Heavy/Getty/NBC Danielle Bradbery and Blake Shelton on The Voice.
With Blake Shelton in the midst of his farewell season on ‘The Voice,’ many contestants who worked under his mentorship have reflected on their experience in the show. For Shelton, he has led nine performers to the title, including Danielle Bradbery in Season 4.
Appearing on the ‘Biscuits & Jam’ podcast that is run by Southern Living earlier this month, Bradbery took a look back at her run on ‘The Voice’ and specifically the influence that her coach had on her. At the time, she was just 16-years-old and remains the youngest winner in show history.
Blake Shelton Was Instrumental in Her Song Choices
When asked about how she was able to remain calm during this “crazy experience” as a teenager, she credited her mom as well as Shelton. She explained that the country icon understood what he had in her and knew how to make her feel confident in the process. Responsible for helping her select which songs to sing in the competition, Bradbery said he “had a huge influence on the songs” she ended up choosing.
She recalled the time he insisted she play Pam Tillis’ “Maybe it Was Memphis” which Bradbery admittedly had never heard since it was an older song. This came at the most crucial part of the show being that it was in the finale.
“When Blake would introduce these songs I was hesitant,” she explained. “I didn’t get it at the time but he had a plan. He would always tell me ‘Trust me, sis, just trust me sis.’ I’m like ‘O.K.’ He just brought out a whole side of me that I didn’t know I had and he obviously knew what he was doing.”
That particular performance remains one of the most talked about moments on ‘The Voice.’ It became the first No. 1 that the show had on iTunes, “It was a really big moment. I’m very thankful that Blake picked it.”
Danielle Bradbery Says Blake Shelton is Exactly Who He Seems
‘The Voice’ is in its 23rd season and throughout it all, the personality of Shelton has been put on display. Bradbery said that what you see from him is what you get, too. She used words like “humble” and “jokester” to describe working with him.
“As a 16-year-old not knowing what to expect… he immediately recognized that and he took me under his wing,” she recalled. “Just having that total opposite personality, his goal was to really break me out of my shell and to showcase my personality the best way I could. He always made sure I was the most comfortable on stage and that is forever what I will hold onto.”
Blake Shelton Always Held Danielle Bradbery in High Regard
Bradbery even joked that despite not having any kids of his own “he was a pro.” In her run to winning her season and becoming Shelton’s third winner, Bradbery began things with Taylor Swift’s “Mean” which saw three chairs spin around as she would choose Shelton and never look back.
In a 2013 interview with Entertainment Tonight following the finale, Shelton referred to Bradbery as “the most important artist to ever walk across ‘The Voice’ stage.” He backed that up by saying she came in as an unknown with no prior experience nor record deals. Shelton said that she “may be the first person we’ve actually discovered from on this show.”
The final season for Shelton on ‘The Voice’ will continue next Monday night on NBC as the Playoffs begin.