Shalyah Fearing: Being stolen twice made me question if I belonged on 'The Voice,' but I'd never give up

Shalyah Fearing was one of four artists eliminated from The Voice during Tuesday night's live results show on NBC.


Shalyah, a 16-year-old from Hudson, FL, was sent home from The Voice along with Mary Sarah, Bryan Bautista and Paxton Ingram heading into next week's finale. Shalyah, a member of Adam Levine's team who had been stolen twice in the competition, was known for her impressive range, belting voice and ability to passionately convey a lyric.

Shalyah and Paxton were automatically eliminated after receiving the fewest home viewer votes following Monday night's performance show. Bryan and Mary Sarah lost to Laith Al-Saadi after singing for survival for the "Instant Save." The finale will feature Laith, Alisan Porter, Adam Wakefield and Hannah Huston.

During a Wednesday interview, Shalyah talked about her experience on The Voice.

Reality TV World: Tell me about your elimination. Did you see it coming? What emotions did you experience?


Shalyah Fearing: I mean, it's not exciting to be eliminated, but I feel like making it to the semi-finals and Top 8, we were already winners. And because of the competition, you can only pick four of them. So, it was hard being eliminated because, you know, you always want to strive to do your best and you want to move on.

But I'm not upset about it because I've learned so much and this is just the beginning of my journey. So, I just take it as a learning experience, and I'm happy.

Reality TV World: You had a very unique experience on the show, being coached on three different teams. Which one did you feel was the best fit for you based on your strengths and weaknesses?

Shalyah Fearing: Yeah, well like you said, I have been with almost every coach. [Adam Levine], [Christina Aguilera], and [Pharrell Williams]. But I can't really compare them. They're all different, they teach differently, but they're all very awesome and amazing coaches.

But I would have to say Adam because he really knew what to say to me, he really knew what to do, and he knew what kind of person I was. I'm a perfectionist and everything for me has to be perfect, and he told me that it's not possible, that I needed to just go out there on the stage and give it my all and just give it your best performance.


Reality TV World: Was there almost a part of you that wanted to prove to your former coaches week to week that they made a mistake in letting you go? I can imagine you getting a little satisfaction out of having an amazing performance, like an "I told you so" moment.

Shalyah Fearing: Honestly, I would say it was a little difficult being stolen like over and over again, and switching to different teams. Because in the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Wow, do I belong here? Do they want me to stay on their team?" (Laughs) But that's why every performance I had and every performance I did, I gave it my best, my all.

It was like, "Hey, here I am. This is what you gave away!" (Laughs) But I gave it my best performance every time and I'm proud of myself. I'm happy to learn from three different coaches. I can say that I worked with Pharrell, Christina Aguilera  and Adam Levine. And that, in itself, is amazing!

Also during the conference call, Shalyah talked to reporters about topics ranging from whether she has any regrets to what advice she'd give a future The Voice contestant.

What is the next step for you? And what type of music would you like to make?


Shalyah Fearing: I definitely want to start writing music and put out an album, and I love R&B, so I'd like to put out an R&B album. And I'm really young, and because of that, I know I have a long career ahead of me. I just can't wait to go to the places where my fans are and visit and tour.

I have been part of a family band for a while and I am going to be going solo, but I'm definitely going to keep my band intact. Wherever I go, they'll go with me. But I do want to do a solo thing... So many people are recognizing me! They're like, "You did well on the show," and, "Good luck to you in your career."

I was like, "Oh my God! I'm being recognized!" I'm so happy to know that people care and know me, and it's not going to end. This isn't the end of my journey and I've already started talking to some -- I don't want to say who -- but I have been talking to some people and I know I'm going to be fine. It's going to be great. This is the start of my career and I can't wait to see what's next!

Do you have any regrets?

Shalyah Fearing: I have absolutely no regrets of my performances. I feel like I gave it my all every single time, and yeah, I left that stage with no regrets, thank God.


What is the one piece of advice would you give a future The Voice auditioner?

Shalyah Fearing: Never give up... It really is very important. There are going to be so many people in your life who tell you that you can't do something or tell you that you can't go far. And you can't listen to them. You have to believe in yourself and go on with your career...

I went through open call and I stood out there in the cold and that long line and made it through. The Top 8 semi-finals is all because I didn't give up and I kept facing myself no matter how many times I had been stolen or tossed around. I kept going because this is what I want to do with my life.

For more interviews with the four semi-finalists, check out Reality TV World's The Voice Season 10 webpage.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski