Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Spensha Baker performs “What Ifs” with Kane Brown on The Voice Season 14 finale. (NBC Photo)

Spensha Baker had been off The Voice less than a week when she found herself before a national television audience once again.

The fourth-place finisher from Season 14 performed the Star Spangled Banner at the PBS Memorial Day concert in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.

A finalist on The Voice. A guest star at a national Memorial Day event.

It’s all quite a turn-around for a 25-year-old former child gospel star who stepped away from singing for three years when attempts to restart her career in Nashville seemed to be going nowhere.

Then she auditioned for The Voice and landed a spot on Team Blake Shelton.

Now Spensha has a Top 5 song on the Billboard digital country singles chart (“Old Soul” from The Voice) and a shot at fulfilling Blake’s prediction that she will become a star in country music.

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

Voice Views: How did it feel to see your songs do better and better on the iTunes chart as Season 14 progressed? And if someone would have told you that you’d make Top 4 on the show when you auditioned, what would have been your reaction?

Spensha: It was a humbling experience to see the songs do better and better. As a musician you want to be an effective instrument and someone who can tell the story adequately to attract listeners to the message. It’s not automatic that every time you put out music that people will listen or are drawn to the message. So it was good to know I was on the right track and that the listener really enjoyed what they heard.

Voice Views: Can you tell me how the original, “Old Soul,” came about? Did you have a choice of songs? If so, how many and why did you choose that one?

Spensha: I requested “Old Soul” from the list of selections. When I heard it I didn’t feel the immediate connection. It wasn’t until I spent some time with the song that I merged with its message. It had a universal sound, it talks about a complex experience, but it was something everyone can relate to. The song fit me like a glove — it had its soulful moments, but had its bleeding heart moments as well. I couldn’t be prouder of the end product. (Thanks Bill). It was my first #1 spot on the country charts and #5 on main iTunes downloads. I hope to get that song for my album.

Voice Views: What’s the game plan now for you musically? Do you have songs that you’ve written that you’d like to record and release? Do you have a timetable for releasing more music? How do you plan to keep The Voice momentum going?

Spensha: The game plan will be to continue my musical journey by singing where I can. For example, I had an event Sunday singing on the PBS Memorial Day Concert, which is viewed by 6 to 9 million people with 50,000 in attendance. I do have music that I’ve written that I hope to release. I will continue to write more music. I will most likely move to Nashville. And while doing all of that, try and continue my education. My musically journey is something I know I’ll have to continue to work hard at, but continue to enjoy.

Voice Views: Other than performing the original, what was your favorite Voice performance and why?

Spensha: Easy one, my pivotal moment came when I had the opportunity to work on “Red” by Taylor Swift. It was an opportunity for me to lend some creativity to a much-known song. It would be a song that would be difficult to communicate differently because it was Taylor Swift. I never want to change a song completely, because I respect the artist, their music and the story they want to tell. It was a song that represented the kind of music I would do in the future.

Voice Views: What do you think you learned through The Voice experience that will benefit you in your music career from this point on?

Spensha: 1. Don’t take anything for granted. 2. Never forget my “why.” 3. To pay attention to the details. 4. To become a better listener. 5. To trust my gut more. 6. That I do have a lot to offer.

Voice Views: Anything else you’d like to add?

Spensha: I’ll like to add, to anyone out there that might be fearful about taking chances on their calling to do music, to just do it. You have a choice, you can stand still and do nothing or take a chance, go thru the process and no matter the outcome you will be stronger for it and you’ll have a story to tell.

Editor’s Note: I’ve embedded Spensha’s Memorial Day performance below. For more on her pre-Voice career, head here. Her social media links follow.

Instagram
Twitter: @spenshabaker
Facebook