Xfinity Hangouts: The Voice's Michael Bublé and Kelsea Ballerini

I can't say that I'm different. Like I feel like, and I don't want to put too much pressure on you, but I feel like this interview with you might be my big break. And I just want to make sure I'm present and in the moment so that I don't blow it. God, don't blow it. Bublé, don't blow it. I'm David, by the way, with Xfinity. Good to see you, David, with Xfinity. I'm Michael Bublé with Kelsey Ballerini. He forgot my name. No, I was trying to think of a company that I was. I'm chopped liver. What company are we with? With The Voice. Yes. Thank you both so much for hanging out with me today. Of course. I want to start out by asking, The Voice is often a big break for a lot of these singers. What would each of you consider your big break? You go. Did you have like a big break? I don't know. I mean, I feel like I've been slow and steady. I really feel like my big break happened in the last two years randomly. I just made an EP that worked differently than any other project that I put out. And so I think mine's still happening actively. I don't know. I feel like I'm in puberty as an artist. Like I'm not a full grown yet. I'm like in puberty. I can't say that I'm different. Like I feel like, and I don't want to put too much pressure on you, but I feel like this interview with you might be my big break. And I just want to make sure I'm present and in the moment so that I don't blow it. God, don't blow it, Bublé, don't blow it. You got this. I believe in you. We often see the voice coaches turn their chairs on big high notes or impressive runs. Is there a specific thing either of you are going to look for during auditions that makes you say, this is the one for me? I can answer. Okay. For me, I'm attracted to if I believe them. So rather than someone who can hit the highest notes or belt or whatever, I really, I'm looking for storytellers, people that are connected to the songs that they pick where I'm like, I want to know why you picked that song and why you sang it like you did. Like the people that just, where I believe it, I buy in right off the bat. And on that same page, I just want to feel, I want to feel something. Yeah. I really do. Like, you know, I want somebody that makes me feel, whether that's, you know, elation or sadness or whatever it is. I just want to make sure they convey honesty because I always say this, but like any great actor, if you believe in the script, if you believe in what you're saying, many times you give your audience no choice, but to believe with you. So that's kind of what I'm looking for. Mm-hmm. Kelsey, I think everyone would assume you'll naturally gravitate towards country artists. Now, will you, or are you going to look for something completely different? I think yes and. I mean, I am a country girl and I feel really happy to represent Nashville and country music on this panel, but even Bublé, like he's such a country fan. I'm a country fan, but do you know what it's like to sit beside Kelsey Ballerini when anyone even close to the genre is there? You have no chance. It boosts my ego. It does, like going up when I get to battle for a country artist. She's also the youngest on the panel by far. It's like, you know what I mean? I know the young, the young contestants are looking at me and John and Adam saying, do these old fogies know what TikTok is? That's my joke. I know, but it's true. So to answer your question, yes. Like I definitely want to be like the mother of country, but I listen to everything and I would like to think in my career, I've shown that I'm multifaceted in a musical sense. And I'm young enough to know that TikTok is one of the best dating apps. I know that. Michael, to your point of, there's going to be just certain artists that maybe gravitate towards certain coaches. Has there been anyone so far that has surprised you where you're like, I did not think they were going to pick me? You know, the surprise hasn't come so much from whether or not an artist has chosen me. The surprise honestly has come from sitting beside Kelsey and sitting beside John and sitting beside Adam. You know, just like anyone else, I see them on TV or I listen to their records, but there's a lot more depth in each of those people. And I love that they all love different kinds of music. There's such diversity that they show in their lives and with the music they love. And I think there's been a massive surprise even in, and I'm not just saying it because I'm sitting beside her, but just even in the depth of talent, like you think, yeah, of course they're good. But then when you get to sit beside somebody and hear them humming or hear them singing or hear them talk to the artists about their ideas, I think that's when you get a genuine sense of why they belong in the chair. That's why they're there because they've earned it. They have great experience. And obviously they're really, I mean, really blessed, really talented. Tell me about the first time you sat in that chair because I've gotten to sit in replicas of it and you just want to hit the button over and over and over again. What was your first, I mean, this was your first time. So what did you feel like that first time? Well, it's interesting. Cause I filled in for Kelly when she got six for the battle rounds a couple of years ago. And I remember I was so nervous and excited to sit in the chair, but I also felt like I was keeping her seat warm, you know, like it was Kelly's chair. Just pretend I'm Kelly. I was just about to say that I like this show better already with you here. You're going to get me in trouble. The least they could do is put team Kelsey up here for the time being. Just Kel, team Kel. And so I felt like it was like, I felt like I earned it this time when I came back and I sat in it and I was like, oh, this is mine. It says Kelsey on the back, not Kelly. It was very cool. For me to come here, it felt, it felt really cool. I mean, the only place that hasn't got it is the Canada. We need a voice in Canada. Come on. We got to do it. Come on, Nate. It would be terrible though. Cause all you'd hear the whole time is every, you know, coach turn around saying, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. No, really. I'm more sorry that we didn't choose you. I'm sorry. I'll bring the maple syrup. Michael, as a returning coach for season 27, what is your advice for Kelsey going into her first season next year? No, I have, I there's, she's so smart. She's intuitive. There's no advice I can give her. The only thing I would ever say, which I would say to my kids is we can't change the past. We have no idea what's going to happen in the future. So the best we can do is to live in the moment. And if we can figure that out as human beings, usually we're a lot happier. That's good advice. That's my advice. That's about it. That's like big brother advice. Yeah, I like that. Thank you for big brother, not old uncle. I'll take that. Kelsey, you mentioned being, what did you say? The puberty of your career? Yeah. If you could give the future voice winner some advice about the industry that you wish you knew when you started, what would you tell them? I would say that there is such power in naivety. I think you learn as you go naturally and you start to just, the more that you know, the more you kind of shield yourself from certain things or you kind of lose that beautiful nature of not knowing what you can't do. So you think you can do it all. And I think just keeping that and holding onto it as tightly as you can for as long as you can is the best advice I would give. Michael, I need you to know that anytime I need a good emotional cleansing, I go to YouTube and watch videos of you singing with fans on stage and I just lay in bed and sob because I'm so happy for these people that are just realizing their dream. I've done it multiple times and just have to tell you that. Thank you. And for me, you know what? As much as I love the fact that I get to connect with those beautiful souls, it also means that I get to sing less and I'm that lazy. So it's a double, like it's a double bonus for me. The audience typically gets to hear feeling good a couple of different times too. I volunteer as well. You know what was weird? It was so weird because I had come back probably way too early before COVID was, when it was really still a big worry. And I love being out there and reaching out to people, but it was like, I think I taped a microphone onto a hockey stick at one point. And it was like, this is weird, but I still got to share music with people. So it was okay. What is something you learned about the process of filming or participating in The Voice that you didn't realize as fans watching at home? Can I just say it? I thought it was like fake. I was really cynical about everything. And I was like, they don't know these people. And it is, listen, last season I watched Snoop cry his eyes out and I did too. And Reba had a Kleenex box next to her. And another thing too that I didn't realize would happen was how good it would feel when someone chose you. Cause it sucks when you're up there and you're insecure and you're sitting next to superstars and you're like, and I hated fighting. I hated the part of having to sort of toot my own horn or fight for people. And then they don't pick you and it sucks. You're like, all this for what? Yeah, and it hurts. It's like, you try to be thick skin, but it hurts. And then when they pick you, it's like you had no idea how glorious it feels. Like it just does. Yeah, but imagine being me, right? And I'm new and I'm going in and I'm competing for these artists against Michael Buble, John Legend and Adam Levine. I grew up on their music. And so I have to like step outside of like my little fangirl self to be able to be like, okay, you shouldn't pick these guys that I would also probably pick. You should pick me instead. It's a very interesting complex. You know what? And it's funny because I have the same complex sitting beside you because I think here's this incredible young female who's taking the world by storm, who has such respect for the shoulders that she stood upon to get here. And by the way, handles that music yet has the ability to do it in such a contemporary way and a modern way where she's writing with the biggest stars in the world. She's on the radio today. And there's that stuff that even John and Adam and I can't touch. I'll wrap it up with this real quick. Kelsey, I know you have a beautiful dog. Michael, I don't know if you have any pets but I think everyone with a pet sings songs about them to them. I'm curious if you ever insert your pet's names into your own songs. I will flex right now and tell you that I have a number one song called dibs. Yeah, I do know that. I'm calling dibs baby. And it is his song and I sing it for him every time. I wrote it before I got my dog, but now that is my dog's song. And to be so real with you, that is the only song that he doesn't leave the room if I'm like playing or practicing or rehearsing. Everything else he could not be bothered. But I think he like, he knows somehow that that's his song. Everything else he's like, all right, mom, I'm bored. That's so cute. Yeah. And I would, I mean, not making excuses, but I have a dog too and I would have, I tried to write a song but nothing rhymed with Baxter Snickerdoodle. Is that his name? No, I just made that up just now. But you have a bunch of hits about your wiser kids. Baxter Snickerdoodle, you are a snickerdoodle. Okay, might I suggest, I just wanna give you pets. That's really nice. That's so cute. Yeah, that's really cute. I own a dog food company. You do? Yeah, me and Snoop Dogg, we own a food company, a dog food company called Dogg. What do you not do? It's called Dogg for Dogg. And what we do is we, cause so many dogs are euthanized every year cause they don't have enough food. So what we do is we go one for one. So if you come and buy our peanut butter, which is delicious, you would give one to the local, to the local, you know, I don't wanna say- Michael! You didn't know that? That's the purest thing I've ever heard in my whole life. Yeah, Snoop and I, that's Snoop and I have that together. My heart. I have to rap, but I'm so happy that we got to have this time. Thank you for taking the time out of your day. Thank you.