2017 is a year that Chloe Kohanski will never forget, as the extremely talented singer was deemed the best of the best of The Voice's latest season. Belting out such classics as "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Landslide," Kohanski wowed audiences and coaches alike with her alternately husky and soaring vocals, but even though it all looked effortless on her part, the process definitely had its challenges. CinemaBlend recently spoke with Kohanski about her successes with Team Blake, and when discussing how things went behind the scenes, she told me the filming process presented some major frustrations.
For me, personally, it only got frustrating when it felt like it was getting in the way of the music. There was a [point] a couple of weeks ago where I was just really worn out because we were having to work really late into the night. And we had a lot of interviews, and my voice was so tired and there was never even any time to practice my songs. I was like, 'How is this more important than the actual performance?' I communicated that frustration and it helped once I talked about it a little bit. And then I kinda put it into perspective. It takes a lot of work for the camera guys and everybody, and they work just as hard as I'm working, if not harder, to make a really awesome show. And that's really the truth of the matter is that The Voice is a television show, you know? Even though it is about the artistry and the musicians, the real work starts after the show, for me.
That answer made so much sense to me, as I have often wondered how The Voice contestants are able to keep their voices prepped for episodic performances when also dealing with the coach sessions and talking-head interviews. The name of the show, after all, is The Voice, and if Chloe Kohanski and her fellow competitors are having to spend so much time filming other sections of the episodes, it has to be frustrating. And I'm sure it doesn't help when NBC goes hard on extending episodes to three hours.
Of course, like Chloe Kohanski put it, even though the contestants themselves are the reason why people watch The Voice, there are a lot of other elements that go into the episodes that are just as important. Because even though it's the voices that get the coaches first interested in the contestants, audiences need more than that to decide who deserves to win, which is why so much time is spent developing their personalities surrounding the performances.
Chloe Kohanski recognizes the necessary evils that are involved with building episodes of The Voice beyond the vocal performances, but she does wish things were a bit more balanced on that front.
I think there should be a bit of a better balance of the talking and the singing. It's just non-stop. It's not like you have two sets of vocal cords. You only have one, and if you exhaust it from talking, then you're also affecting your singing. Which, they want everyone to sound great. But you gotta have the interviews, cause you gotta build the episode so that people relate to you and then they vote for you. It's all about the same level of importance.
I wouldn't be surprised if a future season of The Voice spends some of its behind-the-scenes segments showing the contestants guzzling honey-infused tea instead of making them talk a lot. Not that Chloe Kohanski would still be around to reap the rewards, but it would be nice if the show shifted things back to a time when there wasn't quite so much excess footage being shot to pad the episode runtimes.
For as hectic as filming The Voice was, though, it wasn't so difficult that it kept Chloe Kohanski from winning over the hearts and ears of the voting viewers. And now that it's all over, the 23-year-old has found she's kinda missing all the daily madness.
It was a lot of work, and it was a lot of fun. i already feel weird not being on a schedule with the show. Because now, I'm not technically on the show anymore, so I'm just doing the press stuff, and I feel a little bit like a lost sheep over here. Like, 'Where am I supposed to go?'
Here's hoping wherever Chloe Kohanski goes, she'll be releasing catchy and emotionally resonant music similar to her first original single, "Wish I Didn't Love You," which she performed during the season finale. Whichever way her career goes, we'll be listening.
Though its ratings aren't quite what they once were, The Voice is still one of the hottest unscripted shows on TV, and fans don't have too long to wait until its spring cycle hits NBC on Monday, February 26. Check out what Chloe Kohanski told me about her most nerve-wracking performances of the season, and then head to our 2018 midseason premiere schedule to see all the new and returning shows heading to the small screen soon.
