A friend of mine (ok, his wife, really…she’s still a friend, but I’m much closer to him) suggested I audition for The Voice.
She was serious.
Stop laughing.
No, seriously.
Even I stopped laughing eventually and thought it might not be a bad idea. I don’t think there’s any chance I’d win, and only a slightly greater chance that I’d actually get on TV, but hey. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I looked up how to audition:
https://www.nbcthevoice.com/auditions/howtoaudition
Having to sing a cappella ain’t exactly my strong suit. The only time I don’t sing with a guitar in my hands is when I record, and then I’m singing to a backing track. Still, with some practice, I could get past that. No biggie.
But, I’d never actually watched the show. I’m not much of one for reality competition shows of any kind. I never cared for Survivor, I despised American Idol…and…uh…well, that’s it. I enjoy a few of the cooking shows though.
I went to youtube and checked out a few hours’ worth of clips over the course of a month or so. I didn’t hear anyone who sings like I do, but that could be a strength. Worst case scenario, I don’t make it past open auditions. No big deal; I’ve been through worse.
However.
I figured I should, you know. Actually *watch* the show. When I was poking around, there were no full seasons available online without paying for them. If I can’t watch via my Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon Prime subscriptions, I probably won’t watch at all. But, I discovered over the weekend that the new season is on Hulu. So, I fired it up.
Holy. Crap.
I was *shocked* by how little singing there actually is. We meet the judges, get video packages on the performers auditioning, and lots of banter between the judges. LOTS of banter. I cared for none of that. I just wanted to see and hear folks sing. Thankfully, one can fast forward on Hulu, and once I started doing that, the show become watchable. I’ve made it through the first two episodes, and I suspect I will watch the rest before I decide whether or not to give it a shot.
Here are cons in my mind:
- If I’m being honest with myself, nearly everyone I’ve seen sings better than I do. I’m not looking for anyone reading this to say differently and stroke my ego. It’s just truth. They all have better range, and most have a voice that seems to sell these days, even the ones who don’t get chosen.
- Most of them are much better looking. Granted, it’s a blind audition at first, but let’s not kid ourselves. The open auditions are not blind, and attractive people have a built in advantage. That’s just life.
Here are some pros:
- I would probably be reasonably unique. That could work against me, of course, but it could also be a strength.
- While I would be excited to try, particularly if I started to believe I had a chance, nerves probably - PROBABLY - wouldn’t be much of an issue. I could be wrong though.
- As I’ve already said, what do I have to lose? The only way I know I won’t make it is not to try.
So, yeah. I’ll watch the rest of the current season before I make a decision. Just figured it might be worth mentioning on my blog.