by Gina Scarpa

 

During the blind audition rounds of The Voice, Tje Austin stepped onto the stage and performed "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. Cee Lo and Adam Levine eventually turned around and pled their cases for him to choose them as his coach and he decided to work with Cee Lo. With his battle round coming up, we spoke to Tje today in an exclusive interview about his singing experience and experiences on The Voice.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was your singing and performance experience prior to The Voice?
A. Tje: I moved to Austin, TX to go to school. Austin is the live musical capital of the world. I have been interested in doing music but I never really pursued it. I've been doing it for about four years now. I play the acoustic guitar and do my little guitar thing. I really like being up on stage and I like drawing people in. I've got a mellow tone and I like writing songs. I feel like people can connect to that.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made you want to try out for the show?
A. Tje: One of my friends sent me a message recently about the show and I hadn't even heard about it. I was not going to do it. It was a competition. I was like, "I'm not that type of guy." They really enjoyed the performance that I did for the audition and then I had to wait a month before they got back to me. When they got back to me, I was like, "This is great!"

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The Voice really has a positive tone and feel to it. Do you agree?
A. Tje: It does! I think all of us can feel that, as contestants. We try to uplift each other and we have the people from the show uplifting us. They want us to be our best and they want the show to be the best. I really like the vibe.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It took a while for Cee Lo and Adam to turn around while you sang "Just The Way You Are". What was your reaction when you saw them?
A. Tje: It was relief and excitement. Relief first! Relief because somebody turned around and excitement because this was just the beginning.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Considering they both turned around at the same time, what made you decide to work with Cee Lo?
A. Tje: Honestly, my mind was made up before. I knew that I wanted Cee Lo and Adam was my second choice. I just love Cee Lo's music, I love his vibe, I like his style, I like that he's outside of the box. He's not your average artist. I like that. I really respect him.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: After seeing the first battle round, did you feel nervous at all about who you would be matched up against?
A. Tje: Oh yes! There's always a lot of nervousness. I just have no idea who he would pair me up against. Everybody on the team is so great and we're all so different. I never know what to expect. I don't know what he wants but I like how he pushes us in the right direction.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Which singers in the competition are your favorites?
A. Tje: That's a hard question. I don't wanna cop out but I like everybody. Well, okay. I love girls' voices so I am a really big fan of Frenchie. I love Niki so much! I love Sara, Casey... I love everybody!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's been the reaction of your family and friends to seeing you on The Voice?
A. Tje: My family is very excited. My friends are excited. Being on tv, I had no idea how much credibility that gives you. So far, I've only been on one episode. It's so exciting. It's like, "You've heard me sing before." Because it's on such a huge platform, it makes me look more attractive or something.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is there anything that you want to say to your fans?
A. Tje: Yes. Be prepared for a great battle. I'm going to do my best to impress everybody. I appreciate all the love and support. It's overwhelming but it's awesome. It's crazy how, from this television show, people are gravitating towards my music.

 

The Voice airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa