Troy Ramey: I would've had a better shot in 'The Voice' popularity contest if people saw the actual me

Troy Ramey was eliminated from The Voice's twelfth season during last week's live results broadcast in which the Top 11 were determined on NBC.


Troy from Sea Cliff, NY, landed in the bottom two with Mark Isaiah from Mt. Pocono, PA, based on home viewer votes cast following the prior Top 12 performance show.

Troy performed "Drift Away" for his "Instant Save" song, while Mark followed that up with a performance of "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars.

After both artists sang a survival song, America tweeted via the show's "Instant Save" format to keep Mark in the competition. Mark continues to represent coach Adam Levine's team going forward, while Troy was ousted from coach Gwen Stefani's team.

During a recent conference call with reporters, the day after his elimination, Troy talked about his time on The Voice. Below is the concluding portion of what he had to say.


Do you think that song choice had some type of merit on you getting taken out on this round?

Troy Ramey: Probably. But I think it also comes down to, you know, popularity contest a little bit, which is okay, you know? I knew that going into it. Obviously, the younger kids are a lot more active on Twitter and people that may have loved what I did may not be in that demographic where they're quick to get on Twitter and do an "Instant Save."

You know, it's just the way it works. But like song choice -- if people want to talk about my song choice, it's still No. 1 on the iTunes rock chart, so it's like, you know, maybe it wasn't good enough for the demographic of the show, but like, people are buying the song and love what I do and I'm very proud.

You know, I've always loved that song. And obviously, you got to kind of -- you have to pick a song that you don't really have a chance to change at all because it's a last-chance song. You don't get an opportunity to really put that much effort into it.

So, I felt like it was a great fit for me to showcase the soulful side of my voice. And, you know, it's kind of hard to pick one song that represents you, but I felt like that was kind of a contrast to the other songs I've done on the show. And I'm really proud with how it went and, you know, I don't have any regrets about it at all. 


During "The Knockout Round," Gwen mentioned there was more of you that she hadn't seen yet, and then also, she mentioned during the live results show about your hilarious side that she'd like to bring out more. With such limited time that you guys have on the show, is there a solution to that? Were you strategizing to bring out more of yourself to show to America?    

Troy Ramey: Yes. I mean, it's impossible really because, you know, first of all, I'm not in control of how everything gets edited. So, there are definitely moments where things shine, but for the storyline that the show needs to achieve, it may not include the part of me that I want to get out there.

But, it's also a serious thing when there's a lot on the line, because you want to try to get to the point quickly. And music is very serious. So, I always kind of felt a challenge to try to include humor in serious music.

But I do that in my life and my private life and social media. And I try to, you know, I do think if people really saw the actual side of me, then I would've have a better shot in terms of popularity and voting, stuff like that.

But ultimately, I know that I was really happy that both Gwen and [Blake Shelton] said that about me on the show last night, because that really meant a lot to me, that they appreciate that side of me. And the feedback I've been getting on social media has been absolutely incredible today.


And I feel like I connected more with people last night and today than I had throughout the course of this whole show because they are opening up to me on social media and seeing the actual me rather than me "the Troy" that's on the show. Because it is a television show, you know?

And you've got to try to do your best and be at attention at all times. So, you know, when people discover me, the real me, and the natural personality that I have and ultimately discover my music, it's going to be -- they're really going to understand the whole package.

I was wondering what the experience was like of being mentored. I know that you're an artist with a lot of experience. Did you learn a lot from Gwen and Blake and Shania Twain?   

Troy Ramey: I did. I mean, it's kind of hard to explain because there are certain things that -- a lot of things come down to taste. And especially [with] all the experience that I have and developing myself as an artist and really knowing my voice and knowing my limits, it is hard sometimes to really allow yourself to have an open mind.

But I went in there with an open mind, and I did learn a couple things -- not really about singing, to be honest with you, but about performing. And there's a difference when you're performing to a club of people who love you opposed to performing on a television show where you're trying to win people over.


That was, you know, something that I needed to learn how to do. Because there's almost kind of a feeling of, not desperation, but a longing in your performance because you're trying so hard to, like, get people in.

And it almost feels super unnatural because when performing in my shows, I'm just relaxed. I'm me. I'm messing around with people because I already know that I have them. And it's a much different experience.

So, the one thing that I think I really took away from The Voice is how to adapt to a different scenario, because that's not real life. Nobody's spent their entire career on The Voice. You know what I mean? So, you kind of have to play the game a little bit and try to win people over in a way that fits the scenario.

But, you know, I learned a lot about myself in terms of how much I can compromise my own style and still achieve what the show needs or what Gwen needed for the television show in terms of how I would sing a song.

To read what Troy had to tell Reality TV World about landing in the bottom two, click here. To read more from Troy's post-The Voice interview, click here.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski