Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mikele Buck listens to feedback following his blind audition on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

A West Virginia native, Mikele Buck was already a music veteran when he showed up on The Voice stage.

Auditioning at age 39, he turned two chairs with his performance of “She Used to Be Mine” by Brooks and Dunn and opted to join Team Kelly.

He also got to share the story of how music helped get him through when he joined the reserves at age 19 and wound up serving in Iraq and again after returning home when a military buddy of his committed suicide.

Mikele was eliminated from The Voice during the battle round. But with two albums already to his credit, he says he’s working on a new EP that might be out by the end of the year.

Here’s what Mikele told Voice Views about his time on the show and his music moving forward.

Voice Views: The battle round was filmed in June. What have you been doing in terms of music or the entertainment industry since then? Has there been a specific post-Voice experience that stands out so far?

Mikele: I’ve always been on the road and playing clubs, bars and festivals. And continue to branch out and get my band in new areas. I had an awesome following before the show and have seen it grow since being on The Voice. My social media following and iTunes/Spotify following has taken off as well.

Voice Views: Where do you see your time on the show leading you musically? What do you have planned next? Do you think you’ll be releasing new music in the future and, if so, what can fans expect in terms of sound/timing?

Mikele: The reason I decided to do The Voice was to get heard and gain fans. Honestly I’ve never watched the show before, but the experience was great because of the people I’ve met from being on the show. Caeland Garner, Dave Fenley, Rachel Messer, Keith Paluso, and Kayley Hill and I have all hooked up and done shows together as well as write.

I’m traveling to Nashville at the end of the month to record my new EP with a great producer that Caeland introduced me to. So I’m very excited about that. It’ll be released sometime in December; that’s the goal anyways.

Voice Views: Do you think you grew as an artist as a result of The Voice experience? If so, in what way?

Mikele: As far as growing as an artist from the show I’m not sure. I’ve been doing this a long time and have come into my own over the years before the show. But I did learn a ton about vocal exercises and getting the best out of my vocals. I was very raspy and not 100 percent for my blind due to allergies and what I call the LA crud, lol. So the vocal coaches were a blessing.

Voice Views: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience on the show?

Mikele: I’m glad I decided to do the show and I’m very grateful for the experience. We brought to light the 22 veteran a day suicide epidemic and I’m very proud of that. I didn’t want a woe is me war story, I felt like I had a chance to make it more than just about myself. And I’m glad the producers recognized how passionate I was about not exploiting a service to my country to make fans but to bring light to an issue that affected me deeply.

As we moved to the battle rounds I felt a shift in how people’s/contestants nerves affected everyone differently. Some seemed to have it all on the line and if they didn’t advance it would be the end. I on the other hand really didn’t think of it in that light.

I knew with the work I’ve put on over the years and the touring and playing live all over to build my followers could only be better no matter the outcome. In some ways the competition side of it dampened my spirit. I just love to write and play live. So it was all a win win for me!

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Twitter: @mikelebuckband
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Mikele Buck performs during his battle round match with Chevel Shepherd on The Voice. (NBC Photo)