by Gina Scarpa

When Judith Hill hit the stage for her blind audition this season on The Voice, it was no surprise that all four coaches turned around to fight to have her on their team. Having worked with musical greats such as Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, the accomplished background and studio vocalist was ready to make a name for herself. With Adam Levine as her coach and deemed the frontrunner by many, it looked like smooth sailing to the finale. On last week's live elimination episode, it all came to a screeching halt when she was shockingly eliminated. We talked to Judith today to look back at her time on The Voice and ahead to what the future holds for her.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You have accomplished so much in your career, even working with the great Michael Jackson. What prompted you to try out for The Voice this season?
A. Judith: Well, The Voice is such a great opportunity to perform live, which is my favorite thing in the world to do. You have these big productions and are able to come up with these great things. I thought it would be a great opportunity to show America what I could do.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Given the amount of experience that you've had, did you feel nervous throughout your time in the competition?
A. Judith: Oh yes, I was sweating bullets! It's a whole other world when it comes to reality competitions. The live shows are just a difference energy and more intense, so those were the most nervewracking.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you feel like the label of "frontrunner" hurt your chances this season at all? Fans may have assumed you had enough votes in a given week, felt confident you were safe, and decided to help someone else out by voting for them.
A. Judith: I think so. I didn't know, going into the competition, that they would label me as a frontrunner. There was this level of pressure I had to deal with and manage throughout my time in the competition. I don't know what happened but I knew I had to overcome that.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Adam fought hard to get you on his team and was clearly convinced you were going to be his ticket to another victory. What was your working relationship with him like?
A. Judith: Adam is incredible. He's such a great musician, so any time we got in a room to work together, there was immediate chemistry. I'm really glad I chose him.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Right after your elimination, you had said that you felt disappointed because of the people that were supporting you and that you were surprised by your elimination, as we all were. Now that you've had a week to process it all, what's your takeaway?
A. Judith: I think that, looking back, I'm glad I went through the whole thing. I feel like I showed everyone many sides of me and have no regrets. I'm really happy with what happened. I think everything happens for a reason, and I'm on to the next chapter of my life. I'll look back later on and say, "Oh that's why that happened."

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's your next move?
A. Judith: I'm in the studio writing and recording. Meanwhile, there's a film that's coming out next week that I'm in called "20 Feet From Stardom". It's really cool. I'll be able to sing an original song from the film on Friday at the premiere.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You know, I think one thing people really like about you is the fact that you seem so grounded. How have you maintained that throughout your career?
A. Judith: Because my parents are both musicians, from day one, I grew up with music around me. I saw everything. I saw people falling by the wayside, I saw people being torn up, I saw the struggles of being a musician and that humbled me. It was always feast or famine in our house and that always kept me grounded. I'm very aware of the business and it keeps you on your toes.

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)

Follow Gina @ginascarpa