by Gina Scarpa

 

When Vedo took the stage for the blind auditions for The Voice this season, there was a lot on the line. Besides wanting to take his budding music career to a new level, he was also out to make his mom proud, who was battling cancer. A Justin Bieber song caught the attention of Usher and Vedo went on to advance through the battle and knockout rounds. After the first week of live shows, Vedo's journey on The Voice came to an end but he says he got everything he was hoping for out of the experience. We talked to him today about that and more in our exclusive interview with him.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it your idea to audition for The Voice or did someone suggest it to you?
A. Vedo: Well honestly, it was something that someone presented to me but it's always something I wanted to do. I thought it might be right for me and it was definitely a true test of what I was capable of.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Singing "Boyfriend" for your blind audition was a bold choice, since Usher discovered Justin Bieber. Did you feel nervous about it?
A. Vedo: I wasn't because my whole approach to the blind auditions was to do a Justin Bieber song to get Usher's attention. My second approach was to change up the melody. Now it's my song, it's catchy and fresh. Look what happened!

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Since it was your goal to get Usher as a coach and he turned around for you, what was your reaction when it happened?
A. Vedo: Oh man, I wanted to jump around! It was like a blur. All I needed was one coach. If it was Blake, I would've been singing country. If it was Shakira, I would've been singing in Spanish.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What did you think of Usher as a coach and mentor?
A. Vedo: It was like working with a drill sergeant. He definitely challenges you and he's dead serious about winning. We've learned to envision the win. If you see yourself at the top, that's where you'll be.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did you find the battle round or the knockout round more stressful?
A. Vedo: The battle round, because it was a duet. Jessica is an awesome singer and that round could've gone either way. It was way more stressful.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It was very surprising to see you go after the first live show. What was your reaction to the results?
A. Vedo: My reaction was... by the time it got to the bottom four, I knew Sasha wasn't going and I knew Holly wasn't going. I sang a Michael Jackson song and I knew I could possibly go home so i wanted to give people a show and that's what I did. I left feeling accomplished.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel like you gained enough from your time on The Voice to push your music career forward?
A. Vedo: Yes, the short time on the show definitely gave me the boost that I needed. It gave me a boost in confidence, in everything! I'm working on some new music and revamping my sound. I'll still be doing R&B, and I have a bunch of shows coming up. I feel really good about the future.

 

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow Gina @ginascarpa