Casey Weston On Being The Voice After ‘The Voice’ - Interview

If you think you might know the name Casey Weston from somewhere, it’s likely you remember her from the very first season of The Voice in 2011, one of the top 8 finalists who was regularly compared to Stevie Nicks and performed a celebrated version of KT Tunstall’s ‘Black Horse & The Cherry Tree’, praised in such publications as Rolling Stone and more. Yet, following her mentoring by coach Adam Levine and eventually being voted off the show, Casey delved straight into her future career recording and touring and even performing the National Anthem for NASCAR, Major League Baseball and the NBA. She has also opened for artists like Kellie Pickler, Tim McGraw, Justin Moore, Craig Morgan and James Otto, and played over 70 shows in 2013 throughout the East, Southeast and Midwest. Amongst all this, the 21-year-old Naples, Florida native released her sophomore album, a 13-song collection entirely written or co-written by her entitled Find The Moon, the follow-up to her self-titled release back in 2009. I got the chance to have a chat with Casey about her experience on The Voice, her identity as an artist and what’s still to come for her. Read on for the interview!

Hi Casey! First of all, tell me about your life growing up in Naples, Florida. When did you first know you wanted to be a singer and musician, and what attracted you to country?

I always loved the beach and growing up in a place where you could play and be outside year round. I always call Naples a Utopia because for me that’s what it was. I always loved to sing. I would put on little shows growing up, and stand on the coffee table singing Celine Dion. But it wasn’t until I first started playing guitar and writing songs that I realized it’s what I wanted to do with my life. My songwriting has always lent itself well to the country genre because I love the storytelling in a song, and that definitely fits with the country world.

What made you take the decision to audition for The Voice?

It was actually on a whim that I auditioned for The Voice. I hadn’t auditioned for anything musical before so it was kind of just a shot in the dark, and I thought it would just be a learning experience to see what those kinds of auditions were like. Little did I know I would end up where I did.

How did that experience affect you as a person and as an artist?

I grew so much as an artist and as a person from my experience on The Voice. It really pushed me out into the real world to really experience first-hand all the good and bad there is. I was 18 when I was on the show, and I would never call myself naive, but I wasn’t quite expecting all that I was about to encounter. The fact that I made it through such a hugely stressful and super high stake experience has left me with a lot of confidence in who I am and who I want to be.

When you left the show, how did you pick yourself back up again, and what did you do next?

I actually didn’t mind being eliminated. I was happy and pleased with how far I got in spite of the circumstances I was up against. I just went on The Voice tour and moved up to Nashville to a one bedroom apartment a week later.

Do you still keep in touch with Adam Levine and let him know how you’re doing with your career?

Adam has a whole different life then I do. As an independent artist we don’t have all that much in common. I still wish him the very best, and think he’s an awesome dude.

You were compared a lot to Stevie Nicks whilst on the show. How did that feel?

I love love love Stevie Nicks. She’s one of two artists that I really am I true fan of 100% so for me, that was an incredibly wonderful and humbling compliment.

You’re still only 21 years old, and yet you’ve already accomplished quite a lot in a short time. How do you keep yourself grounded? Do you feel you’re more mature than most 21-year-olds?

I would say because of my life experiences and what I’ve been doing for the past five years that I definitely had to mature and handle a lot more than 21 year olds normally have to and that might contribute to the fact that I feel like I might be a little more mature then the norm. But keeping myself grounded is easy. I just do what I love, and I love to be real and honest. So being grounded is essentially just being who I am.

If someone had never heard your music before, how would you describe it to them?

I would call it Songwriter, Rock, Folk, Americana? Haha I love all kinds of music. So being an independent artist is awesome for me because I don’t necessarily have to stick to one specific sound or one specific genre. I’m a fan of a lot of different music so I want to keep growing and putting out all different kinds of music. Whatever song I put out, if it means something to me, I don’t care if it fits in a box or not, I’ll be proud of it.

Speaking of which, who are some of your biggest musical influences?

I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Bob Marley, and the golden Oldies. And that of course influenced me to produce a certain standard of music, which I hope is a high one haha!

What is your favorite song that you’ve written?

It’s always changing from day to day. I write a new song everyday and sometimes they’re great songs and I like them right away, and the other times not so much. I’m usually just singing the most recently written song in my head and think it’s my favorite ever until I write a new one.

You’ve performed the National Anthem for NASCAR, MLB and the NBA. Is sport a big passion of yours or was it just a case of taking opportunities?

A little bit of both. I think sports are pretty cool. The drive and passion it takes to get to that level inspires me, because it relates to the kind of determination it takes to get far in music as well.

You also have toured a lot over the past few years. Where is your favorite city/state to play, and what is your favorite kind of venue?

I love listening rooms, where people come to specifically listen to songs written by an artist or songwriter. But I also love playing an outdoor festival too. The spirit, excitement, and the outdoors is pretty much a great combination to share some music with the world. And the state of Washington on a nice sunny day cannot be beat, so I’d say anywhere in that state would be one of my favorite places to play.

What are you up to this year? Recording any new music?

I’m in the process of writing for my new release right now. I’ve already got two songs for sure, maybe a third and fourth and fifth. Actually I’ve got a ton of songs I’d like to share, so there will definitely be more Casey Weston music out there soon.

Finally, do you have any long term goals you’d like to fulfil?

One Word: Grammy.

You can find Casey Weston on her website, on Facebook, on Twitter, on YouTube, on Reverbnation and you can buy her music on iTunes and CD Baby.