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Adam David will be representing Team Bublé on May 12th’s “The Voice” Live Show. David captivated last week with his rendition of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” and he talked to Deepest Dream about that inspired performance. With goals to tour around the world and connect people with his music, David discusses how his artistry has evolved through the years.
Now six years clean, David was candid and insightful throughout the interview. Check out David’s thoughts on coach Michael Bublé and fellow Team Bublé member Carlos Santiago. Last but not least, he gives insight on the personal connection to his song “Savior.”
I’m here with Adam David from ‘The Voice’ – Team Bublé! What has your journey been like so far up to the lives? Because you’ve been an underdog throughout the competition.
Adam David: Yeah, I guess that’s me, man. I’m the underdog right now. Everyone is amazing. They’re amazing singers. They’re amazing artists. We’ve all gotten very close.
So everyone’s just an amazing person. And there’s so much support from everybody. It’s really been a whirlwind.
You’ve mentioned support. What has a fellow artist like Carlos Santiago meant to you? Not just a fellow artist, but as a very good friend.
Adam David: Yeah, he, I was literally just texting with him this morning. He’s a good friend. We had a lot of talks when we were partners and we got to know each other pretty deeply.
And he knows the things that I struggle with and so he’s always just checking in on me. But then also just vocally, he’s an amazing singer. I’ve actually been taking lessons with him here and there. We’ve had a couple of sessions together where he has just run me through some really great exercises and warmups. It’s been awesome.
You’ve been clean for over five years at least, and you shared that on the show. And what has that been like? People are complimenting you on your music, but I think more importantly, I’m sure you’ve had dialogue with people about your journey and they can relate their own experiences with you.
That must mean a lot to you personally, or am I overreaching on that?
Adam David: It definitely means a lot. Yeah, March 28th was six years. And I got to put on a concert. What I’ve been doing the last couple years is on my anniversary, putting on a concert. So I got to do that this year and we sold out the theater, I’d never done that before.
It was really cool and it was a special day. But yeah, a lot of people have reached out. Thanking me for sharing my experience. A lot of people saying “Yeah, I have two years clean, I have three years clean. I’m struggling right now. Or I have 30 years clean.”
I had somebody reach out and (to reinforce that) I’m doing a good job. It’s a scary thing to put yourself out there. And just to know that I have so much support from people that I don’t even know is a really special thing for me.
You learned guitar at an early age, and I’m thinking at that early age you had different ambitions. But then maybe there’s that element where you’re also doing music to communicate with other people as well. When did that element of your artistry surface?
Adam David: That’s a great question. I started playing guitar when I was eight. And I was always making things, I was always kinda like coming out with little, simple melody things on the guitar. I was just having fun, and my uncle sang so I, grew up seeing him singing and playing and that’s something that I wanted to do.
I started singing around 11 or something. I wanted to write songs and I think at that point I was just, I was just writing for me. I was very angsty, like I’m angry at my mom type stuff, but I wrote all the time.
And it’s an interesting thing. Because I think at that time I was writing for just . . I loved the feeling of the puzzle of finding the right words for what I was trying to say. At some point along the journey, I did get caught in this riptide of maybe writing to write something good, which is very subjective, right?
What I’ve found myself doing lately is trying to go back there and not sitting down to write something good, but to write just to be engaged in the process of writing.
I do have this phrase that I say . . . I think that as songwriters we have this, I think we have a responsibility to find the words that others can’t. You ever hear a song where it’s just like in four words, they say something so concise man, I’ve been trying to say that forever and now there’s a sentence that I can feel some peace from. I think that as songwriters it’s our responsibility to get there.
But I think that the process of getting there is a lot more of just being engaged in the process of it being the antenna, and it comes when it comes. But if you’re always engaged, it always comes. It’s been a long journey. I’ll say that.
You’re pretty good at math because you mentioned four words (which is exactly the word count for) “I Shall Be Released.”
Adam David: Oh, wow. Crazy.
How was performing “I Shall Be Released?”‘ It’s such an iconic and emotional song, so that must have been a great experience for you. Just a great performance.
Adam David: Thank you so much. I think with all these songs I just wanna do a good job, and so thank you for that.
Yeah, I wasn’t familiar with the song initially, embarrassingly. Obviously I’m familiar with Bob Dylan. I’m familiar with Jim Cocker. But there’s this process that happens whenever I’m learning a song.
It takes a minute for me to digest the song so that it can come out organically in a way that I would do it, and it’s almost an uncomfortable thing sometimes because listening to that song, that Joe Cocker version is so iconic. That was the version that we were pulling from and sometimes an artist is so big and so profound that it’s hard to hear anybody else in it.
So it took a minute for me to really like, eat it, digest it, and then (have it) come outta me. But it felt really good. It moved me to tears. It was a release for me. It was after I sang it and I got off stage. (It was) literally body chills and my crown was on fire, and not every song gets me there. It’s a gift.
What has it been like having a supportive coach like Michael Bublé?
Adam David: Yeah. It’s vindicating. It’s reinforcing. I struggle with self-doubt. You know what I mean? And there was something that happened in when I made it to top 20 that it just like occurred to me like how much outside proof do you need to just start believing in yourself?
How many people need to tell you (that) you’re doing a good job, you sound great, whatever. How many people need to say it to me before I can just start to say, you know what, I believe in myself. And that (is) how Michael has been on this whole thing. We’ve had a lot of deep conversations and he’s a really great guy.
People just don’t have to listen to your music on “The Voice.” I think more importantly, they can listen to your music outside of “The Voice” as well. Can you tell our listeners, our watchers, the process you’re talking about, the puzzle and of writing it, whatnot, getting into something as layered as “Savior.”
Adam David: Oh yeah, man, that’s that’s a really important song for me. I wrote half of that while I was still in active addiction. And the process for getting clean for me was going to treatment and I was actually able to go to treatment through a program called Music Cares. I had to apply for it.
They give grants to music professionals who need help and, I wrote the first half of the song at the beginning of that process. It was about a two week process, probably the most dangerous two weeks. And I just could not finish it. I. Once I finally went in, I went into a program called Recovery Unplugged.
And I was there and I did the whole (thing). From detox to the lower levels of care. And it wasn’t until the very last day, that I was getting out, my mom was picking me up, very humbling, that the rest of the song came. I say it’s almost like finishing the song was the gift of making it through to the other side.
Ultimately it’s almost like my higher power talking to me, and it seems to resonate with a lot of people that are also struggling. And I actually play it at the treatment center Recovery Unplugged and I play it for the clients and they’re always asking for it. That’s a special thing because that song bridges two worlds for me.
And if it can help anybody else, that’s an amazing thing.
What has it been like this week working towards the Live Shows?
Adam David: It’s been an intense week. It’s been intense since we’ve been back out for sure. It’s been pretty nonstop. And the way that I’ve been trying to go about this since the beginning has been (to) let go of the outcome.
Just show up. Be present. It’s a really challenging thing to do sometimes. So I’ll be honest, like right now even just the, like the last couple days, my anxiety’s through the roof. I’m trying to be present. I’m trying not to overthink. I’m trying to just do the things that are in my control.
And let go of the rest. I’m trying to just look at it as, it’s a performance. It’s just another performance. It’s not something that my life is dependent on. My mom loves me no matter what, I have people that are supporting me. I also journal every day and that helps me process the whole thing. It’s a lot of thoughts and a lot of feelings, a lot of fears and a lot of hopes and I’m just trying to be present through it all truthfully.
I hate to be a downer, but isn’t that anxiety and overthinking just a real valid sign that you deeply care?
Adam David: A hundred percent. I do care. I wanna win. I want the outcomes. You know what I mean? But this is the thing that I’ve learned. I’m not a very religious person, but I do believe in a higher power. I’m very spiritual. I meditate all the time. And I feel like I can’t control like 99% of things. I can control how I show up.
It’s a sign that I care. But the work is in letting go of that and just showing up. The best that I can, and that’s hard. It’s challenging sometimes when you want something bad enough. It is challenging to let go of wanting,
Where do you see yourself down the road with your music?
Adam David: I see myself putting out original music and traveling the world, performing it. I see that as a vehicle to help other people. Who maybe are still struggling and like I would love to get into a more philanthropic or philanthropic world. I’ve always seen my music as a vehicle to get into that place. So yeah, man, I wanna travel the world playing music. That’s been the dream since I was a little kid.
Thank you so much, Adam! I’ll be buying a ticket down the road.
Adam David: I’ll send you one.
Take care. Good luck on ‘The Voice!’
Adam David: Thanks brother. Appreciate you.
