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Monday was the first night of Knockouts on The Voice, and earlier in the day I interviewed Team Pharrell member Katriz Trinidad. Though she’s 15, Trinidad has a focus, talent, and maturity that’s well beyond her age.
Though she lost on Monday’s knockouts to DaNica Shirey (one of my favorites to win it all this season), Trinidad approached this morning’s interview with a ton of class. I’m still smarting over Pharrell’s ridiculous decision to pair two of his strongest singers against each other.
Shirey is crazy talented, but witnessing Trinidad’s continued growth during the live rounds would have been fun to watch. Blake Shelton, who’s excellent at nurturing young talent, may have been the better fit.
But that’s crying over spilt milk, and Trinidad, as she proved with her performance of “Superwoman,” has an undeniable gift. Her best days are just around the corner.
At such an early age, you have a sense of composure. Where does that come from?
My family raised me to be humble and respectful to others – to my aunties and uncles and to just everyone in general. I guess I just grew up like that. But thank you!
What age did you start singing and also how much have you learned from your experience on The Voice?
I started singing at the age of five so it’s been 10 years now and it kind of feels like I started since I was zero years old! It’s been a great experience so far and I’ve learned more about myself as an artist. I definitely have been growing and I did things that I didn’t even know I was capable of. So it’s been a great experience so far.
What didn’t you realize about your singing? Was it the diversity within your voice or your ability to perform? Or was it a combination of things?
A combination of a lot of things but most importantly the diversity of my voice. I’m a pop, R&B, a little bit jazzy singer but I was able to bring more out of my vocal side because I was paired with Blessing and he’s extremely talented. I had to really step up my game and he had that really soulful side – so I had to just do my best and try to find ways to show my potential as well.
Is there an advantage of working with someone like Pharrell?
Yeah, he knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s been a great experience and I’m so thankful to get feedback from him and just learn from him.
Has it been a surreal experience watching yourself on TV as well as going through this entire experience?
It’s a lot to take in. I’ve made it so far already. I just got into the blind auditions – and it’s so hard to get into that because you need one chair to turn around for you and I got three. I was very thankful for that and it’s been a huge challenge because everyone is extremely talented but I have to keep on pushing through and that’s what I’m doing.
Is singing what you want to do for the rest of your life?
Ever since the age of 7 I started to compete and just getting that feel of the stage when you realize that singing is something I want to do for the rest of my life. It’s something I really want to pursue and yeah, it’s just a dream and I’m living it right now.
What has it been like performing in front of “The Voice” audience?
It’s very nerve wracking before I actually get up there, but then I realize that it’s taped. It’s on TV, and I have to do my best to continue on through the competition. So it’s a lot to take in, but I just tell myself to have fun out there.
Who are the artists or songs that you go back to for inspiration?
I always go back to “At Last.” I really know that song and my uncle who passed away taught me that song. So it’s really dear to my heart, and I love to sing it. I sang it at my blind audition so I was glad about that.
What are the biggest lessons you learned from The Voice?
I guess just experiencing so much from singing competitions I always told myself to rehearse and know exactly what I’m going to do. Gwen Stefani and the other coaches, especially Pharrell, just told me to sing from the heart and put that perfection aside and just do what feels naturally to you. Whatever you feel, they’re going to feel with you. That’s something I’m still trying to work on.
Since I’m 15 years old, I don’t have much experience but I do have to act like I have much experience when I actually go out there and perform. I’ve been getting a lot of great advice from them.
Thank you for your time and take care.
Thank you. You too – bye!
The Voice Knockout Rounds continue Tuesday night (NBC, 8 pm et/pt).
