Arroe Collins That Voice: A Decade With The Performers On NBC's The Voice

Van grew up in Texas on a 15-acre farm as one of 10 children. From an early age he dreamed of being a cowboy, but always had a deep love for music. He started singing in church and taught himself to play guitar. At 19, Van moved to Oklahoma to fulfill his dream of being a cowboy, but realized after a year that he was cut out for something more creative. He taught himself to be a graphic designer and landed a job in Seattle as an art director for a coffee chain. He was able to focus more on his music in Seattle, but ultimately decided to move to Nashville for more opportunities. Van is still a full-time graphic designer and continues to write songs and sing, and comes to "The Voice" in hopes of jumpstarting his music career.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Mandi started singing at a young age and has been classically trained since she was 11. She continued her musical studies in college and began teaching vocal lessons after graduation. Mandi has dedicated herself to teaching and has put her own music career on the backburner due to struggles with self-confidence. Two of Mandi's former students have been successful on "The Voice," and she realized it wasn't fair to push them to do something she didn't have the courage to do herself. Mandi comes to "The Voice" to take her own advice and focus on her personal music aspirations.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Ben was raised in church and first started singing in the choir. He continued singing in the school chorus but didn't seriously pursue music after high school. It wasn't until he was 31 that he performed at an open mic on a whim and loved every second of it. He formed a duo and later his own five-piece band, the Ben Allen Band, which is now one of the biggest bands in southwest Florida. For the past 10 years, he has been a construction inspector by day and musician by night. Although Ben has had success in his band, he comes to "The Voice" to see if he has a shot at being a solo artist.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Tayler is one of five kids and grew up in a musical family where everyone sang and performed together. Her dad is a pastor and music producer, and she spent a lot of time recording with him in their home studio. In college, Tayler began writing and performing her original music and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time. She landed a gig composing all the tracks for a movie and was even cast in a lead role. Although she has found success, Tayler is still working several jobs to make ends meet, including helping her younger brother at his sneaker rehab store. She hopes "The Voice" will help her find the financial freedom to focus exclusively on music.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Samantha has been singing her entire life. She credits Miley Cyrus for inspiring her love for music and encouraging her to find value in herself and not what others think. At 13 and already independent, Samantha booked her own weekly gig at a local ice cream shop and began posting her music online. At 17, she was invited to California to make an album and spent an entire month away from home recording music. Samantha has gigged all over Virginia and recently moved to Nashville to pursue music on a bigger scale. Samantha has been able to support herself with her music, but is ready to take her career to the next level on "The Voice."

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Megan was raised by a single mom after her parents divorced when she was 7. It wasn't always easy living on her mother's waitressing income with four other siblings, so Megan used music as a distraction. Her grandmother encouraged her to start singing, and when Megan turned 15 her mom signed her up to sing at a restaurant. After that, Megan decided she wanted to sing professionally and has been playing open mics ever since. Outside of music, she works as a waitress, dishwasher and cashier at the restaurant her mom now manages. Megan, who uses her wages from the restaurant to help run the house with her mom, recently bought her first car.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Marisa was raised in a lively Italian family and was inspired to get into music by her trumpet-playing dad. Her journey began as a classical pianist and she played her first professional gig with an orchestra at Julliard when she was in the first grade. She performed at Carnegie Hall at 9 and began singing soon after. She landed a publishing deal at 19, but eventually got burnt out with music. At 21, Marisa came out as a lesbian and spent the next few years working various jobs. She later graduated from college and got back into music. For the past five years, Marisa has been a performer at Mastro's Steakhouse both in New York and now in California.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Tanner grew up in Arizona and has always loved country music. Sadly, when he was young, his mother battled with an opioid addiction after sustaining injuries from a car accident. His family began to struggle and Tanner turned to music for comfort. He joined the choir and, after high school, moved to California where he learned guitar and started songwriting. After winning several karaoke contests, including the 2012 Karaoke World Championship in Las Vegas, Tanner felt validated to continue his musical journey. He spent the next few years in Arizona, reconnected with his mom and started touring with his band that quickly found local success. Tanner now lives in Nashville and has spent the last year playing gigs on Broadway.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Arei grew up speaking both Kriolu and English with her parents, who immigrated from Cape Verde, a small island chain off the coast of West Africa. She started performing at her neighborhood block parties and was asked to open for LL Cool J when she was 12. From that moment on, Arei knew the stage is where she was meant to be. Her family later moved to Orlando and Arei went on to sing in the school choir and eventually became a full-time musician after college. Arei and her husband are holding off on starting a family while she pursues her career as a solo artist.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Hey it’s Arroe. This is Play It Forward. A look at the unexpected changes endured by entertainers, writers, camera people and all others affected but not infected by the global invasion of the Coronavirus.
Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward.
Episode 188 with Chloe Hogan from NBC’s The Voice Season 19
Her musical journey started after receiving a piano for Christmas. She taught herself to play it by ear and began singing soon after.
Chloe enrolled in a magnet high school for chorus, and later started writing her own songs. She now lives in Nashville and attends Belmont University where she’s studying music business.
Plus she’s also teaching Black Music in America to kids online as a way to give back and empower a new generation of musicians.
That’s Play It Forward. You can listen to the full conversations with these artists on three different podcasts. Like Its Live, Unplugged and Totally Uncut and View from the Writing Instrument found on all digital platforms.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?