The Voice’s Brendan Fletcher: Save Song was Potential Game Changer

THE VOICE -- "Live Semi Finals" Episode: 1117A -- Pictured: Brendan Fletcher -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

Brendan Fletcher from Team Adam Levine scored a No 2 on the iTunes chart with an emotional rendition of “True Colors” during Top 10 week on The Voice. But the following week in the semifinal round, he hit the bottom 2–not even placing high enough for the opportunity to sing for the insta-save and a chance to make the final. The singer, who had been bartending in New York City prior to competing on the show, chatted with reporters earlier this week about his phenomenal run on The Voice.

Could you talk a little bit about your song choice this week. Did you and your coach Adam Levine choose it together?

He actually texted me an was like, “Listen dude I think you should sing Angel by Sarah McLachlan.” And I was like, “You mean like the pet shelter song?” And he said, “Yes I think that’s going to be a great idea.” And I was pretty excited about it because I wanted to recapture what I did the week prior doing True Colors. I wanted a chance to be able to kind of flip a song and do it my own way.

I don’t think the song sounded anything like the original version which I was pretty happy about. I think it kind of came off like a Van Morrison type song–that’s kind of what the goal was. But, you know, looking back it might not have been the greatest song choice. But I was really happy and comfortable performing it on stage and, you know, hindsight’s 20/20. But this whole journey has been amazing and every time I got up there to sing I put my heart on the line. And I just hope everyone enjoyed it because I know I did.

Were you surprised that you didn’t get a chance to sing for that 4th final spot?

Yes.

What were you planning to sing?

I don’t think I’m allowed to say what my save song was but I know that if I had the chance to sing it, it potentially could have been my best song. I really do think it would have propelled me — if not into the finale — at least give people one more glimpse into who I am as an artist, and what I could potentially do moving forward after the show. But again, hindsight’s 20/20 and this show is literally a show about going home. Only one person can win this thing. So every step of the way on this journey has been like playing with house money and it’s been so great. I’ve been so blessed to meet all these people and yes I’m mad I wasn’t able to sing the song but that’s the way it goes I guess.

Can you name one specific thing you learned on The Voice that you’re going to apply in your future music career?

I would say that the main thing that I learned — and that I’m going to apply going forward — is to dream big. No dream is too unreachable. No dream is too intangible. And that’s what got me here. If you had told me months ago that I would be singing in the top eight of the show I would’ve never believed you. So just shooting for things that I would before the show, think were impossible–that’s basically it.

How did you feel following Monday night’s performance show? What were you anticipating would happen in terms of the results? Did you see yourself making the final four? Did you think it was a long shot?

Every week I constantly surprised myself. And only until recently — until last night — did I think that ‘Wow, you know I – there’s a chance that I could be in the final of the show.’ But, you don’t really know what to expect — everyone on the show is so talented. I’m really just happy that I’ve gotten this far to be honest with you. Of course it’d be nice to make it to the final episode. But I we basically all made it to the end. That’s how I look at it. I really have no regrets. And I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m just really, really happy and I’m just going to keep making music going forward and keep dreaming big.

What’s the most difficult out of these three things: choosing a song, making the song your own, and results night. From most difficult to least difficult.

I think the hardest part for me was dropping the guitar, and being able to be up there with a microphone. Opening my eyes, and smiling. Moving around the stage. That is something I’ve never done. Before the show karaoke was my biggest experience [with just] a microphone. I feel like I’ve come a long way. I’ve evolved as a performer on the show. That was probably the most difficult part–coming out of my shell. I’m so grateful for this show for allowing me to do that.

You [and Aaron Gibson] were the artists on the show with the raspy, unique deep voices and coaches always told you that you don’t need the bells and whistles and frills of high notes and production to succeed on The Voice. Do you agree with that? Considering you had to sing again [against] people with crazy ranges.

I think the only thing that you can do is be true to yourself. Music is not something to put in a competitive realm. It’s about creating and being unique. I think once you start worrying about what everyone else is doing it can affect you in a negative way. My biggest plan is always being true to myself and singing songs that will serve me going forward. And I think people responded to my voice not for the sole reason that I wasn’t hitting 1 million notes. My vocal range wasn’t crazy. I think it was a relatable, genuine voice. It served me well.

Are you rooting for one person in particular to win? Or are you anticipating one person in particular will win?

Everyone deserves to win. It would be impossible to put one name above the other ones.

About mj santilli 34833 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!