On this episode of Backroads and Backstories, host Senator Paul Bailey, sits down with Jake Hoot, winner of season 17 of The Voice. The Cookeville resident shares some insight on his experience on the show and what helped him on his road to victory.
Guests
- Jake Hoot, winner of Season 17 of The Voice
Transcript
Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.
Senator Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I’m your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today’s episode, we have invited the winner of season 17 of The Voice, Cookeville resident Jake Hoot to talk about his experience on the show and to get to know him a little better. Welcome, Jake.
Jake Hoot: Hey, thank you for having me.
Senator Bailey: Glad that you’re here. And we’re just so excited that you’re part of our podcast, and our podcast is called Backroads and Backstories, and most of the time folks want to hear the backstory to exactly how you got to be on The Voice, telling us a little bit about yourself and your history because folks always want to be able to relate to someone that’s a big superstar like you are today.
Jake Hoot: [laughing].
Senator Bailey: So, we’re going to jump right in. And Jake, just tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re originally from, and I think your family, basically were missionaries—
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: —and you guys lived in the Dominican Republic. So, I’m just going to step back for just a moment and let you tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. No, yeah. So, I’m one of nine kids, I’m the second oldest of nine.
Senator Bailey: Nine kids. Oh wow.
Jake Hoot: Nine kids, six boys, three girls. And Mom and Dad, I think it was shortly after I was born, Mom and Dad got really involved in church, and Dad felt called to be a pastor, and then he felt called to be a missionary. And so, we moved all over the place when we were kids. And then we ended up, we’re originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, so way down south, and then we ended up moving to Haiti, when—I think it was back in ’97 or something like that—and lived there about a month or two, and my sister is a type one diabetic and so couldn’t get her medical help, and so we moved over to the Dominican side, right across the border for a short while.
And Dad just felt like that’s where God was calling us. And so we ended up living there, well my parents lived there 14 years, I lived there about 11 years before I moved back to the US and came to Tennessee Tech to play football, and—
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you came from the Dominican Republic to Tennessee Tech?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: So, did you play football in the Dominican Republic?
Jake Hoot: I did not. I did not. I always wanted to play—of course, we played backyard football, you know us boys, there was enough of us to play, and we’d get kids from down there to play but I’d always wanted to play and I was bound and determined to play somewhere. And so, I think my size helped, being 6’6”. You walk in, say you want to play, Coach Brown and Coach Sam over there were very patient with me and gave me a shot.
Senator Bailey: So you were a walk-on?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you’re a walk-on at Tennessee Tech?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And I’m assuming they were able to offer you a scholarship then to be able to play or did you—
Jake Hoot: I had to earn it. Yes, sir. It took me a little while, but I ended up earning a partial scholarship, and that was incredible, the fact that they let me play, much less, were essentially paying me to play. But—not pay me to play, but giving me money for school and whatnot. But no, it was an incredible experience. I loved every second of it. Love everybody from that organization. You’re still a family. I saw Coach Brown a couple months back at the welcome home concert, and I love that man and respect him.
Senator Bailey: Yeah, well cool. Well, so you basically came to Tennessee Tech and your family still lives in Texas? Or they’re in Dominican Republic, or—
Jake Hoot: Well, they moved up here.
Senator Bailey: Oh, so your entire family’s here now.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir, they live down the road in Smith County in the Carthage area. Yeah, we had moved up here before we moved to Haiti, and joined Cornerstone Baptist Church right out in Carthage. And that was our sending church the entire time, and then when they all moved back, they just they moved out there, so they live about 45 minutes away.
Senator Bailey: So tell me just a little bit, were you inspired by living there in the Dominican Republic to lead praise and worship? Is that where your musical inspiration began?
Jake Hoot: And, in certain essence, yeah. I think rather than being inspired, I think Dad kind of forced me to get into it. And I’m glad he did, it kind of made me get out of my shell. And I liked—
Senator Bailey: You’re not saying that you were shy.
Jake Hoot: Oh, incredibly shy. And I still am to an extent. I play it off well, but no, Dad kind of, he said that he wanted me to lead praise and worship, and I always joke and say I’m so sorry to all the people who had to listen to me sing way back when, because it was rough, but… and of course, growing up on a Caribbean island, the rhythm of the music is different, the feel of it, and so I definitely—there’s a lot of influences there. When I write my own music, it’s got like an island feel sometimes. But it was a great way to grow up, and like I said, I’m grateful that dad got me out of my shell to get out there and that snowballed it. And taught myself to play guitar so I could lead, and then I ended up moving back and teaching a couple music schools.
Senator Bailey: So you’re self-taught on the—
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: —on the guitar? And so did you have anyone help you along the way as far as whenever you began learning to play the guitar, or did you just basically pick it up and start learning to play by ear? Or did you learn to read music? How did that work?
Jake Hoot: When it comes to playing guitar, I play by ear. And I think, along the way, there’s so many different influences I have, just from where I would play with somebody and I would see them do something and I’d be like, “Hey, what are you doing there?” And they’d show me. But, I’ve been very blessed to have a lot of patient people around me, and so, I play by ear. And then when—I taught Christian music schools for about five years, and I learned how to read music to sing to it, but not play guitar to it, and so that was a great time in my life. And I, obviously there’s a lot of influences from singing southern gospel, hymns and songs like that, that just kind of influenced your harmonies and everything else.
Senator Bailey: So tell me a little bit about what you love about Cookeville and the Upper Cumberland?
Jake Hoot: Oh, man, I don’t even know, you know where to stop or end with that one. You know, moving back, you kind of feel like you’re on an island—
Senator Bailey: So, let me just ask this question. Had you ever been to Cookeville, Tennessee, prior to coming to Tennessee Tech?
Jake Hoot: No, sir.
Senator Bailey: So your first foray into Cookeville, Tennessee was to visit Tennessee Tech?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And so when you came to Tennessee Tech, you came as a freshman?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Okay. And at that point, you actually visited the football program and did the walk on, and that’s the first time you’d ever been to Tennessee, period?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And so you came ultimately because of Tennessee Tech and to be able to play football?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And so from there, you have fallen in love with Cookeville in the Upper Cumberland?
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: And so, obviously, there’s a lot of things going on in your life today that— prior to you coming to Cookeville, so do you see yourself staying or always kind of having a home or residence in Cookeville?
Jake Hoot: Absolutely. Yeah, and that’s the one thing that’s beautiful about it is you become family out here. And the way that everybody kind of took me in, I can’t imagine calling anywhere else home.
I know with music, it’s going to pull me in a lot of different directions and stuff, but like you said, I would always love to think that I’m always going to have a home here, and I’ll always have a place that I can come back here, and escape everything. But Cookeville’s just been incredible, and I can’t thank everybody enough for all the love and support they’ve given me throughout the years, even before the whole Voice thing and everything else, back when I was playing football and just some college student, people around here just took me in, and so I’m very grateful for it.
Senator Bailey: Well, one thing that I will say that social media, your friends, that you and I have shared together, your humbleness, your approachability, I think that that’s one of the things that has really allowed you to garner so much support from the Upper Cumberland and you have just such a good heart about you, and so people see that and people see the genuineness and basically you’re caring, and so I think that that’s one of the reasons that Cookeville has embraced you.
And also, in the fact that as we start talking a little bit about your time that you spent on The Voice, I think people in America saw that, and they saw that humbleness, they saw that genuineness and one thing that people look for, I think, in an artist, especially someone that’s a musical artist, is they want to be able to relate to that person, and that person has a story to tell in their music.
And so anytime that you can sing that from your heart, I think that definitely resonates with individuals. So, let’s segue into a little bit about The Voice because I think people always are interested in knowing the backstory. And they want to know the behind the scenes of what took place. So, what made you want to even enter the competition of The Voice?
Jake Hoot: To be honest—
Senator Bailey: And I didn’t mean to necessarily interrupt—
Jake Hoot: You’re alright.
Senator Bailey: —but tell me, how do you go about being able to—is it an application process? How do you get to be a contestant on The Voice? Tell us a little bit—
Jake Hoot: I think there’s a lot of different ways you can do it. And to be honest with you, I’ve had people ask me, “What made you want to do it?” And to be honest, I didn’t want to do it at first.
I was working in radio at the time, I was making good money, good living. I was playing music on the weekends, was having a great time, and then they actually reached out to me. I was posting stuff on Instagram, called Bath Tunes. And they reached out to me and asked if I’d come out and audition.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you’re saying The Voice, the producers of The Voice, actually reached out to you and said, “Hey, would you be interested in a contestant?”
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Wow.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Something I had not heard.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir, and I was very fortunate because I didn’t really like the idea of going and standing in line for hours and hours with thousands of people.
Senator Bailey: Kind of kind of like the American Idol.
Jake Hoot: Exactly.
Senator Bailey: with that’s the process there. Okay.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. And I had done the American Idol thing years and years ago, and it was such a horrible experience. Not that it was their fault, but I just didn’t like it. And so they reached out and had they not reached out I wouldn’t have done it. And even with him reaching out, I was just like, I don’t know, but then I thought you know what’s there to lose? Let’s just see what happens. So, I actually went to Nashville and auditioned, and—
Senator Bailey: And so they came to Nashville?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And I’m assuming that they had basically sent out a call—a cast call, if you will, for different individuals to come and basically audition to be on the show. So, how many people in Nashville actually showed up for—
Jake Hoot: Oh, gosh, see, so it’s different rounds that you have to go through. It is a casting call, but it’s different rounds. So, the first round is your open call, which is where everybody, you see thousands of people lined up. If you make it past that, then they invite you back the next day. And it’s a much smaller group, I would say it’s probably, I would say it’s a couple hundred people, maybe.
Senator Bailey: Alright, so let me just make sure that I understand. So, whenever you’re saying there’s 1000 people there, basically for the first casting call, they have reached out to you, so obviously they’re interested in you.
They want you to come and audition, and so you come, and I’m assuming that they basically have music professionals that you audition to, because obviously you’re not going to be auditioning to Blake Shelton or Kelly Clarkson at that time so you’re probably just auditioning in front of professionals?
Jake Hoot: Yes sir. No, it’s—you’ve got so many like producers and stuff and casting producers that are there. And I think I sang to three of them.
Senator Bailey: Now, at individual times, or were they all together?
Jake Hoot: All together.
Senator Bailey: Okay. So, you’re basically sitting there and they like basically—Okay.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. And so it worked out, but luckily I was able to bypass the first day, which is the open call, and I was able to go to this much smaller day and audition. And then if you make it past that round, then you’re invited out to LA to do the next round, which you’re out there for a couple days that time, and you sing in front of another panel of casting producers and whatnot. But I think overall, I think it was over 40,000 people auditioned for season 17.
Senator Bailey: 40,000?
Jake Hoot: 40,000.
Senator Bailey: 40,000. So, they basically went all over the US looking for individuals?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And so, out of 40,000 how many people ultimately make it to Los Angeles then?
Jake Hoot: So, for the first round in Los Angeles, when you’re out there for a couple days, I think it was, I would say, maybe 1000 or something like that, but they bring them in at different times. And so I wasn’t there with everybody, but to do the blind—so the first episode anybody sees you—there was a little over 100 people at that time. So, they just continue to narrow it down and narrow it down, narrow it down. And then when you’re out there for the blind, you’re out there for about a month at that point getting ready and everything.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so once you make it to the final round or the, let’s just say, the blind audition round, then that’s whenever you ultimately commit a month of your time—
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: —to be there, getting prepared and I’m assuming at that point, they start providing you with voice coaches?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And they start working with you to basically improve your ability to be able to sing? And then I’m assuming what happens then on the blind auditions that those are probably pre-recorded. And then there’s only so many contestants that they ultimately show on television—
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: —then whenever they air the episode. Is that the way that works?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. And they wouldn’t let us know until the day before it aired. So, I remember when I had posted something on social media saying I auditioned, man, I wanted to tell everybody, “Hey, watch every episode every week to see, but they didn’t even tell us when we were going to be on until the day before.
So, you narrow it way, way down, and I th-, and out of—so you start at 40,000, only 48 people make a team at some point, because each coach has 12. So, it’s a huge drop, and just to make it to the blinds is an incredible thing, and then get a chair turn is also just, incredibly special. So…
Senator Bailey: Okay, so and each judge—is that—and—
Jake Hoot: Coach. They call [crosstalk]
Jake Hoot: I called them judges, and I got in trouble all the time, I—[laughing].
Senator Bailey: So, and there’s four coaches, correct?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Yeah, and so each one of those coaches ultimately ended up with 12—
Jake Hoot: 12 people.
Senator Bailey: 12 people, so—
Jake Hoot: Well 12 acts, I mean there was a couple duets and stuff like that.
Senator Bailey: Right. Okay, so you’re looking at roughly 48 total individuals. So, they go from basically it’s 50 percent down, then. So, this is a question that I’ve always been wanting to ask and know the answer to, but you had to spend a month there in LA preparing, and you weren’t assured at that point in time that you would ever make it onto an episode of The Voice. My question is, is that at your expense, or did they give you a stipend for it? How does that work?
Jake Hoot: Yeah, well, they pay for your airfare out there, they pay for you to stay out there. Like, we all stayed in a hotel. And then, I’m pretty sure for the blinds they did pay us like a daily stipend or something like that. It’s not a ton, but it’s enough. And luckily for me, my job back here, I work at Zimmer Broadcasting, they were very accommodating, and they helped me and I was still working. I tell people, I actually woke up the day of the blinds, I had to be up and out of the hotel by three o’clock in the morning because it’s a full day of production. And I was sending emails for commercials back here at 2:30 that morning to get it done.
So, luckily, I was able to do it fairly comfortably without having to stretch my dollars too much. But yeah, they definitely—I will say one thing about the show, they definitely took care of us, and they made sure we were taken care of and we had everything we need. So, I’m very grateful for that.
Senator Bailey: Now, at what time of this process that you’ve been describing to us did you actually start to get to work with the coaches? Had they seen you or any of the other contestants prior to hearing you on stage for the blind audition?
Jake Hoot: No, we had not met them.
Senator Bailey: So again, so they are not aware of you, they’ve not seen you, they’ve not heard you, and so when you actually step out on stage and you make it to that blind audition, and you’re wanting one of them to turn around, they don’t have any idea as to who you are, they’ve not interacted with you at all, then?
Jake Hoot: No, sir. I mean, not not to my knowledge. It’s truly a blind audition. And then, of course, after you make it through the blind, you make it on a team, you almost immediately fly back home. It’s like, I literally walked offstage, got in a van, went and did an interview, and then went to a hotel, stayed the night about an hour away, and then flew home the very next day.
Senator Bailey: And that was because they wanted you to do that?
Jake Hoot: They do. I mean, they’re—like, it’s just a process and everything that goes on.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so take me back just a little bit to like, what month did you spend or, what time of the year did you spend in LA, and then when was the first time that the show, the blind auditions actually aired? What’s that time span from—
Jake Hoot: Sure. I think—okay, so I think I was out there for the month, I think it was June, and I think the first episode started airing maybe in September, I think? But you have other things that you do before that. So you fly home, I think, we flew home for a month, and then we go back out for battles, and then knockouts. And if you don’t make it through battles, obviously you get sent home but if you do make it through, then you just stay out there for knockouts, and I think that was another month, month and a half process to do all that, as well.
Senator Bailey: Oh, wow. So, you’re doing the blind audition, you’re on stage. And now, what song was that you were singing that night?
Jake Hoot: “When it Rains, it Pours,” by Luke Combs.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you’re singing, and Kelly Clarkson turns her chair around. And if I’m—and correct me if I’m wrong, was she the only judge at that time that turned their chair around immediately?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: So, and then obviously, now that you’ve won The Voice, I’m sure the other three coaches are like, dang, man, why didn’t I just—especially Blake Shelton. because you’re kind of in his wheelhouse there. You’re kind of doing the songs, type of songs, that Blake Shelton does. You got that country genre going for you.
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: And, of course, I know you do others as well. But was it kind of immediately whenever Kelly turned her chair around, I mean, at what point—and is it distracting to you when she turns that chair around?
Jake Hoot: So, she waited till probably three-quarters of the song, before she actually turned, but—
Senator Bailey: And what’s going through your mind at that time?
Jake Hoot: Well, a lot of different things. First off, I told everybody, just to be on that stage I’ve done more than I thought I could, but in the back of your mind when you’re up there singing you’re thinking, “My goodness, please somebody just turn, that’d be awesome.” But when she turned, it kind of caught me off guard a little bit, but I was just so caught up in the moment that I just—I kind of blacked out, and don’t really remember finishing the song, but after watching it, I sang it, so that’s good.
But it’s definitely a very surreal moment because you’re so nervous up there. It’s just dead quiet when you start singing. But yeah, to have her turn, and like you said about Blake, Kelly told me almost every week that Blake was kicking himself about not turning. And I love Blake Shelton, but I don’t think it could have worked out any better because Kelly does have some country ties but to be on a team that wasn’t known for country and just to go through it all was pretty special.
Senator Bailey: Wow. So, do you currently have an ongoing communication relationship with Kelly Clarkson? Do the two of you still communicate? Is that kind of waned off now just a little bit? Tell me just a little bit—and how did that process work? So, she turns her chair around, she’s the only one. So, you’re now guaranteed to be on Kelly Clarkson’s team.
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: So, you’re going to be one of her 12?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: You’re going to be one of her 12. So you know that you’ve made it, at this point. So, obviously, that was an overwhelming feeling. And then from there, you said you basically immediately flew home. They send you home for a month—
Jake Hoot: A month, yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And then you—obviously they have you to come back and you have to start doing the battle rounds. So, for one month, you’re basically just trying to get some normalcy back to your life, but at the same time, you’re going to have this show coming back up. You’ve made it. You’re going to be on national television. So, at what point in time does Kelly Clarkson start working with you, and communicating with you? Is it once you go back out there after that? Does she call you up during this month off and says, “Hey, Hoot, I’m glad that you’re part of my team. We’re excited. We’re going to start working with you.” I mean, just give me a little bit of that.
Jake Hoot: Yeah. So, I think the further you get in, the more contact and the more relationship building you get with the coaches. So, up until the live rounds, everything, whether you make it to the next round or not, is all based on the coaches. So, I think they try to limit their contact with you. They try to limit their conversations and stuff with you, because they don’t want to show favoritism and they don’t want to, they don’t want to do anything—
Senator Bailey: Okay, because of their other team members in there?
Jake Hoot: Exactly. So, I mean, up until the live rounds, you know, so for battles and knockouts, it’s all based on who your coach wants to pass through. And so I feel like if they’re taking time to talk to you a lot, it could show favoritism and issues, and so—
Senator Bailey: Okay, well, see, I didn’t know that, so.
Jake Hoot: Yeah, exactly. So, once the lives start, then it’s all based on America’s voting, and that’s when I really saw Kelly kind of start talking to me a whole lot more and taking that personal attention and stuff. And her husband, too, Brandon Blackstock, and with Starstruck, and I currently work with them—
Senator Bailey: Oh, wow.
Jake Hoot: —but, they’ve both been incredible and I could probably text her a whole lot more and reach out to her a whole lot more than I do. But I also know how busy she is. And just the last thing—
Senator Bailey: And she’s got a syndicated television show—
Jake Hoot: And she’s still doing The Voice, and she’s got a tour c-, well, it’s postponed a little bit, but she’s got a tour coming up, and she’s a mom, and so the last thing I want to do is add anything on her plate. But anytime I have reached out to her or Brandon, they’ve responded back pretty quick, and they’ve tried to help me here and there, and so it’s really special. But yeah, you don’t get as much exposure and as much contact with your coaches what you would hope for.
Senator Bailey: But when you say that, obviously they work with you.
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: But at the same time, there are coaches that are there on the show, music coaches that are working with you every day that you’re there, helping you choose the right song, helping you expand your vocals, helping you, even though you play the guitar by ear, I’m assuming they’re giving you tips on, “Man if you just do this, if you do that, that”—and it’s kind of forcing you outside of your comfort zone, I’m assuming even in your range, like your voice range—
Jake Hoot: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I think that’s one of the big things that, you know, a lot of people who’ve been to my shows here for the past few years, they all say, “Man, you get in so much, better at singing, your range has opened up.” And that’s one really cool thing about The Voice is, I tell everybody, I would do it again just for what you learn when you’re there because you do get to work with your coach, but your vocal coach, your choreographer, your band, everything, they all take time to sit here and go, “Okay, yeah, let’s get this song sound good. But we also want to teach you things that you can carry on later on in life that will help you, and that’ll help your performance and stuff like that.” And so I learned so much and it really helped my confidence, too, because I’ve always kind of struggled with that. Like I was saying, I’ve been kind of shy, and so to hear people in the industry, give you pointers and say, “Hey, you can do this,” it really does help and so, I learned a ton and I learned a ton from Kelly, I learned—our vocal coach was the same across the board, her name was Trelawny. And it just is something incredible people to work with.
Senator Bailey: Wow. So, what was your favorite part about competing on the entire show?
Jake Hoot: Oh, man, I think if you pinpoint it to one certain time, there’s a couple, where I got to share the stage with Kelly, we got to do a duet. I got to share the stage with Little Big Town, which is really special. I got to perform a song that I had written, on the show. But I think overall, just the family that you develop there, the friendships and everything else, because you’re stuck in a hotel. you’re sequestered in this hotel for, up to a month, month and a half in there for the lives, I mean, it was over two months.
Senator Bailey: So, when you say you’re sequestered, I’m assuming that they pick you up at the hotel to the studio.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And they shuttle you back to the hotel. Are you only allowed to eat in the restaurants inside the hotel? I’m assuming they’re trying to keep you away from any media—
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: —anyone that’s basically trying to get some backstage—
Jake Hoot: Knowledge, inside—yes, sir. Well, at first it was like that. And then of course, as you go on, and the group gets smaller and smaller, they give you a little bit more freedom. But even then we only had a certain couple places that we could go to, and then we’d have to sign out and then sign back in every time we came back. But yeah, they just, and they do it for your protection and stuff like that because they don’t want people hounding you and whatnot. But, while you’re sitting there, I’ve got so many videos of just different jam sessions that we would have, and to see everybody’s different styles and personalities come out in their music when you’re just sitting around having a good time in the hotel, it was really special.
Senator Bailey: So did some of you just like maybe even get together in each other’s room and—
Jake Hoot: Oh, all the time.
Senator Bailey: —together and just kinda, and—okay.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. All the time. And, like you said, everybody’s out there for the same goal, and it is a singing competition. But, none of us looked at it like it was a singing competition. We all looked at it like, hey, we’re all musicians. We’re all trying out to better ourselves in some form, in some way. And we all just became so close, and it was just a great experience.
Senator Bailey: And I’m assuming some of those you’re still in contact with today?
Jake Hoot: Every day. Yeah, and everybody will check in on—I know when the tornado hit, I can’t count how many people from the show, not only contestants but producers and cast behind the scenes, people just reaching out, going, “Hey, are you okay? Hey, is everybody doing okay? We’re praying for you.” And that’s special to think that you’re just part of something, in the grand scheme of life, It’s just a short amount of time, but the fact that there’s such an impact, and it’s long-lasting relationships and friendships, and the fact that they took time to reach out and say, “Hey, we’re praying for that area,” and stuff is really special.
Senator Bailey: Cool. So, let’s basically bring it up to the final [inaudible]. And it’s live television?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: So—and just right before I get to this question… so, you’re making it to the final rounds. Are you flying back and forth every week? Or are you just out there for the—
Jake Hoot: You’re out there.
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you’re there, so you’re not actually flying back and forth. You’re there?
Jake Hoot: You’re there.
Senator Bailey: Okay. And so, obviously, in the final rounds that are live television, so we know that you’re there for those, but are some of the episodes that are pre-recorded, I’m assuming those are the times that you’ve come back home, and you’re back and forth, or do they record those episodes in sequence? In other words, did they record like on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, like three episodes all together or those to—
Jake Hoot: And you’re talking about the battles and knockouts, or?
Senator Bailey: Yes, yes.
Jake Hoot: Yeah, well they had, I think for blinds, they had two or three days that they did it in a row. For battles and knockouts, I think they split it up over two or three days apiece that they were filling all that. And then of course lives, it’s every Monday and Tuesday you go in there live and just do it. But yeah, it was an interesting—
Senator Bailey: Something that’s always, of course, when you watch it on television, and they’re taking the commercial breaks, and you’ve got those two or three-minute breaks in there, especially during live television. it’s a hustle for you to get on stage or get off stage, for the band to get reset and be ready to go from one contestant to the other, and obviously, the coaches, too, if they have to take a break and then come right back. So you’re under a time crunch and they want you right back on that stage because it’s live television. You can’t stop it, you’ve got to go.
Jake Hoot: Absolutely. And we would do dress rehearsals earlier that day. So, every Monday and Tuesday we were at the studios, running through the entire show and getting all those hiccups out. And that’s one really cool thing about that show is, like you’re saying, the band has to reset, the stage has to be completely changed up. I mean, every different stage is so vastly different.
Senator Bailey: So is there multiple stages there?
Jake Hoot: Just one.
Senator Bailey: There’s j-, okay, that’s one stage.
Jake Hoot: Yeah, there’s just one stage, but the guys who do all that are incredible, and they move so quick. And so, we do our dress rehearsal and then just kind of stay there, and then do the live show that night. Now, given we wouldn’t know any of the results, everybody’s like, “Oh, you knew that,” and I’m like, “No, we didn’t liter-, had no idea anything that was going on as far as results.” But you get your timing down, you get your feel for when you’re going to go and your order of when you’re singing and stuff. But, just a really different experience that was that you learn a lot from.
Senator Bailey: So you’re competing on the show. Obviously, when you do the pre-recorded sessions, and then you’ve gone back and, I’m sure, watched several of those episodes, if not all of those episodes.
Jake Hoot: I actually haven’t.
Senator Bailey: Oh really?
Jake Hoot: I watched each one time just to critique myself, but I haven’t gone back and watched any of them. Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: But I guess my question is on the pre-recorded shows, and then whenever you go back and you’ve watched those one time, at least, the order that you were actually seeing on the show and then once the show is edited and aired, the pre-recorded shows, your performance, was it at a different time then you actually performed on the pre-recorded show?
Jake Hoot: Yeah, I believe so. I think the blinds, it was pretty close, I when I actually performed, but yeah, I think, I mean yeah, they change all that up just so it’ll flow easier, and you’ve got we sang, in ballad rounds, Stephen and I sang “You Were Always on my Mind,” and I think somebody after snag another ballad and so they’ll mix it up to put a ballad and then something quick and, you know. But yeah, it was interesting to see, and when you’re there and going through it, obviously you know everybody’s order, but there’s so many different moving parts, you really don’t remember who went when, when you even went, you just remember going out there and singing. But yeah, they definitely had to change some things up in production to make it flow a little better.
Senator Bailey: Final night, I mentioned this a few minutes ago and then got sidetracked because I just get so excited because I want to hear exactly how all of the logistics worked on stage, and because you’re watching the show, and you’re trying to—I’m just always looking for those little intricacies in the background.
But final night, you’re performing. Obviously, I’m sure the adrenaline’s flowing. How do you control your nerves? Do they coach you on controlling your nerves and the adrenaline that’s flowing and how to overcome the fact that you’re on live national television, and you could be the winner of The Voice?
Jake Hoot: Yeah, that’s a tough one. I was incredibly nervous almost every time I walked out on that stage. And I think when I sang “Desperado,” which was the semi-finals or whatever, that was the first time I wasn’t nervous at all. And, I think I had just gotten in a space in my head to where I was just like God’s been good to me, too, at this point. I can’t complain, I’ve gone way further than I ever thought, and so I’m just going to go out there and enjoy it, and not worry about all the little technical things that I’ve been worrying about. And they coach you to an extent. Obviously, how much can you actually coach nerves?
But, they coach you to an extent and I think we had been on that stage so many times and been through the wringer so many times at that point, it just became second nature. And so, going out there and singing the songs that we did, you’re nervous and stuff, and obviously staying there to find out the results, you’re terrified, but we were all so close, the Final Four of us, me, Katie, Ricky and Rose, that we were all rooting for each other to win the thing, we just enjoyed being up there, and, it was an honor just to be on that stage, much less to be in the Final Four, so we all had a great time doing it.
Senator Bailey: So I’m assuming once it’s announced that you’re the winner, is it one of those surreal moments that you’re just standing there, and you’re thinking, is this really happening to me? How did you, when you were announced that you were the winner—just, as you know, I’ve run in political races and, of course, I’m able to watch the results all through the evening as they come in, and but yet the first time that I won the state senate race, for the next two days, I’m like, Did I really win? Did I really win this? And it was just kind of a surreal moment for me, so tell me your thoughts, what you were feeling at that point in time. And how long did you stay in LA after you won, or did they basically say, “Okay, you’re going back home?”
Jake Hoot: Yeah, you’re done, yeah. No, I think I still wake up and ask if I actually won the show. Just because there’s been so many things that have happened and so many different, really cool things I’ve been able to be a part of since then. But when you’re standing there, and they called my name out, I didn’t believe it at first, and I almost passed out, I think, because the wind got knocked out of me. But just a very surreal thing, and it’s so quick moving afterwards, the confetti came down, and Kelly came up and, the family came up and we took pictures and everything, and then we rushed out and went to press conferences. And so it was really special. But then, I ended up staying there probably a week afterwards because there was a bunch of different interviews and TV interviews, radio interviews, and all these other different things that we had to go do. And normally they fly people to New York to do that. But luckily, everything was in LA and so we were able to just stay out there and get everything done, and then I was back, a couple days before Christmas.
Senator Bailey: Okay. So, the finale was on December the—
Jake Hoot: 17th.
Senator Bailey: 17th, so you are ultimately there a week after winning because you’re basically having to do all of the interviews, the morning shows, the all the various, and then, of course, those shows that you probably did a performance on most of them.
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: Okay. Wow. So, how have things changed back here in Cookeville, Tennessee, in the Upper Cumberland, since winning?
Jake Hoot: I don’t know that there’s hardly anything that’s the same. I feel like everything’s been twisted up a little bit, you know, and in a good way, everything’s just kind of been fast-tracked and fast pace.
Senator Bailey: Let me ask this question. Did you always want to be someone that was going to be a music star, someone that was, in other words, there are people that that end up becoming country music stars, pop stars that love music, but they have such a gift and a talent, that they just love playing and singing, and ultimately, fate deals them a hand that they’re a superstar, but yet they just love singing and playing. Did you, in your mind, ever think that you would be where you are today, or were you comfortable in being someone that loves to sing and play?
Jake Hoot: Yeah, I don’t think I ever envisioned making it to this point. I do know that I’ve always loved to play and sing, and my dream was always to just make people feel things when you play music, whether it’s bringing back good memories, whether it’s them remembering something from when they were in high school or at their prom, and they heard that song, that was always the thing that I loved about music is because music is timeless. But to be where I’m at now and to have people, almost everywhere I go, recognize me and want to get a picture and want to get an autograph, to me, it’s incredibly humbling, because it’s just, I never thought in a million years, and the fact that God has put me here—it’s also terrifying because you get all the eyes on you now, and you got a lot of people that look up to you, and you don’t ever want to let anybody down. You want to be the best example that God wants you to be. But I’m very grateful for it. And, like I said, since the show, I’ve had so many really cool experiences and so many cool people that I’ve gotten to meet. And one of the cool things that I’ve realized is how many Christians there are in the industry that are out there doing what they’re supposed to do and to be able to meet with them and kind of develop relationships and stuff, and make really good music is really special, but never would have thought in a million years. But I’m incredibly grateful that I am here, and I’m just enjoying every second of it.
Senator Bailey: You mentioned Zimmer Broadcasting earlier. Now, I’m assuming that you’re still working with Zimmer, or has your career taken on some—
Jake Hoot: Yeah, so—
Senator Bailey: —and so, a record deal, record label deal, so Zimmer to record label deal. So, and then tell me about this song that you and Jimmy Fortune and where we’re going with that?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir. So, when you sign on with the show, they sign you to a record deal with The Voice. And—
Senator Bailey: Okay, so you just opened another door for me to ask a question because I’m—
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir, let’s go.
Senator Bailey: —and that question is, I’m assuming you get a record deal if you win The Voice like you just mentioned. They sign you for a record deal. And then, I’m assuming that you’re committed, they get a royalty off of your record deal for how long?
Jake Hoot: It depends. It could be a year, it could be a couple years. But I was very fortunate to be able to get out of all the deals that they had.
Senator Bailey: Wow.
Jake Hoot: And it just came down to working with really good people, and having a good team around me. And that’s ultimately what I wanted to do, just because I wanted to be able to have freedom, when I first got off the show, to kind of put out what I wanted to do and work in the circles that I wanted.
That’s not to say that I don’t want a record deal. I absolutely want one, but working independently for a little while is going to be nice, so I can just get all my ducks in a row. But yeah, it’s been incredible, and I’m working towards getting those record deals, and as far as with the radio station, they were incredibly patient with me throughout the whole process. And it had—unfortunately my it’s come to that point where I’m going to have to step away. And as bad as I hate to do that, I always tell people, it goes back to what God said about being a good steward of what he gives us. And, I felt like I couldn’t be in both places at one time. And if I was going to do this music thing, then I had to go all in, and so that’s a pretty recent development as far as me kind of stepping away. But—
Senator Bailey: You know the ladies here at the [trucking] company are going to be very disappointed, [crosstalk] [laughing].
Jake Hoot: I told them a little bit earlier, and they were just like, what, and I said, “I’m sorry, it doesn’t mean I’m not going to be around, I’m still going to be around.” And with a radio station, we’ve talked about some different ideas of where I can come back and kind of do some things here and there. But it’s a blessing to have two things going really, really well, and you have to pick between the two, and so I’m praying and I’m hoping that we make the best run of this that we can. And then as far as the song you’re talking about, that tornado hit and it devastated a lot of things for a lot of people. And, being part of the community that came together to kind of push me through the whole show, I’ve been trying to find ways that I could give back and do things and try to help these people out. And so, I was on my way to a missions trip in Nicaragua, and I was sitting on the plane and I thought, I got on—
Senator Bailey: You say you’re on a mission trip to Nicaragua?
Jake Hoot: Yes, sir.
Senator Bailey: And this was…?
Jake Hoot: Two weeks ago, maybe? A week and a half ago.
Senator Bailey: Okay. So, basically right after—
Jake Hoot: The day after. So it hit Tuesday, and Wednesday I left for Nicaragua.
Senator Bailey: Oh, wow, okay.
Jake Hoot: And I had got on Instagram, and I saw all these different posts about Putnam Strong, Cookeville Strong, Nashville Strong, Lebanon Strong, Mount Juliet Strong. And I thought that’s special. I said, “But why aren’t we all just a unified front?” And so, literally, in 20 minutes, I wrote a song called Tennessee Strong, and I had sent it to Jimmy Fortune, who was with the Statler Brothers who’s just an incredible writer, singer. I mean, just—
Senator Bailey: Absolutely, yeah.
Jake Hoot: And even better than that, he’s an incredible Christian guy. And so, I sent it to him and I said, Hey, can you write the melody for me because I didn’t have a guitar with me or anything. And so, when I got back, he had written some stuff, but I went and met with him. And he said, “I could tell by the lyrics that you poured your heart into this song,” and he goes, “and I couldn’t bring myself to writing a melody without you being here. And so we wrote it, and we’re pretty happy, but we’re going to get it recorded this week, and then all the proceeds from the sales or anything that has to do with this song, we’re donating it to that tornado relief fund.
We had somebody come out and shoot like a video of some of the debris and the wreckage and stuff. And we’re also going to be using some different things, other footage and whatnot to kind of put together a video for it, but it’s just a little way to try to bring some kind of peace to these people that are hurting right now. And if that’s all it does, if the song, all it does is one person that was affected, if it just kind of helps them cope with it because I know a lot of people are struggling mentally right now with what’s going on, and the nightmares and the people I’ve talked to they’re still having nightmares, and so, if this song can at least just touch somebody, then it’s done way more than I could ever hope. So, that’ll be released before too long, hopefully in the next week or so, and we’ll get that out and see what, see where it goes from there
Senator Bailey: Well, that’s awesome. And, of course, what we saw immediately following the tornado and how Tennessee turned out to help the Cookeville, Putnam County area, it was unbelievable. Those are the same people that helped you on The Voice—
Jake Hoot: Absolutely.
Senator Bailey: —and it just goes to show what a great community that we have, and that we live in. So, you and I share some good friends, Dailey & Vincent, and especially with Jamie Dailey, and I had the opportunity to be at the Opry the night that Jamie Dailey had invited you to come and sing at the Grand Ole Opry. What a great experience—
Jake Hoot: Oh my goodness.
Senator Bailey: —and I was so happy to be able to share that with you that night, and my family. So, I think that was an awesome experience. And again I just—
Jake Hoot: Oh yeah, and I’m incredibly grateful that I got to do that, and the fact that y’all came out. You know, and Jamie, he and Darren kind of made that happen. And the fact that he didn’t even know me from the next guy and the fact that he went all out to help me and get me lined up was really special. So, I’m very grateful for that.
Senator Bailey: Two of the greatest guys, Jamie Dailey, and Darren Vincent. And just, so much like you’re saying, just very humble gentlemen that have made it in the bluegrass world. And obviously, they appreciate and always are trying to promote the Upper Cumberland, and so, we’re so happy. And then, of course, I had you come down to the Tennessee State Senate. And it was—many of our members, many of our Senate members talked about how you were a blessing to them that day and singing Amazing Grace on the floor of the Senate and, of course, our national anthem. And they so appreciated that, and so that—
Jake Hoot: Oh, appreciate you having me down. That was really special.
Senator Bailey: Yeah. So, we were very happy to have you that day. And thank you for doing that. Just a couple more questions and I promise we’ll closeout.
Jake Hoot: You’re fine.
Senator Bailey: This has just—
Jake Hoot: I’m having a blast.
Senator Bailey: —has just been great. So who is your biggest musical inspiration?
Jake Hoot: Oh, I would say probably, I have to go with the Eagles.
Senator Bailey: Oh, yeah, okay.
Jake Hoot: I love that style of music. I love their harmonies. I love their in-, I mean, they were the complete package.
Senator Bailey: And they’ve been a little timeless, too.
Jake Hoot: Absolutely. Yeah, oh, I don’t know how many different places I’ve played to college students and everybody’s requesting Eagles tunes. And so, yeah I just love the writing, I mean, everything about that band was just, to me, it was incredible. And so yeah, I think they’re probably my biggest musical influence.
Senator Bailey: Wow, that’s awesome. A lot of artists always point and go to the Eagles, and obviously, as someone that is working their way, working their way up, sing a lot of the Eagles songs, so I think that’s just awesome. Well, before we close out, obviously you’ve told us about your song that you and Jimmy Fortune have written and basically allowing all those proceeds from that song to go to the relief fund here in Putnam County and Cookeville. Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our audience before we close out?
Jake Hoot: Absolutely. Obviously from The Voice standpoint and from where my music is taking me, I just want to say thank you to everybody who showed up big, and showed so much love and spread the word, but more than that, coming back to the tornado and stuff, I just want to let everybody know that it’s incredible to see the help and the way everybody came together for that. And just know that I love you and I’m praying for you, and, obviously, if there’s anything I can do, just let me know. But, I’m just incredibly grateful to be part of Tennessee, and so. And thank you so much for having me on the show and for everything you’ve done, and—
Senator Bailey: Oh, well, hey—
Jake Hoot: —I’m looking forward to the future.
Senator Bailey: Hey, I appreciate you taking out some time to be with us today because I know you’re very, very busy. And so I really appreciate that and congratulations again on being the winner of The Voice, of the 17th season of The Voice, and I just think that Tennessee in the Upper Cumberland is so proud of you for doing that.
This is state Senator Paul Bailey, you’re listening to Backroads and Backstories.
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