Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Steve Knill of San Francisco performs during the blind auditions on The Voice Season 17. (NBC Photo)

There wasn’t nearly that much suspense when Steve Knill showed up on stage and launched into his cover of “Up to the Mountain.”

Steve had Kelly Clarkson praising his song choice two lines into the song. One line later, she turned, sealing a spot on Season 17 for the 37-year-old San Francisco resident.

Despite an impressive performance, no other coaches turned. But Kelly’s decision was enough for Steve to advance on The Voice.

Here’s what Steve told Voice Views about his blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for The Voice Season 17 and what prompted you to do it?

Steve: I have been auditioning off and on for the last 10 seasons roughly. This was my 8th time. And was going to be my last if I didn’t make the show. I was going to do a cattle call, but ended up getting picked from Instagram!

Voice Views: Why did you choose “Up to the Mountain” for your audition song? Is that a song you’ve performed often?

Steve: I have always loved that song, and when I heard jelly was going to be a judge, I thought it was a perfect song to get on her team with! And yes, I’ve performed that song many times..hundreds…

Voice Views: What was that blind audition experience like? And did it help that Kelly turned so quickly? Gotta say, that was one of the best one-chair turn vocals I’ve ever heard on the show, and I’ve been watching all 17 seasons.

Steve: The overall experience was great, rehearsals were awesome with the band. I’ve been getting this same feedback, and am a little disappointed that I had to go the third day, and know I would’ve had 3-4 chairs if I went earlier.

Voice Views: You’ve already released music a bit of music and, judging from your website bio, produced even more. Since we didn’t get to hear much about your background on the show, can you tell me a bit of what you were doing musically right before the show? What you’ve been doing musically since moving to San Fran?

Steve: I’ve always been into producing, making beats for rappers, and did a lot of that when I was living in Phoenix. Since I moved to LA in 2014, I had been focusing more on singing and put producing aside. I still do a little though!

Since moving to San Francisco I’ve actually had more singing opportunities that when I lived in LA. Seems a little less about who you know, and more about talent here! I don’t do much gigging yet, but hope to start. I have been performing a couple times a year with an organization called REAF, Richmond Ermet Aid Foundation, which is a non profit that benefits a lot of LGBT organizations!

See also …
Meet Steve Knill of The Voice Season 17