by Gina Scarpa

 

When Garrett Gardner appeared on The Voice in Season 3, it wasn't the experience he was hoping for. None of the chairs turned around for him but he was encouraged to come back, and returned for Season 4. His rendition of Seven Nation Army in the blind audition caught the attention of Shakira who snatched him for her team. In the battle round, he faced R&B singer J'Sun and performed "How You Like Me Now". Shakira chose him as the winner and, as he prepares for the knockout round, we chatted with in an exclusive interview about his time on The Voice thus far.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It was great to see you return for Season 4. What happened in between the seasons and you were certain you'd audition again after none of the chairs turned for you in Season 3?

A. Garrett: In between the seasons, it's a very fast moving show, especially with Shakira. She was having a baby so everything was moved ahead quite a bit. I didn't have that much time in between the two but the time I did have, I spent playing as many shows as possible, even if it was in front of five people. I was working on what Blake said to me about moving note to note and getting more control, all that different stuff. I wasn't sure whether or not I would be coming back but I had so many people supporting me that it felt like that's what I needed to do.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Your take on Seven Nation Army really caught the attention of Shakira. What made you decide on that song?

A. Garrett: I've always been a fan of the White Stripes and it was kind of a coincidence. Melanie Martinez, from season 3, and I became good friends. She made it so far and I'm so proud of her. She did that song and I wanted to take that iconic song, with that baseline, and flip it. I gave it kind of a reggae feel. I just thought it would be a cool song to showcase the different types of grit and aspects of my voice. I've always been a musician so to sing was a different thing for me, and I wanted to show my style.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It must've meant a lot, not only that Adam and Blake remembered you, but had a lot of great things to say to you as well.

A. Garrett: Oh that was huge! Obviously, Shakira said she had seen me before but I hadn't had the pleasure of talking to her. I went into it looking for what Adam and Blake had to say. I said to Adam at one point that he helped encourage me to come back, and so did Blake's criticisms. WIthout that, I wouldn't have had the improvements.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The contestants always seem to have different takes on the battle round and how they feel during it. What were you thoughts on that part of the competition?

A. Garrett: I thought it was a blast! It's a little bit daunting to have to go against one of your teammates because you get to know each other so well. That was the biggest worry that any of us had but at the same time, it wasn't an issue. There's always a chance for a steal but I thought J'Sun was either going to win or get a steal, no matter what the situation was. Right before we went on, we looked at each other and said "Let's rock this thing out!"

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When Carson raised your hand up as the winner of the battle, what went through your head?

A. Garrett: I mean, I was shocked, to be completely honest with you. I was feeling confident that I would still be on the show but at the same time, I was thinking how amazing J'Sun was doing. It was a relief but at the same time, go look at my facial expression and you can see how shocked I was. To move past the battles, it was like, "Is this really happening?" They were trying to get me to act excited and I was just completely speechless!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Are we going to see more of you putting your own spin on popular songs as you, hopefully, advance in the competition?

A. Garrett: You know, it depends. It depends on what song. Seven Nation Army, so many people know that song... How You Like Me Now was such an energetic rock song and we didn't do that much with it. It's definitely something I would love to do but if I can't think of anything better to do, you don't want to try to fix something that doesn't need fixing.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's the fan reaction been like?

A. Garrett: It's been amazing to see how many people are supporting me and saying that they've been watching me since Season 3 and hope I win. I wish I could interact more. When I first started Twitter, I had like 20 followers and overnight, it was over 6000. Sometimes, I don't respond because I don't want to respond to one person and have another get upset. That's happened to me! It's pretty crazy! It's a blessing to have that kind of interaction with your fans. Ten years ago, you didn't have any of that. It's very cool but it can be a little overwhelming!

 

 

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa