Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mitchell Lee performs during the battle round on The Voice Season 13. (NBC Photo)

Mitchell Lee’s journey on Season 13 of The Voice ended in the live playoffs as a member of the show’s Top 20.

Well, sort of.

Mitchell, who’s from Columbia, S.C., and resides in Nashville, has since hosted the show’s Top 12 concert alongside Karl Weaver.

And he’ll serve as The Voice Facebook live and social media host for the rest of Season 13.

He also impressed with his voice on the show, turning three chairs with his blind audition performance of “Take My Hand” by Hootie and the Blowfish and later scoring an iTunes hit with Dennis Drummond performing “Mr. Jones” during the battle round.

Pre-show, Mitchell was part of a South Carolina-band called Southwood that released a pair of EPs, then released a solo single called “Long Gray Line” as a tribute to The Citadel, the military college from which he graduated.

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

Voice Views: I know everything we’ve seen on the show was filmed a while back. What have you been doing musically since then?

Mitchell: Since filming, I have been working on setting up all the moving parts for being ready to launch the next phase of my career after Season 13 has completed. It’s been such a fun experience coordinating with writers and musicians, managers, agents, publishers and meetings within the industry to create the best team around me. It’s so exciting building a team that’s going to help turn my career vision into reality.

Mitchell Lee performs during the knockout round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Mitchell: My favorite performance is actually a tie between two performances. The first being the battle round between Dennis Drummond and I. The performance felt so natural for the both of us, we were completely in our element. For that performance, we formed the Mitchell and Dennis Band. As we prepared for the performance, we wanted to bring such a fun energy to the performance it would change the room. And with that level of performance, we felt that they would have to keep both of us. If we could walk away with one win and one steal, than it would be a win/win situation.

The second, is the knockout performance of “I’ll Be.” That was my chance to connect with America on my own, during a solo performance. My previous two performances were upbeat and fun. This one was slower and more heartfelt. Those two performances together allowed me to feel that I really got to meet America with both sides of my personality as an artist; Both the fun upbeat side, and the more emotional heartfelt side.

Voice Views: You’ve performed both as a solo artist and as part of a band. Where do you see The Voice leading you musically?

Mitchell: I feel that The Voice allowed me to discover who I am as an artist, and what my genre is. During the show I coined the term ‘Palmetto Rock’ as “my” genre of music. Because of that, I see myself moving forward as a solo artist solidifying Palmetto Rock as a staple sound.

Voice Views: Is new music in the works? If so, what can you tell me about that and what fans can expect in terms of sound/genre?

Mitchell: I’ve been lucky enough to be living in Nashville for the past few years, and during that time I’ve been exploring my craft, writing with some of the best writers in Nashville. Not only do I have unreleased songs that I’ve written before The Voice, but I’ve also been booking co-writes when I’m back in Nashville.

I’m very excited about the songs that I’ve been writing, because they are true and honest to who I am. I am not writing with the mentality of what I think radio expects of me, but instead, I’m only writing what is authentic to me and resonates from my heart. I believe that the honesty of these songs are really going to connect with fans and listeners.

Voice Views: Other than the friends you met and made while participating in the show and the hometown support, what do you think will stick with you about The Voice experience?

Mitchell: There are so many aspects to what has to happen behind the scenes to make a show like The Voice happen. All the moving parts, behind the scenes and back stage, really put into perspective for me how much it takes for a professional, top of the line, primetime show. That experience is invaluable. To be involved in that high caliber of a program has actually spoiled me!

Now my future shows have such a higher bar and standard of execution, which only will continue to build my career higher and higher. Sometimes, it’s realizing the things you never knew you weren’t aware of, that create the biggest growth curves. I’m so lucky to be a part of something so big.

Here are Mitchell’s social media links.

Instagram
Twitter: @itsMitchellLee
Facebook
YouTube