Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mary Sarah and Bryan Bautista await results on The Voice Tuesday night. (NBC Photo)

During a Wednesday conference call with the media, they talked about their elimination and what they hope to do next in terms of their music career.

Here’s what they had to say.

Mary Sarah

On her elimination: Going into the show, “I had no idea what was going to happen. Either way I was completely happy and proud of all of us for making it as far as we did. This is just a door that’s opened for the rest of our lives. We have opportunities now we wouldn’t have had before. I had a moment where I cried, but then I thought, ‘You know what? This isn’t the end for any of us.'”

Moving forward: “I try to mix contempoary country music and traditional country music together because I’m a fan of both. That’s definitely the kind of artist I hope to be. Moving forward, I hope to maybe strike a label deal, or at least sign with an agency, and get on the road and visit the fans I’ve made on the show.”

Bryan Bautista

On his elimination: “I wasn’t really down at all. There’s always the desire to advance to the next round, but after it was all said and done, I just felt really relieved. I honestly feel that’s the best Top 8 the show has even seen. I feel like everyone is a winner and everyone is destined for greatness.

“The four of us can now spread our wings and become true artists. It is a competition, and you’re only allowed so much artistic creativity on the show, but now you can see us in our truest form as artists and creators. I thought about that instead of being eliminated.”

Moving forward: “I love the songs that are out now and I love the vibe of the music I’m hearing on the radio today and some underground stuff too. I would just love to be a contemporary artist — pop, soul, R&B. Anything I would sing, I would bring a soulful aspect to it. I worked hard to try to stay true to who I am on the show, so all of my song selections, basically, reflect the type of artist I’d like to be.”

Shalyah Fearing

On being eliminated: “It’s not exciting to be eliminated, but I feel like making it to the semifinals — the Top 8 — you’re already a winner. I’m not upset about it because I’ve learned so much and this is just the beginning of my journey. I’m taking it as a learning experience.”

Moving forward: A member of a family band — Fearing Star — Shalyah says the band will stay intact, but she also plans to pursue a solo career. “I definitely want to start writing music and put out an album. I love R&B, so I definitely want to put out an R&B album. I’m really young. But I know because of that, I have a long career ahead of me.”

Paxton Ingram:

On his elimination: “When we went into the Top 8, we all went in their battle mode, full beast mode, preparing for our last time on that stage. So when last night rolled around — it does suck being eliminated — but we all knew our time was going to come regardless. There’s only one more week left on the show. It was not as sad as I thought it was going to be. I was just happy and grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to the future.”

Moving forward: “I’m a huge lover of pop music. The kind of album I’d release would be a glorious pop album with a lot of soul.”

Paxton Ingram and Shalyah Fearing perform a duet on The Voice earlier this week. (NBC Photo)