While American Idol’s ratings may be awful, the fact remains that when the show was at its height, it produced stars like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. The same can’t be said for The Voice though and Pharrell Williams is tired of hearing about that.
This week, NBC had The Voice’s season eight coaches - Williams, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton - hold a press conference in Los Angeles. One reporter was quick to ask them why they think none of The Voice winners have become huge stars, despite the show’s high ratings.
“I don’t understand why we have these interviews, and people ask the same question every time,” Williams replied, notes TheWrap. The veteran music producer, who recently scored hits with his solo album GIRL, insisted that this was not the kind of question they should answer at that press conference.
“That’s not why we’re here to do this interview. We’re here to do this interview because we want to explain to you what this is and what it means to us. It’s a gift,” the “Happy” singer said.
Williams insisted that the show was not all about getting a record contract and creating a super star, reports Yahoo Music.
“The show is not about someone signing a record deal and getting signed,” he said. “The show is about a bunch of people who really care about people that they encounter and make sure that they’re changed when they walk off.”
Williams also backed up what Levine said in 2013 when he faced the same question. They consider the show to be like musical “training camp” and the point is to help singers learn their potential.
The problem with that though - and why you can’t blame anyone for asking why The Voice hasn’t produced a Carrie Underwood - is that the grand prize of The Voice is a recording contract, not a pat on the back for good vocals.
“There’s been plenty of successes to pinpoint,” Levine said this week. “But, people really don’t choose to look at that, they choose to look at all the things that haven’t happened yet. But, a lot has happened for a lot of these artists who are all better off and are all at another level of their careers as a result of being on The Voice.”
The Voice will be back on NBC on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. It is Williams’ second season as a Voice coach.
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