Eliminated The Voice Contestant Sa’Rayah on Being Cyberbullied By Fans

THE VOICE -- "Live Top 12" Episode 1114B -- Pictured: Sa'Rayah -- (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Sa’Rayah, the first singer eliminated from The Voice live finals, answered reporters questions on a conference call Thursday. The Team Alicia Keys member lost the twitter vote to Team Miley Cyrus member, Aaron Gibson. It was deja vu all over again as Sa-Rayah had also lost her battle against Aaron back when she was also on Team Miley.

Sa’rayah was frank about the reasons she believed led to her demise–a combo of Miley Cyrus fans hitting twitter hard and others who were still bitter that she prevailed over Michael Sanchez in the knockouts. Check out the full interview right here.

What did you think your chances were of staying or leaving when you sang off against Aaron?

Sa’Rayah: At that point I knew I was leaving because of who his coach is, Miley Cyrus. And I’m just going to be totally open here–[Miley] has a huge [twitter] following and The Voice allows the coaches to [tweet] their fans to vote for their teammate.

At the point that I was up against anybody on Miley’s team, I knew that I was going to be going home. Although it’s a little unfair, it’s the reality of it. She has triple the followers than Alicia Keys has. We were both tweeted out but she tweeted out to 55 million people that follow her. So I knew, I kind of knew what the fate was going to be at that point.

How you envision yourself musically going forward? You played with Chicago Catz and were booked doing solo things before The Voice. What do you plan to do now?

Sa’Rayah: I’ll be moving forward full speed ahead with my own career. I have been playing with different bands before and I probably will still do a few of those kinds of gigs. But my main focus will be pushing my own career down more of a pop rock vibe [but] always filled with soul.

You were also up against Aaron in the battle round. You must have been experiencing some major déjà vu last night. Since Aaron had won that battle, did that affect your confidence at all going into your performance?

Sa’Rayah: No, no. Not at all. I kind of felt like if it was anybody that I was going to lose against I wouldn’t mind it being Aaron. What people don’t know is we’ve really established such a great relationship and a true love for one another. And I think we established that during the times we were up against one another in battles.

When it was he and I standing there hand in hand, we were literally–‘listen I love you.’ Whatever happens for me it happens. I would rather it be nobody but him. It was definitely like a déjà vu moment happening but I’m very happy with the results at the end of the day.

You did “Living on a Prayer” which is a great song and then “Rock Steady.” Can you talk about why you kind of chose those songs?

Sa’Rayah: “Living on a Prayer” was a song that would allow me to show America that I’m capable of different things [other than] what they [had already] seen me doing. Also, the message in it–dealing with a relationship where two people were willing to hold on because they had one another–it was all about love.

I feel like this time in the world, and especially in America, the one thing that we have been lacking is love and that willingness to stand together and hold on. But I feel like it’s necessary right now so “Living on a Prayer” was the perfect song for that.

“Rock Steady” was a song that was already on the agenda to do, if I ever needed to do it. I chose that song because I feel like Aretha Franklin is definitely somebody that embodies everything that I am as far as soul is concerned. The song allows [me to bring a fun vibe] to the stage as well as show the soulful side of my voice.

Was “Living on a Prayer” your song choice? Did you choose that?

Sa’Rayah: It was a collective decision. I sat down with my coach Alicia and one of the executive producers on The Voice. And we went through choices and possibilities. And that was just the one that we settled down with, all together. After having tried the song, I felt like it was something that would be beneficial for me to sing.

Were you familiar with the song? Had you performed it before?

Sa’Rayah: I performed it with the Chicago Catz [but] not [singing] lead. I was one of the supporting vocalists for the song when I sang it with the Chicago Catz. This would be the first time that I presented it while I was leading. I was able to put my own little twist to it in the middle of the song and then bring it back to the original version [in order] to keep the integrity.

What do you think is the biggest thing you’re going to take away from The Voice experience?

Sa’Rayah: Knowledge on how to handle my business. The reason I say that is because The Voice is a TV show and it’s a well-oiled machine. It’s like a continuous business where everything is running and everybody has their rightful place. Everybody’s delegated certain jobs to do and I feel like it’s definitely given me a clear vision on how to operate when it comes to my own business.

And it’s also given me huge inspiration and showed me the things that I’m very capable of. You know a lot of the things that I’ve done on the show and the pressure that I’ve had to stand up against–I feel that it’s given me so much more motivation and strength to move forward in my own career.

Alicia chose to save you over Josh Halverson and Kylie Rothfield. What was your reaction to her decision and did she ever explain to you afterwards why she choose to save you?

Sa’Rayah: I feel like over the time that I’ve been on the show Alicia has always shown some kind of connection to me as a person. She saw that I’m somebody who’s all about light and love. And I feel like she shares that same thing about herself.

She connected to that and I think that she honestly believed in me and what it is that I’m able to do when I step up on that stage. That’s what called her to choose me.

And I do think that we had a great connection. I’m not going to say that it was any bigger than the connection she had with the other two because they started with her. I didn’t.

Compare your experiences with Miley and Alicia. How did they differ as coaches in terms of their methods and styles? Did one help you more than the other?

Sa’Rayah: I spent a little more time with Alicia because I was only with Miley for the very first portion of the show. The purpose that Miley served for me was that first song I performed with Aaron. That was something that was outside of my comfort zone a bit. I had to rise to the occasion because the song was really more flatting for Aaron’s voice.

He has the rock grit. But I had to rise to the occasion and bring something to it that would cause me to shine as well. She created a moment for me that was a lasting moment. People still talk about the battle that Aaron and I had. It’s a memorable moment and that’s what I feel like she made happen by putting us together with that song choice. (They sang “I’ll Take Care of You” by Bobby Bland)

However I feel that Alicia, because of the connection that I was able to have with her, saw something great. I believe that she was very invested into making sure that I [stayed] on the show as long as I could. I had a greater connection with Alicia than I ever could have had with Miley because I didn’t spend enough time [on Miley’s team]. Alicia showed her interest in me in the very beginning and she stuck with that interest. She made sure that I knew she believed in me the entire time. And everything that she fought for in the blind auditions she held to it. And for that, I would say I got more out of that experience than the one I had with Miley.

Do you have any regrets looking back your journey on The Voice. Is there something you would have done differently?

Sa’Rayah: I actually don’t. I don’t have any regrets. I feel like I have done everything that I can. I guess one thing: [I wish] that I could have shown a different side of my voice. I’m capable of a lot more than what I’ve been able to show thus far. [The song choices] catered to the strength in my voice as a powerhouse. But I also have another part of my voice that I love to share and I didn’t really have that opportunity… to show that different element.

Other than that, I’m very happy with the experience overall and I feel like there’s nothing that I could have done to change [my] fate. But I do appreciate all that’s happened thus far.

Are you going to continue the “Love Only” movement that you’ve established beyond The Voice? Do you feel that the events leading up to you having to create the movement was the reason why you were in the bottom?

(Sarayah started the #LoveONLY campaign to combat “cyberbullying and bullying of any kind” after she was attacked on twitter by fans upset that she beat Michael Sanchez in the Knockouts. Read more about that HERE.)

Sa’Rayah: You know what–I do feel like yes, to answer your question. We’ll continue on because it’s very necessary. And I’m glad to have even been the one to begin such a powerful and awesome movement because it’s going to be relevant in so many different ways for so many different people.

It goes beyond The Voice. It goes beyond singing. It’s something that goes beyond me. It’s something that everyone has need for and I’m glad I have been able to start it [after] the event leading up to it–[the knockout] against Michael Sanchez. People [who] were onboard for Michael–which, it [was] a lot of people that were onboard for him and really [rooting] for him. To them, I’m the reason he’s gone and they hated me for that.

A lot of them hated me for that and I do feel that had [an affect] on me moving forward. I say that because even the videos that I’ve done after, the songs that I’ve done after, you would see some of his followers commenting on those songs that they wish it was him.

What are some of your favorite memories of being on the show?

Sa’Rayah: I think that the relationships that I’ve established with the people there–both the staff on the show and my close friends, the other contestants. I’ve established some friendships that are going to be here forever and I think that those are the memories. The memories that we’ve had together growing in this process are what I’ll cherish.

Were there any contestants in particular that you bonded with?

Sa’Rayah: I had a great bond with Aaron, you know, especially after we were paired together for the battle. We established a great friendship and every time I saw him I just lit up. I lit up to see him because he’s such a sweet and humble spirit.

I had established a connection with Ali Caldwell because we were roommates and we were together a lot because of that. Jason Warrior–we were both Chicago natives and we always stuck by that.

Dana Harper, is somebody that I also connected to. And Courtney Harrell. We shared similarities spiritually–we’re very spiritually in tune with one another.

Blake Shelton tried to steal you earlier in the season saying that you actually won your battle hands down. Did you ever think about how your experience on the show might have been different had you been on Blake’s team?

Sa’Rayah: You know, I have thought about that. I honestly had a tough time deciding between [him] and Alicia Keys when they both hit their bells to steal me because I noticed Blake [had] expressed a lot of interest in me and my talent. He definitely showed that he had become a believer after that battle between Aaron and I. He had never turned his chair for me in the blind audition. But after that battle he expressed that he saw something greater.

He was a hard worker. He saw somebody that’s capable of doing anything. I found new respect and love for Blake Shelton because the entire time that I’ve been there he’s fought for me. He saw me on a larger scale and I truly do appreciate that. But I feel like no, going with Alicia Keys was probably my best bet because I feel like she was, she kept me around as long as she could because she believed in me just that much.

About mj santilli 34839 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!