'The Voice' eliminee Evan McKeel: My sing for survival song was safe but I wouldn't change a thing

The Voice eliminated Evan McKeel and determined the ninth season's Top 10 artists during Tuesday night's broadcast on NBC.


The Voice host Carson Daly revealed the results of the home viewer votes cast following Monday night's live performance show -- which had featured the season's Top 11 artists taking the stage -- and Evan from Pharrell Williams' team was in the bottom two with Korin Bukowski from Gwen Stefani's team.

Both individuals were afforded the chance to sing again, and Evan sang "Let's Stay Together." America then voted via the show's "Instant Save" format on Twitter, and home viewers opted to keep Korin in the competition.

Evan talked to Reality TV World during a Wednesday press conference call. Below is what he had to say. Check back with us soon for more from Evan's interview.

Reality TV World: You and Mark Hood were both four-chair turnarounds in the Blind Auditions and you won your respective Battle and Knockout Rounds. Did it surprise you as a result you were the first two eliminated from the Top 12? And do you think it's just a coincidence you were both on Pharrell's team?


Evan McKeel: I think it's just a coincidence, and I think no one should expect to go home but no one should ever be surprised to go home. You know, the way that it is now, the point of the show is all about America's vote. So even if you sailed through under the coaches opinions, America could see it differently or America could just have someone else that they really, really like.

They could vote on so many things and for so many different reasons. So I think we all knew going into this week and going into last week that on a live show, anything could happen, and we really shouldn't have any kind of, you know, result picked out that we think is going to happen. Everybody should be prepared that they could be going home or it will be their name called.   

Reality TV World: How did you feel about your sing for survival performance last night of "Let's Stay Together?" Do you think the song choice played a big role in your departure because, personally, I'm not sure it gave you a real emotional or vocal "wow" moment you might've needed to stay, you know what I mean?

Evan McKeel: Well, you know, it's one of my very favorite songs, and what you want is a safe song like that. You want something that you know very well, and ideally, something you've performed before so that when you do get in that moment, you're not fumbling for your words and you're not trying to do something that's new.

You're going to be comfortable and sing your best. And at the end of the day, I don't really think song choice makes a big difference. I think if you do a good job, people are going to keep you or not keep you, and there might be another singer they'd like to keep instead.


So, I'm really happy with my song choice. I'm the one who picked it and it's one of my very, very favorite songs, and I was happy singing it. I felt really great about my performance; I wouldn't change a thing.

Reality TV World: You were an artist who stayed on Pharrell's team the whole time you were on The Voice -- you were never stolen. Looking back, do you think that gave you an advantage or was it a disadvantage because you missed out on additional insight from another coach that could've helped you grow or even stick around longer?

Evan McKeel: Well, you know, I was still able to get insight from the other coaches in comments and when they talked to me backstage, so I still feel like I was able to benefit from being around the other coaches and hearing the coaching that my friends got from them.

But I think it was an advantage to stay with Pharrell because I was able to build consistency with him. I was able to build a rapport with him, and I was able to just build with him from the bottom up and not have that training broken up. And to me, there's no real advantage or disadvantage there.

I think we're lucky to get to work with one of those coaches. And to work with two, I think that's an incredible blessing. But, you know, there's only one "Steal" left in the competition.


Amy Vachal [on Adam Levine's team] is the only person left who was a stolen artist. So if you're looking at it that way, obviously the numbers would say it's an advantage staying with one coach. But Mark and I stayed with Pharrell the entire time and we were the last two eliminated contestants.

So, we don't really look at it that way -- as advantages and disadvantages. You know, we just go out there and perform to the best of our ability and with as much passion as we have in our hearts. And whatever happens after that is completely out of our control.

Reality TV World: I want to get your thoughts on the level of competition that was up against you this season. Could you handicap the Top 10 for me, you know, size up the field a little bit for me in terms of which artists you might view as frontrunners and what not?

Evan McKeel: Oh, gosh! I have no idea! Everybody this season is performing at such a high level, and I think even this past week was really a breakout moment for everybody. Everybody had their best performance this week out of all the performances this season.

So you know, obviously all bets are off at this point. It's America's vote. A lot of people are telling me -- I'm getting a lot of messages from people telling me that they didn't expect me to be going home. Next week, someone who's considered a frontrunner could be going home.


There's really no way of knowing because America's vote could change every week and it involves so many people with different opinions, so I think we can look from a musical standpoint at who might be a frontrunner, but if America doesn't see it that way, then it doesn't mean anything.

So I think it's really hard to predict what's going to happen. And if you look at other seasons of The Voice, it's always been that way. It's not always what people write about; It's not always what people expect.

All I can say is, the level of musicianship and the level of singing quality and performance quality and the quality of people that are on this year is just higher than I think I've ever seen on any one of these shows. I think everybody is just so, so gifted. I have been honored to share the stage with them every week.

Reality TV World: When I talked to Mark last week, he raved about the connection he had with Pharrell and how incredible of a coach he was. Did you feel that same way? Did you establish a bond with him way beyond just viewing him as a coach and how much time did you actually get to spend with him during rehearsals or downtime?

Evan McKeel: Yeah, well Pharrell, it's important to remember that Pharrell is taking a lot out of his schedule to come and be on the show with us. And some people think he's there the whole week like we are, but he's coming in from other shows he's doing and appearances, and [The Voice] is just one of many things on his schedule.


So I would say I maybe got two or three hours with him a week, which -- with the way his schedule is -- that's really pretty incredible. Training with Pharrell has been so great. He's such a genuine person and he's such a gentle spirit. I feel like we are very kindred in a lot of ways, and it was such a pleasure to work with him and soak up his insight.

I feel like he really understood my [artistry] and could help me find my strengths and my weaknesses and my greatest passions for music and really just learn about who I am as an artist and learn how to take that outside of the show too.

Check back with Reality TV World soon for more from Evan McKeel's The Voice interview.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski