EXCLUSIVE: Q & A With ‘The Voice’ Finalist, Portland’s Own Taylor John Williams

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Kirsten Nicolaisen, GoLocalPDX Content Manager

Taylor John Williams at the Sentinel Hotel in Downtown Portland

One of the top finalists on this season of NBC's The Voice, Taylor John Williams from Portland, will discover if he made it to the final three tonight.

Out of the top five finalists, only three will make it to the season finale, Tuesday, Dec. 16, and only one contestant will claim the title of The Voice champion and recieve a record deal.

Williams, 23, has risen to fame in a very short amount of time for his talent and likeablity on The Voice. A few months ago he was working at the Sniff Dog Hotel in Northwest Portland, playing his guitar and singing in the lobby, and now he's a nationally recognized singer who's won the hearts of thousands of Americans.

GoLocalPDX had a chance to speak exclusively with Taylor John Williams. Here is what the budding star had to say about music, his time on The Voice, and Portland:

GoLocalPDX: What made you decide to try out for The Voice? Was it on a whim or had you been planning it for a while?
Taylor John Williams: I've been pretty anti this whole mechanism of reality T.V. and singing competitions. But ever since [American] Idol started, my family started pushing me to do try outs. I don't know what it was that finally made me decide to try out. I just thought it would be a fun thing to cross it off my bucket list. I've never auditioned for any competition before.

Did you ever think you'd make it to the finals?
No. I mean, I went into the audition just allowing myself to do the best I possibly could and it just happened. It still doesn't feel real. It's actually been a lot different than I imagined it would be.

How so?
Everyone is so nice. The show is such a well-oiled machine. Whoever is in charge of the hiring process is great. It's such a supportive environment and I've gotten a lot of control with my song choices.

Have you become close with your competitors?
Yes I mean I don't even look at them like that. It sounds kind of cliche but it's really like a big family. We all know it's going to be over soon for all of us so I'm really not focused on winning.

What was it like to sing for judges, Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine, Pharell Williams and Blake Shelton for the first time?
It was probably the scariest thing I've ever done. A lot of work went into getting an open audition [in front of the judges]. For a month before that there were extra auditions and interviews, so then when you finally get on that stage you know you only have 30 seconds and it all kind of hits you.

You are on team Gwen. How has she guided you throughout the competition?
Gwen has been incredible. Aside from her advice and professionalism, she's just such a real person. To see somebody of her stature carrying herself the way she does and treating people the way she does is amazing. She really lets me do my own thing.

When did you first know music was a passion of yours and that it was something you wanted to pursue?
Music has always been a part of me. I can hear subtleties in music that I don't think a lot of other people can. I was pretty shy about it for most of my life until the end of high school when I realized I could really picture myself doing this. I moved up to Portland [from Eugene] but realized I probably couldn't make money doing this. Then this opportunity presented it's self to me and it felt right. Every thing fell into place and it feels as though there is some weird alignment happening.

What is the most stand-out moment you've had on The Voice? Good or bad.
A performance we did for rip tide when there were five of us on Gwen's team. We were a really close group. We got to have that performance together and it felt really special. There was a lot of love flowing.

What's it like going from being just a regular 23-year old to suddenly being a nationally recognized artist? Do you like being in the spotlight or is it uncomfortable for you?
I've never really enjoyed the spotlight. Music is music and that's where my heart is, and the wider my audience is, the better, but I don't really enjoy the attention. It's gonna take some getting used to.

What would it mean for you to win The Voice?
I'm genuinely not in this to win it and that's why I've always hated competition in music. I don't even think about [winning] that much. I'd so much rather just give a killer performance. It's going to be over for all of us so soon, and your heart is not in the right place if you're thinking about winning.

What is your favorite thing about Portland and what have you missed most about it whilst in LA?

My favorite thing about Portland and Oregon is the air quality and tap water, haha. But also, Portland is just a community that really nurtures people that are themselves. When you see someone wearing a kilt while playing bag pipes on a unicycle here, it's not even weird. I love the quirkiness of the city and the whole local attitude. It's a really cool place to be.