0:00
Dude, were you nervous performing this the other night? I had a great time.
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0:03
I mean, I just tried to approach it thinking to myself I've been so nervous in the past about just performing and this time adding the hosting as well took away those nerves.
0:18
I was like, oh, I'm I'm performing, too.
0:20
I used to be so stressed about that. Now it's Yeah.
0:24
It's a a factor within the many things, but tell you what, the hosting is no joke.
0:29
Um going into it, I had a lot of people like, uh you know, like Blake Shelton who is my Voice co-coach.
0:39
He's your tormentor from what I've seen on TV this past weekend, but anyway, whatever, we can talk about that later. There's that, too.
0:45
But, uh I I'd heard from a lot of people um kind of in the industry uh probably more about that than anything else I'd ever done, which was pretty wild.
0:55
And then, um you know, other people that I know have have uh hosted and and it was just a really cool outpouring of thumbs up and and, you know, it was just really it was a special week, but it goes by so fast. It's like a wedding.
1:11
It's like there's all this prep and you're like in it for, you know, it's your life for 7 days and then all of a sudden it's like, done, like that.
1:19
Olivia Rodrigo is it is I mean, no one started 2021 in a more, you know, unique position.
1:26
She started the year like no other, really, from a new artist perspective. She's got that song.
1:29
That song is unshakable at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and for for good reason.
1:32
The song is as far as narrative goes, Nick it's a perfectly told story, right?
1:39
Yeah, I mean, I I I first heard the song after Joe and Kevin unknowingly both sent me the song said, "Have you heard this?"
1:50
So, they didn't realize each other had sent it, right, right, yeah, yeah.
1:53
Yeah, and so I was it's wow, this is this is great, you know?
1:58
And and it actually reminded me of like some of the things I love about musical theater and and I didn't really make the connection that it was her cuz it was a song from the High School Musical uh show that I really loved as well.
2:12
Um all I want and it was like, man, she's super talented, super young, and able to speak to uh these things that are are sort of these big universal themes, but but um anytime you can kind of uh write the song in a way where it just connects on a very human level that's specific to your experience, um it was it was just phenomenal.
2:34
And then, you know, I I was just so happy to see it break through in the way it did because it just shows my my dad always used to say this and it just makes perfect sense to me.
2:45
He'd be like, a great song is a great song is a great song.
2:48
And when you have that and it connects in that way, uh the sky's the limit.
2:52
And so, um I saw recently that it was her 18th birthday and she was celebrating one of her you know, multiple multiple weeks at number one. And so, hats off to her. Congrats.
3:04
It's very exciting and I think it's just very good for the music business in general to have songs like this um that kind of hit.
3:12
In the movie business, you know, we say four quadrant, which which just means it hits hits every age group.
3:20
You mentioned The Voice before.
3:20
Um I was really thrilled to see you I watched some of it on Saturday.
3:27
I could tell that you were uh I don't know, for me it looked like you were getting a little shaky.
3:29
You were a little bit like, man, you know, I need to get this I need to get this this I got to get someone really special on my team right now.
3:37
Like, you know, I'm setting the bar really really high and you eventually did, you know, you got it and I could just see the level of relief. Is it Is that real?
3:42
I mean, when you're on the show like that and you've got all the other three judges and and for one reason or another these contestants are picking these other judges even though it's just a crap shoot. You're all amazing.
3:51
Does it get stressful for you?
3:53
Is it like, man, like I can't go back to my dressing room during a break and with nothing right now, you know?
3:59
Well, think of think about, you know, who I'm up against.
4:00
Uh you got Kelly Clarkson, uh the original uh music search show out there, right?
4:07
And and then obviously a now storied career and multiple Grammys and She's proof of concept.
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Proof of concept She's four-quadrant as well. She's four-quadrant. She's she is.
4:21
And uh then you got John Legend whose name is is quite fitting. Four-quadrant. Four-quadrant. He's brilliant.
4:29
And uh on top of his EGOT, he's won the the the Voice now a couple times.
4:36
Um and then, you know, Blake's been there for 20 seasons.
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So, there's Two quadrants. There's Two quadrants.
4:42
I'm calling two quadrants on Blake.
4:45
There's literally like uh a lot of experience and and history there.
4:47
And so, you know, I think that naturally it's frustrating when someone doesn't pick you, but when they choose any of the other coaches, it's kind of like, well, it makes sense.
4:56
You know, I I don't take it too personally because I know the stars will align, the right person will come, but it does get frustrating cuz you only have so many chances to, you know, get that artist you feel like, oh, they're the one I can take all the way to finale and they've got what it takes.
5:11
And um but I feel really good about my team, and there's a lot of people I haven't seen yet cuz we pre-tape, you know, obviously the blind auditions and the knockouts and battle rounds.
5:19
Um And there are What's tougher than the blind auditions and getting your team assembled is actually, once you build these relationships and this trust, having to then say, "Okay, I've got to take a smaller group with me to the the live shows."
5:31
And that part really sucks.
5:33
And As a human being, right?
5:34
As a as a good dude, that's the moment when you realize that you're part of a TV show.
5:39
Cuz that is a part of life, but you would find a way to protect yourself and others around you from having to be quite so blunt with that with that process, but the TV show requires a certain bluntness for the narrative to fly, right? That's how you know. And an element of drama.
5:54
You need that TV drama and and the comedy.
5:56
I will say that that, you know, the acting experience has really helped me on the show because there's a a part of it, too, where you're sort of approaching it as if we're all improv actors.
6:07
We have to make these moments exciting and and have fun and play off each other and the banter's really important.
6:14
Um so, you know, I enjoy that part of it and and feel bad for my other coaches who haven't had acting experience. trod it.
6:21
They haven't treaded the boards.
6:25
Does The Weekend something you both agree on?
6:27
I've had the chance to to spend some time with him in the past too.
6:31
too. Really just as as he was just starting to really blow up and um and he's just such a a great dude, great host, you know, and and was just always uh down yeah, down to to have the night turn into you know, just a jam um and remember I
6:52
was at his place and Ty Dolla Sign was there and he played some of his new music and Ed Sheeran was there and it was just became this whole like great musical vibe and then it came to me and Ox Cord came and I was like, "No, no, I'm I'm good." Oh, you have to. Oh, you have to.
7:07
We're going to finish with Bruce Springsteen.
7:08
Um obviously, please take us home.
7:11
Why are we finishing with I'm on Fire?
7:14
You know, growing up in New Jersey, Bruce obviously has a special place in my in my heart and my creative life and I'm so frustrated because uh um you know, I I had the chance to go see him live when I was younger.
7:29
He was playing at uh Giants Stadium.
7:32
My my brothers and my dad went, but I I couldn't go for some reason and uh it wasn't until about 2 years ago I I got to go see him uh play in LA and it just was such an amazing experience and so inspiring to me as an artist and having been a lifelong fan and then getting to see him live was great.
7:50
And then right after that I went and saw him at his one-man show which was again so incredible and and and and it is a dream of mine and I'll just go ahead and say it hoping that it it gets to the right ears but it's a dream of mine to play him in a movie one day.
8:09
Um and you know tell his story in some way that would be honoring to him and and that he could be involved with.
8:19
So hopefully that can happen one day but this song specifically such a vibe, you know, and and as a a drummer first more than even guitarist or a pianist the the the rhythm is so iconic in this song and and such a signature thing and I think
8:38
you know, could only hope to have a career as you know, lengthy as his and and as important as his has been to people and that was the thing that really stood out to me and go after going to a show is just you know, he's he's been a champion for his fans his
8:56
entire career and you see it at the shows it's about them every moment is about them them having the best experience best night of their their week their life their year whatever and you know, me and the brothers kind of said that about our shows it's like we always want to
9:13
make sure that our artistic vision comes through and that we're saying what we want to say but we also want this to be the best night of our fans you know, week or or month or year and so we try to bring that same energy and that's all thanks to Bruce's model.