Read the specific details of the life altering trip to the stage of NBC’s The Voice directly from Betsy Ade:
KSE: So how do you keep it together standing in the middle of that silent stage looking at the backs of those chairs?
BA: I kept saying to myself…”breathe deeply…you have done everything you could to prepare for this moment….it’s go time”
KSE: After the song starts do you allow yourself to actually let your brain think about whether or not a judge is going to turn or is it all filtered into the performance?
BA: When the song begins I thought of nothing but feeling the music and letting it channel through me. If I let that happen I would be happy with my performance with or without a chair turn. There was a second when I slipped out of feeling the song and realized no one had turned yet. I freaked out for a second but the feeling of terror was gone as quickly as it came.
KSE: And then a chair turns…just feel free to populate this answer with whatever comes to mind.
BA: We did it. When I say “we” I mean everyone who has ever had faith in my ability to sing and perform. Every one of those people got me on that stage…and we did it!!
KSE: It appeared to be a pretty easy decision for you to join #teamlegend, is that accurate?
BA: I couldn’t go wrong with those two coaches. There were two very important reasons that were in my guts at the moment. I had a feeling there was a pretty good chance Talynn (my son) would be able to meet John Legend and John turned first. He was confident enough to have me on his LEGENDARY team!
KSE: How great was it to see your son meet his hero?
BA: It was epic! I hope he remembers it forever and I’m so happy that I could give him that opportunity.
KSE: I have to know, was that most excellent scream after you hit that last note pre-planned or improvised?
BA: That came from the depths of everything I am as a performer and otherwise! It was a battle cry, archaic in its nature!! We did it! All the hard work and sacrifice finally paid off! I was staring right at my family when it happened!! I can still feel it as I’m typing these words. What a high!
KSE: 363 days after you and Well Known Strangers smashed it in Studio East at AM 1050 WLIP, you are being coached by a Legend, did you imagine this type of success last year at this time?
BA: Never.
KSE: You have well documented that you have a huge support circle, it has to be a great feeling to not only grab this opportunity but to share every step of the journey with that group that has been there from step 1.
BA: Most definitely and I would NEVER be able to do this without them.
KSE: Do you have the Betsy Ade Red Carpet Stride perfected yet?
BA: If I ever tried to strut it would turn into the best SNL type of footage ever. I do snap my jacket while walking at some point on the show..I’m not sure if they will show it or not. That’s as sassy as I get.
See Betsy’s Blind Audition here