'The Voice' artist Brennley Brown: I felt a lot of pressure and a lot of nerves auditioning at age 14!

The Voice's Brennley Brown is heading into the show's twelfth-season "The Battle Round" as a member of Blake Shelton's team.


Brennley is a 14-year-old student and aspiring country singer from Apple Valley, CA.

Both Blake and Alicia Keys pressed their buttons and turned their chairs around for the young vocalist, who could only audition this season since the show lowered its minimum age requirement to 13.

Brennley is a perky blonde who grew up on a ranch with the dream of becoming a big star in the music industry.

Brennley recently talked to Reality TV World about her decision between Blake and Alicia -- and whether the choice was an obvious one. Below is what she had to say.


Reality TV World: Can you talk about which coach you were hoping to win over going into "The Blind Auditions" and then, why did you end up picking Blake? 

Brennley Brown: Going into Blind Auditions, you know, honestly I was just going to be grateful for any chair to turn, so I was very excited when Blake and [Alicia Keys] turned. But I think going in, if there's anybody that I would love to work with, you know, him or her, it was probably Blake or [Gwen Stefani].

And then Alicia Keys' turn was completely unexpected, you know, because as a country artist, I thought, "If there's one person that may turn, it's probably going to be Blake."

And so when Alicia turned, I was very surprised and I was -- I just felt like "Wow." I was so grateful in that moment. And just talking with her, she has so much heart and soul. And she was just, in that moment, it was so hard to choose between Blake and Alicia. I really didn't have my mind set on anyone honestly.

Like I said, I would just be grateful to work with any of them. But just talking with Blake, it was really a connection and I felt like, you know, I have very deep roots in country music. I grew up on a ranch. I've listened to old school country music from my dad. And just growing up with that, I've been listening to Blake since I was very young.


So I just felt like that was a really good connection right there, and I felt like, you know, he's worked with younger country artists on the show and I just felt a really good connection there.

But Alicia, what she was saying, it was like, "I started out at 14 and I feel you, and I feel your heart and your soul." It was really a hard decision and I heard my dad from backstage and he's like, "Go with your roots." And so, I just, I had to choose Blake. So I went with my heart.

Also during The Voice conference call with reporters, Brennley talked about preparing for her blind audition and being one of the youngest artists on the show.

What did you do to prepare for your blind audition? And what did you learn from it?

Brennley Brown: I would say a lot of preparation goes into your blind audition, and I think I was feeling a bit nervous, but also excitement. And I really had to just ground myself in my faith. You know, I remember we were up in a hotel room. I just remember going up in my room and kind of... just practicing and rehearsing as much as I could knowing all that I could do is my best.


And just to get up on that stage and give it my all as a 14-year-old, it was a lot of pressure and a lot of nerves. But I'm so glad I did it. It was like one of those life moments where you're like, "I've got to do that." And I went for it and I gave it my all. And I just had a lot of faith in my moment. And it took a lot of courage but there was more excitement than nerves that day.

As one of the youngest artists on the show, how did you get on The Voice and what made you choose to sing "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban for your audition?

Brennley Brown: Well I've loved the show since I was very young. I've been watching it since I was about eight-years-old, and so, I've always wanted to audition for The Voice. I think that the show lets you really be your own kind of artist, you know?  

It doesn't matter what you look like and that's what I love about the show. You can really just be yourself. And I think the show has really allowed me to do that. It's allowed me to be 14-years-old and just to share my music and get to share my voice. So I'm grateful for this opportunity.

I think I chose "Stupid Boy" for my blind audition because I think it really relates to this generation and how some teenage girls feel. And I felt like I could really relate to some girls my age and teenagers my age. And I think that's why I chose this song, because it really could relate to their generation.


You know, I'm all about going for your dreams no matter what age you are and just believing in yourself. And I think that's kind of one of those songs that makes you feel something. And that's what I wanted to do from my blind audition, is just have people feel something in their heart.

I think "Stupid Boy" is one of those songs. And so, I was really excited to be able to sing it for my blind audition. And, you know, like I said, I am 14. So it is a lot of pressure. A lot of nerve. But when I hit that stage, when I'm on that stage, it feels, I feel at home. I feel like it's where I want to be for the rest of my life.

Music is in my soul. It's in my heart. I've grown up with old school country music, and it's just what I want to do the rest of my life. A lot of people say, "You are only 14. Are you going to change your career in a few years? You're not always going to want to do music."

But music is in my soul. It's in my heart. It's in my blood. And there's nothing else I want to do with my life. So this, The Voice, has really given me an opportunity to be able to share my voice, and I'm really grateful for that.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski