by Todd Betzold

It was time for the Top 4 to shine on The Sing Off, as three of the groups would move on to the live finale next week and one would be sent home packing. All the groups stepped up their games tremendously, especially during the judges' choice song. With such strong performances by each group, it was a tough decision for the judges (and one I would not have wanted to make). In the end, the judges sent Afro-Blue home. Today we got an exclusive interview with Danielle Withers from Afro-Blue to talk about their experiences on The Sing Off.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: What made you all audition for The Sing Off?
A: Danielle:A few of us had watched the first two seasons and were huge fans of the show. We sing a capella...thought it would be cool to be on the show. None of us had thought as far as taking the steps to be on the show. We have performed and did a workshop with Take 6 and they passed our name onto the casting director and they loved it and we auditioned.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: Do you regret your song choice for the survival song last night? A lot of people on our site saying you should have went with "Need You Now" and not "American Boy." Do you agree with that?
A: Danielle:We were really pleased with our choice. We had done two powerful songs...slower in tempo. We wanted something more upbeat. The judges had loved it. We wanted something fast and impactful.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: I absolutely loved your performance of "A Change Is Gonna Come." It reminded me of the group I fell in love with week one. What do you guys think you could have done better to stay in the competition?
A: Danielle: I really feel Afro-Blue did our best. All-in-all, we are happy with the run we had...to make it into the Top 4 is amazing. Being a jazz group, we got to re-introduce, or even introduce, jazz to people.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: Out of all your performances on The Sing Off, which one was your favorite to perform?
A: Danielle: My favorite was "Killing Me Softly." That was the favorite arrangement that we did. It was very comfortable and we all felt great with how we chose to arrange it...happy the judges felt the same way about it too. That was our favorite performance and arrangement.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: Being on The Sing Off, what was the most rewarding part of your experience?
A: Danielle:The experience in itself. We are just a class at Howard University...we have performed with some great artists, but this was an amazing platform to bring our group to prime-time on a major network for millions of people. It was very humbling, exciting and cool. We made so many friends on the show. The judges are cool people...the other groups are cool people...everyone involved with the show is cool.

Q: Todd, RealityWanted: What should we expect next from Afro-Blue?
A: Danielle:To make the best of this door that has been opened from us. This will propel us to a place we never thought could happen. The possibilities are endless at this point in time. I want to thank everyone who watched and loved us and for al your great comments. We try and respond to as many as we can. Find us on Twitter at @AfroBlueDC and Afro-Blue on Facebook.

The Sing-Off Live Finale airs Monday at 8/7c on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)

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