local resident David “Cheyenne” Harper is headed for Los Angeles in his effort to be on “The Voice,” an Emmy Award-winning, No. 1 series on NBC.
“The Voice” is a reality singing competition in its eighth season. This season began Feb. 23 with coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani. The winner is determined by TV viewers.
Harper submitted a video of himself and was invited for a live audition in Nashville on Feb. 15. He sung two songs for the judges: 1) “I Got It Honest” by Aaron Tippin and 2) “It Turns Me Inside Out” by Lee Greenwood.
“I sung the first song for the judges and they requested a second song,” said Harper. “The first was more upbeat and I guess they wanted to hear my voice range. The second song was more of a love song. They had me sing about half that song. I was invited to L.A. I have a signed contract in my hands promising that I will abide by all the rules of the contest. I have to be there April 5-12. It’s an all-expenses-paid trip to L.A., so I’m really excited about that. I can’t wait.”
Harper says he has been asked if he will be on this season’s airing of the show and if he’s met the celebrity judges.
“This season is for people who auditioned in 2014, so it won’t be me” he said. “If I make it through to the live show, it will be next season. Everyone keeps asking me if I met Levine, Shelton, Williams or Stefani during my audition. No, I won’t be in front of those judges until the Blind Auditions.”
If Harper is selected to be on the show, there are five stages of competition. The first begins with the Blind Auditions, followed by the Battle Rounds, the Knockouts, the Live Playoffs and finally, the Live Performance Shows.
During the Blind Auditions, the celebrity judges have their backs turned to the contestants. If they like what they hear, they turn around and ask the person to be on their team. If more than one judge turns around, the contestant must choose between them.
“It can’t choose,” said Harper, when asked which judge he would want. After a moment of hesitation, he added, “I would like Blake to turn around. I hear he is leaving the show after this year. I don’t know that as a fact, but that’s what I heard. If any one of them turns around, I will be happy.”