This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Kelsie Watts: Hi, I'm Kelsie Watts, and welcome to The Theatre Podcast with Alan Seales.

[0:10] Alan Seales: Hi, everyone, and welcome back to The Theatre Podcast. I'm Alan Seales, and today we've got a powerhouse guest whose journey is taking her from the recording studio straight to the Broadway stage. You may know her from The Voice, where she blew everyone away with her soaring high notes, or for her work as an independent singer-songwriter blending pop and theatrical influences, but now she's stepping out into an entirely new spotlight, making her Broadway debut as Jane Seymour here in Six on Broadway. In this episode, Kelsie opens up about her path from opera training to pop music, how she built her career as an independent artist, and what it took to land a role in a hit Broadway show after years away from musical theatre, which is a result of a chance encounter with a musical director from Six on a random showboat gig in Missouri. Plus, we get into her passion for mental health advocacy, the reality of being an artist in today's crazy industry, and of course the behind-the-scenes stories about Six, and she gives us a little bit about her new upcoming single, which I can't wait to hear. If you aren't already, be sure to follow the podcast wherever you're listening now, and check out Patreon or Spotify for the video versions of this conversation. And if you do see the video, you'll see that I'm in the studio again with Kelsie. This episode is powered by welcometotimesquare.com, the billboard experience that lets you be a star for a day. Now let's get into it. Everyone, please enjoy this episode with Kelsie Watts. Our guest today is an amazing vocalist and songwriter. Songwriter? Songwriter. You're an amazing... We're going to have an outtake. We're going to have a whole series of outtakes for this episode. A songwriter. A songwriter. Our guest today is an amazing vocalist and songwriter who first made waves on season 19 of The Voice with her unforgettable high notes and bold performances after landing on Team Kelly, a lifelong musician with a passion for storytelling. She's built a career in the recording industry, blending pop and theatrical influences into her signature sound. Beyond performing, she's a dedicated advocate for mental health awareness, using her platform to encourage self-care and resilience in the entertainment industry, and now she's making the leap to Broadway, stepping onto the stage for the first time in a whole new way as Jane Seymour in Six. Oh my gosh, Kelsie Watts, welcome to The Theatre Podcast.

[2:27] Kelsie Watts: Hi, how are you?

[2:28] Alan Seales: Oh, I'm good. I can't speak this morning, but I'm doing great.

[2:32] Kelsie Watts: It's cool. We'll have another cup of coffee.

[2:34] Alan Seales: More coffee, more coffee.

[2:37] Kelsie Watts: Songwriter is a pretty hard word to say when you're rushing and...

[2:42] Alan Seales: Oh, absolutely.

[2:43] Kelsie Watts: Anything with a W in it.

[2:45] Alan Seales: It's like water, water, W's in song, W's and R's.

[2:48] Kelsie Watts: I know.

[2:50] Alan Seales: Yeah, so you have had this long history of being a singer-songwriter, and something that I really admire about you is I think still you are independent?

[3:01] Kelsie Watts: I am.

[3:02] Alan Seales: Right, okay.

[3:02] Kelsie Watts: Yes, I'm independent.

[3:04] Alan Seales: So asking for a friend, what does it mean to be signed to a label versus being independent? Because you're out there everywhere, but what are you doing versus what a label would do or whatnot?

[3:15] Kelsie Watts: Right. I mean, I think there's pros and cons to both, for sure. A label provides you mass visibility. They have very large budgets, and that's very helpful. But your timing is very monitored and controlled. What you're required to do, sometimes creativity is different. So as an independent artist, I'm in full control of everything. My teams, my management, my songwriting, who I want to work with. The only downside is the budget is all on me. So we're talking about budget for marketing, for distribution.

[3:55] Alan Seales: But now with everything being digital in the digital age, is distribution, you're not physically making CDs anymore, are you?

[4:04] Kelsie Watts: No, not CDs necessarily. But if you think about it, paying instrumentalists, other musicians, producer, mixer, master, videographer, photography, makeup artist, stylist, it just goes...

[4:18] Alan Seales: Oh, sure. Hair and makeup is no joke.

[4:20] Kelsie Watts: I know. Thankfully, I can do my own most of the time. But whenever it's like a music video, I'm like, I'm definitely hiring somebody for this.

[4:27] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[4:28] Kelsie Watts: So I mean, even though we're not physically manufacturing CDs to listen to, there's still a lot that goes into just the content creation for all of the music.

[4:37] Alan Seales: And you still do music videos. You're still creating. You were just telling me you've got a brand new single that is going to come out. It isn't out yet as we're recording this called Fit In. You've got your other single that I love, After Midnight. I've seen you. I mean, we're going to talk about performing I Dare You for Kelly Clarkson. And I Can't Say Goodbye, another beautiful, beautiful song. All of these songs that you're putting out there. And you're creating it all on your own. Because when you hear Grammy winners winning things, they're always like, I want to thank my producer, blah, blah, blah. Don't they come with the label, the producer or whatnot? Or are you producing technically your own content then?

[5:18] Kelsie Watts: Like you have to thank yourself when you win your Grammy?

[5:20] Kelsie Watts: I'd like to thank me.

[5:21] Alan Seales: I'd like to thank me.

[5:23] Kelsie Watts: For everything I've done for me. No, no, I mean, the thing is, like being an artist, you still, yes, I'm doing it independently on my own. However, you have a whole group of people around you that are also helping you with it. So like, you know, so I'm worked with a producer, DQ is the one that did Fit In. That's going to come out soon. So he built the track. We did vocal production together. I helped produce in a sense of like picking sounds and picking different clips of my voice and things like that. But as far as the actual physical, he's the one on the computer doing all of the things.

[5:57] Alan Seales: Pushing the knobs.

[5:58] Kelsie Watts: Yes, yes.

[5:59] Alan Seales: Pushing the sliders, turning the knobs.

[6:00] Kelsie Watts: I can do a little bit, but not like that.

[6:02] Alan Seales: Right.

[6:02] Kelsie Watts: So I will definitely be like, shout out DQ, thank you for being awesome.

[6:06] Alan Seales: Well, then what is your, when you're writing, like you have a theatrical influence, like backing up then. So Little Kelsey, I love saying this. So Little Kelsey, when you were like a baby kid, whatever, when did you start singing? Was it, were you also dancing? Where did the theatrical side of all this come from? I ask long winded questions, by the way.

[6:21] Kelsie Watts: No, I love questions that are long winded. So yes, just wind up to when, or rewind to when you were a kid, right? So tell me how you got into all of this and give me that progression.

[6:32] Kelsie Watts: Man, so it's going to sound incredibly cliche and I'm so sorry, but I've literally been singing since I was two. Came out of the womb. Like I probably, the first video we have, I was two years old and I was on the fireplace mantle in Looney Tunes pajamas singing this song called The Basics of Life by a group called For Him. It's like an old gospel group. And that's the first video we have of me. I have a video. I'll send you the video.

[7:00] Alan Seales: Okay.

[7:00] Kelsie Watts: I have it. Okay. I have it. I'll send it. But I grew up in a really musical household. Both my mom and my dad went to music school. My dad was a music minister for a long time. My mom used to teach music. They both played the piano and sing. And so it was just kind of been in my DNA. My mom has more of like the classical musical theater influence. Very professionally trained. My dad learned how to play the piano at a blues bar. His dad would bring home the piano player from the blues bar whenever he was a kid. And that's how he learned to play the boogie woogie. So it's just two very different musical influences. So I was brought up listening to Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, these massive powerhouse divas. But then also Def Leppard, Boston, Kiss, Journey, Guns N' Roses. So it's a very interesting flow, which is why I would call myself pop rock. Just from the influence that I've come from. But I love the big voices. So it's just been a big hodgepodge of influence.

[8:01] Alan Seales: When was the first... Do you remember the first show that you saw? Like what age were you when you first got into watching musical theatre on stage?

[8:08] Kelsie Watts: Oh gosh. The very first show I saw was probably like a high school production of something. But the first one I remember seeing in person was Les Mis. That's the first one that I really remember being like, oh my gosh, this just changed my life. And then whenever I was little, my parents were taking a road trip. And I was in the backseat of the Suburban. And they were playing... Fontaine was dying. And then I'm literally like... We're literally like... Why they wanted to listen to this on a road trip, I don't know. But it was like the 10th anniversary version. And I'm in the backseat just sobbing. Because I'm like, oh my gosh, she's dying. And my mom looks back and is like, see, it's okay. It's not real. I was like, yes, it's real. Like lost it. So I think Les Miserables was definitely the first musical that made me feel something.

[9:01] Alan Seales: Interesting for Fontaine.

[9:04] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[9:05] Alan Seales: Wait, I don't know the characters well enough. I'm a horrible Les Mis musical theater person.

[9:09] Kelsie Watts: No, that's fine.

[9:10] Alan Seales: So Fontaine, was she the daughter? Or was she...

[9:12] Kelsie Watts: She was the mother.

[9:13] Alan Seales: Wait, who was Anne Hathaway?

[9:15] Kelsie Watts: Anne Hathaway, Fontaine.

[9:16] Alan Seales: Fontaine, okay, good.

[9:17] Kelsie Watts: So I was about to make a giving up your hair joke. But I didn't realize if that was appropriate to the character.

[9:25] Alan Seales: Poor thing.

[9:26] Kelsie Watts: Poor thing. Yeah, oh my gosh. You know, like in the book, she showed her front teeth too.

[9:30] Alan Seales: No.

[9:30] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[9:31] Alan Seales: Yeah, they didn't do that to Anne Hathaway.

[9:33] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, thank God.

[9:33] Alan Seales: Thank God.

[9:34] Kelsie Watts: Oh my gosh. Tom Hooper. I'd be like, you can use CGI for that. I'm not taking out my front teeth.

[9:39] Alan Seales: There you go. Nope.

[9:41] Kelsie Watts: So you're growing up in a musical theater, interperforming, singing, songwriting. And then when did you start writing your own stuff? And then did college, was that in the picture? And then Nashville is where like a lot of people go to become singer-songwriters.

[9:55] Kelsie Watts: Right.

[9:56] Alan Seales: When was that a decision?

[9:57] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, so I actually went to Texas Tech in Lubbock for about a year and a half. I did opera all through like middle school, high school, early college.

[10:07] Alan Seales: Classically trained.

[10:07] Kelsie Watts: I'm classically trained. Yes. So and honestly, I owe the majority of my technique and being able to sing how I do to opera.

[10:15] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[10:16] Kelsie Watts: Because that technique was, holy cow, they're beasts. It's crazy. And then I was like, I've always loved Broadway and always really wanted to do it. But for whatever reason, I just felt really inspired. And I was like, no, like I want to sell out arenas. Like I want to do what? Well, now Lady Gaga. But like, you know, people like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, you know, Beyonce, like Pink, Billie Eilish, like these massive artists that are literally traveling, getting to just sing their music all the time. And I was like, no, I have something to say. Like, I have things I want to tell people. And it just started coming out in music. So that was why I ended up transferring to Belmont in Nashville. And so I studied commercial music and music business in Nashville. And that was kind of the process of, I learned a whole lot. I was in this group called Phoenix, which is like an ensemble. It's like a pop rock ensemble, like eight to 10 people. But you have to learn how to make charts and how to speak to the band and how to be able to speak guitar and drums and bass.

[11:18] Alan Seales: You have to speak band?

[11:19] Kelsie Watts: Yes. Which is, it's a thing. You have to learn how to like actually communicate and be like, OK, no, I want to instead of like, which is hilarious, but it's real. I had to understand how to, what kind of lights I wanted, what kind of set design I wanted. So that way it prepared me for whenever I'm doing my own shows. I'm not just like a stupid singer looking at everybody going, I just like to sing. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it's just this business as a whole takes a lot more than just singing.

[11:53] Alan Seales: Yeah, yeah. We'll talk about the label stuff.

[11:56] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So that's how I got into Nashville. We had a couple of family hiccups. We lost my brother back in 2013, which is the first year that I started at Belmont. So that really threw off my trajectory of just like my music. And so I took a bit of a break and didn't really like hardcore pursue anything until, gosh, like 2018, 2019. I started to be like, hey, I think I'm going to try the social media thing. Give it a shot, maybe put forth some effort. And then in 2020 is when I did The Voice. And it was in 2020 that I started releasing music after the show, just putting out whatever I possibly could.

[12:35] Alan Seales: So was it, were you recording in 2019 and it came out in 2020? Because 2020 famously has this little pandemic thing, right?

[12:42] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, yeah, just a little bit. Yeah, the pandemic ruined everything in 2020.

[12:46] Alan Seales: I know. So when was, when were you filming versus when it aired? I don't remember the timeline.

[12:50] Kelsie Watts: We filmed in 2020. Like early, early?

[12:53] Kelsie Watts: Like, no, no, no, like in the middle of the pandemic, like in July. I lived in the Burbank Marriott for like three months.

[12:58] Alan Seales: So they had you all quarantined.

[13:00] Kelsie Watts: Yes, it was. It was wild. But it was right before then that I really started trying to learn how to songwrite, to work with, how to, like how to connect with producers, how to even connect with other artists and, you know, how to do shows because that wasn't something I'd ever done. I had a passion for it, but I hadn't actually pursued it. So 2020 is really whenever I started pursuing artistry.

[13:30] Alan Seales: That's insane. That is insane, the timeline, because you have such a huge following and such a fan base now. Not even five years later, not even five whole years later.

[13:40] Kelsie Watts: Right.

[13:41] Alan Seales: And you made it through the pandemic. And oh my gosh, like, I can't wait to see you another, like in another five years.

[13:47] Kelsie Watts: I know, it's gonna be insane. I'm like, yeah.

[13:51] Alan Seales: Oh my word. I mean, I was, yeah, it's super exciting.

[13:53] Kelsie Watts: So.

[13:54] Alan Seales: That's so cool. All right. Then how did Six touch your life? Because I was reading, you were performing in Nashville and all of a sudden now you're about to, as we're recording, literally a week you make your Broadway debut.

[14:08] Kelsie Watts: Yes, I'm freaking out. I'm actually, I'm actually passing away in this moment.

[14:15] Alan Seales: So I, okay, so I haven't done a musical since high school. Musical, I love musical theater. It was my first love. But I really did, like, I chose to go down the artist route. Like my hair changes colors and I have lots of tattoos. And unfortunately, theater is, has, now it is, but has not had a past history of being super accepting of that or being accommodating to let's cover it up, let's figure something. You know, like it's just been, you had to fit the mold. Now I'm very, very grateful that that's changed. And it's an incredible industry always. But I didn't think I was ever going to be able to do it. I was like, oh, well, you know, like I didn't go to school for musical theater. I haven't ever done regional theater. Like I haven't done all of these things that these performers work so hard to do. So I, honest to God, never thought it would come to fruition, like ever. It was always in the back of your mind, though.

[15:04] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, I was like, oh my gosh, I'd love to do it. And I was like, oh, maybe I can do kind of like what Jojo did one day, you know, like you have these artists that have career, like Jennifer Hudson, you know, and then came into Broadway because she can. So I really was doing a showboat show. It was, you know, as a singer, any job you can get. Yeah, you just need you need an income. You need a paycheck. This is in Nashville.

[15:27] Kelsie Watts: This was actually in Missouri. It was right before I moved to Nashville. Yeah, like literally two months before.

[15:33] Alan Seales: Okay, so I was doing a showboat gig and we always have like a meet and greet afterwards. And this lady came up to me afterward and handed me her card. And she was like, hi, my name's Roberta. And I just I loved your voice. Like, you're amazing. I'm casting for this new show. Would love to chat. And I was like, oh, great. Like, I didn't think any. I mean, I thought about it, but I wasn't like I didn't know who she was. Roberta Ducek is a massive musical director. Oh, yeah. Like she's a big deal. Like been on Broadway, done like lots of different productions, like worked on Lame as the movie. Like she's she's a big deal. I had no idea at the time. And so when she gave me her card, I was like, oh, neat. This sounds really cool. And so I texted her literally after the show. I was like, hey, girl, so nice to meet you. Like this song's really cool. I really like this song. Like, that'd be great because she sent me the British cast of Six. And I was like, oh, this is great. And I later found out that I was like, oh my gosh, thank God I didn't know who she was, because I don't know if I would have been as like, I'm like, hey, girl, hey, what up? So but that's what started the process of me even being intertwined into Six, you know, so like three and a half years ago.

[16:41] Alan Seales: Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back after this break.

[16:45] Kelsie Watts: Welcome back to the episode. And so, you know, but then the pandemic happened. And like right before I went on to The Voice, like I'd stayed in touch with her. And so she helped me through The Voice. Like we worked together on songs and stuff like that. So we became really good friends.

[17:00] Alan Seales: And so she was coaching you.

[17:02] Kelsie Watts: Yeah. Wow.

[17:02] Alan Seales: Just like, yeah, yeah. Oh my gosh, let's do it. Like I'm she's one of my favorite people ever. I love her. And so whenever I left the show, she asked me if I wanted to come audition for Six. I was like, duh. Like, OK, cool. Like, let's do it. And so I went in a couple of times to just callbacks and was seen for a couple of different characters. But the very first time I went in, I got cut and I asked. I was like, hey, because I'm that person that I want to know why. Good. And I had the opportunity to learn why I got cut. Yeah. And so I was like, hey, I would really just love to know, like, what can I get better at? Like, even if this isn't the show for me, even if I never get cast in this show, what is it as an artist, as a performer like that I can work on to get better? She was like, have you ever acted before? No, I have not. She goes, I would work on that. I was like, awesome. So I emailed the casting director. Also, not knowing that I guess that's not a normal thing, but I emailed the casting director, Peter Van Dan, who I'm also obsessed with. He's amazing. I was like, hey, I need to work on my acting. I would love to start taking lessons. Who do I talk to? Who do I contact? Like, how do I even get into this? And he sent me Benji Shaw, who I've now been working with for like two years. And I love him. And he's actually in New York. But we've been working on Zoom just like once a week or once every other week. And so as we've been working through this last year, 2023, I guess I don't even know what year it is. OK, I still think we're in 2024, but I know it's 2025.

[18:44] Alan Seales: Yeah, it's definitely like February 2025.

[18:46] Kelsie Watts: OK, so next week, Broadway debut.

[18:48] Alan Seales: Yeah, right. Yeah, don't forget. I'll be there. Don't forget.

[18:49] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[18:49] Alan Seales: So May 2023, May or June, July, something like that. A picture perfect afternoon.

[18:53] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, yeah. Picture perfect. Beautiful. Jeremy Hansen, rock show. OK, go. They asked me to come to a boot camp for six. So they brought me out. It was probably a group of like 30 girls. And you could tell there were some that were specifically called for Seymour, some for Parson for this. Some were called for multiple. But I'd actually been brought in for par mostly. And it just didn't work like it is like it wasn't bad. But we just it just wasn't me. I just didn't fit that character super well. So for the boot camp, they brought me in for Seymour. And that was in 2023. And I had a blast. It was like a week long intensive. I mean, oh my word. I don't think I've ever danced that much until now again in my life. But I didn't think anything was ever going to come from it. Like truly. And over a year later, my manager gets a call. And it's like, hey, would Kelsey still be interested in doing this? We have an opportunity coming up in January. And it's not an official offer, but like, is she even open to it? Like, is she free? Sure. And I literally she called me and I go, duh. Like, what do you what do you mean? Am I like, duh? Of course I am. Um, yeah. And then ended up getting the job and literally was on tour for November and December with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Yeah. Three days later, moved from Nashville to New York. So it's it's insane. It's like the timeline is bananas.

[20:20] Alan Seales: So how long are you allowed to say how long your contract is now?

[20:28] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, I'm scheduled for a year. So it's a full year contract, which is pretty standard in a show that isn't going to go anywhere. It's for sure. And that's crazy, though. So it's thinking ahead.

[20:37] Alan Seales: I know like this is getting probably premature because you haven't even gone on yet. Haven't even done it yet. But like looking ahead, do you want to continue to go down the like the day job becomes musical theater and then you're leaving to do independent concerts and things on this on, you know, when in between contracts?

[20:56] Kelsie Watts: Oh, for sure. Oh, oh, I've definitely already thought about this without a doubt. I've already thought about this. I mean, gosh, I mean, we had like we just bought a house in Nashville. And so now we're trying to rent that out. We just put everything in storage. So we're here. And I was like, well, OK, we're we're going to figure something out. And I've already fallen in love with Broadway. I love it. I think it's a blast. And it's also extremely hard work. Like it's oh, it's wild. And this show is deceptively hard. You watch it and you're like, oh my gosh, they're just like dancing and having fun. You don't leave the stage for the entire hour and a half. And it's it's a lot. The stamina is wild. And there's only six of you. There's no backing tracks. There's no like like it's it's just you. So you can't hide. So you have to have really good stamina, but also be a really good dancer and also act and also do the micrography. It's a it's a whole thing. But what I would love to do is be able to further a career in Broadway as well. Like dream roles like Paint Me Green any day would like duh. But like Satine in Moulin Rouge would love to do something like that. Hadestown would love that. And Juliet, I feel like would be up my alley. So there's there's shows that I'm like, oh, that would be a lot of fun. But at the same time, I think what's going to be a really big blessing about being in Six First is it's only an hour and a half long and I'm brand new to New York and I'm still releasing and recording music. So I have a lot of time during the day to be able to still work on my own music and my own content and what I'm building outside of that. So, I mean, it feels weird calling Broadway a day job. Yeah, I guess like that's what the goal would be, you know, is to be able to like have something like this performing, you know, but I mean, gosh, like you look at what Idina Menzel did and Kristin Chenoweth, they built freaking empires, man, like empires off of Broadway.

[22:53] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[22:53] Kelsie Watts: You know, so it's I mean, it's an incredibly prestigious day job. And it's hard. I mean, it's it's your night job, but it pays the bills. And it's like a year long contract on Broadway these days, unfortunately, is still almost unheard of. I know. Unless you're in one of the big ones, Hamilton, Lion King.

[23:12] Alan Seales: For sure.

[23:12] Kelsie Watts: Aladdin 6. Yeah, Wicked, Angelina, the ones you the ones you named Moulin Rouge going right.

[23:18] Alan Seales: Yeah. So that's interesting. And I wonder, too, because of the people you're going to start getting in with if the TV and film is going to come in.

[23:27] Kelsie Watts: I would. That is the goal for sure. Yep. So what I would love to do, because I don't have an agent, so I would love to because of the following I've built on social media over the last year and being able to have the opportunity to be in something like 6, but also releasing my own music. I would love to be able to use all of that to be able to kind of shop around agencies and be like, hey, like, is there one that's a good fit? Can we do television and film? Can we do commercials? Like, because as a creative, it's I feel so selfish things, but I want to do all of it. You know, like I just know that I have the I have the dream and the ambition to be able to do all of it in some capacity, you know, like not to be I want to be a jack of all trades like that's not the goal. But I would love to be able to be a part of things like that.

[24:10] Alan Seales: Are you are you a vision board creator?

[24:12] Kelsie Watts: Yes, I absolutely am.

[24:14] Alan Seales: I was going to say, I can go home. You've got your your wicked your Glinda up here.

[24:19] Kelsie Watts: Oh, my word.

[24:19] Alan Seales: Your Angelina down there.

[24:21] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, but yeah. Oh, oh, for sure. And then I have, you know, like a picture of Zendaya because her being in The Greatest Showman, but then also in Euphoria, but then also making music. I mean, you know, you have people like that that they can't like Lady Gaga is a great example. I mean, she's in so many incredible TV shows, also movies, also still touring. So I'm like, I know it's possible. I know you can do it.

[24:41] Alan Seales: So I would say that someone like Gaga, yeah, is that it's that kind of goal to be able to be in all of it. We can borrow my meat dress.

[24:51] Kelsie Watts: Perfect.

[24:52] Alan Seales: When you win the Grammy and thank yourself.

[24:53] Kelsie Watts: OK, I know. I was like, thank you, Alan, for this meat.

[24:58] Alan Seales: I sewed it together.

[25:01] Kelsie Watts: Oh, Lady Gaga. I love that. I love the trend. I don't know if it's a trend. I just love that it's happening now post-COVID that there are more musical movies coming out. I don't like that they're not being billed as musicals, right? They're like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Mean Girls and whatnot. But now, like, I think Wicked hopefully is going to flip the switch on that.

[25:20] Alan Seales: Oh my gosh. Yeah, because they aired the first trailer for that in last year's Super Bowl.

[25:24] Kelsie Watts: Right.

[25:24] Alan Seales: So they were getting the person of all demographics, of all genders, ages and whatnot. To look at this musical and say, oh, I want to go see that. I wonder what that's about. Incredible. And so now I hope they're, like I said, I just hope they're making more, more musical movies. Because I think singing, dancing, like it speaks to us in a way that we need absolutely right now.

[25:47] Kelsie Watts: Oh my gosh, for sure. Yeah, absolutely.

[25:50] Alan Seales: And I loved, I loved Wicked, like the movie. I had no idea what to expect going into it.

[25:53] Kelsie Watts: Well, I mean, I'd seen the musical, but you know, they always like, you just never know whenever you make a movie about something and you've already seen a stage production, like, wow, that changed my life. Like, you just don't know. But I was like, it can't be bad because Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande would never agree to do something bad. So like, it has to be amazing, but you just don't know going into it. And I was on tour whenever we went to go see the movie and all of us, like all the girls from the tour went and like, I cried. I was like, this is phenomenal. Like all of the set pieces and the cinematography and the acting and the music and like Jonathan Bailey, like all of them, they all were just incredible.

[26:33] Alan Seales: Yeah.

[26:33] Kelsie Watts: Everybody was incredible. I just love, I love that John Chu cared so deeply about building practical sets.

[26:40] Alan Seales: Same.

[26:40] Kelsie Watts: And then I talked with Ethan Slater and I've heard interviews with Cynthia and Ariana too, and they're all very much of the same ilk of just like, when you're there, you don't have to imagine because there's literally a trend. There's literally a field of nine million tulips. How crazy is that? Insane. For like six seconds of screen time, they've planted a field of nine million tulips. Insane. It's crazy. I think I just made up a word. Incredible and crazy. In crazy. In crazy. That's what all the kids are saying. That's it. I don't know. We'll go with it. We'll go with that. Skibbity. Ohio.

[27:16] Kelsie Watts: Right? Right, right.

[27:17] Alan Seales: It's my favorite videos on TikTok. There's a guy and his daughter.

[27:21] Kelsie Watts: Yes, I know exactly who you're talking about.

[27:23] Alan Seales: And he's like, cool, skibbity, whatever.

[27:26] Kelsie Watts: Oh, I don't even know. But like them showing the different ones. I think it's amazing.

[27:33] Alan Seales: No, I try to do it with kids, ironically, because I'm so bad at it. And then my kids tell me that I'm sus because I say sus. I'm like, but you told me I was sus, so you're sus. And like, but that's sus. Wow. So it's just a concept. It's a fun little circle.

[27:49] Kelsie Watts: I love that. Yeah, so then The Voice. If it was filming in 2020, I assume the general audition in 2019? Or how did that process go?

[27:58] Kelsie Watts: So they called me to audition a couple of different times.

[28:06] Alan Seales: They called you?

[28:07] Kelsie Watts: Correct.

[28:07] Alan Seales: And they're like, hey, Kels.

[28:08] Kelsie Watts: Yeah.

[28:09] Alan Seales: Hey, Train.

[28:10] Kelsie Watts: Yeah, well, I mean, they emailed me. Like, they're like, hey, girl, hey. So went to, it was like a scheduled audition. But they'd already brought me in twice and had told me no already. Twice for the casting. So I was like, why are you calling again? Like, why? Like, I'm still the same person. So I don't know. So anyway, but I was like, why not? I'll do it again. So went out to LA and did another audition and ended up making it into the blind auditions. I was like, sweet. I mean, but I didn't expect anything to happen. Again, I didn't expect anything to happen. But that, I guess that was in 2019. It had to have been, like, towards the end of the year.

[29:47] Alan Seales: And you know who the judges are. Was it your choice to sing Kelly's song, even though she was one of the judges?

[29:53] Kelsie Watts: I dare you. It's a complicated answer. Yes and no. So they give you, like, a list of songs you can pick from. And then you can give your top five. And then they pick from the top five for what you can sing. Because you're also with 95 other singers picking from the same list of the same song.

[29:16] Alan Seales: So I don't want the same people.

[29:17] Kelsie Watts: Correct. People sing the same song. Yes. And because of licensing, you can't just pick whatever song you want, you know? So like, so like, whenever people are like, oh my gosh, why did she pick that song? I'm like, dude. That's what they gave me. I didn't have to, like, stop. But I'm like, it's fine. I don't need to explain that to millions of people.

[29:34] Alan Seales: Right.

[29:36] Kelsie Watts: So yeah, I did put it on there. Whenever I saw it on the list, I was like, okay. I am one in 95 singers just trying to be able to audition for the blind audition. Sure. You know, because once the teams fill up, like, you don't get to audition. So you want to be one of the first people.

[29:51] Alan Seales: And the strategic marketing side of me went, okay, Kelly Clarkson is a coach. She just released a new single. Her new single is on this list. If I put that in my top five, nine times out of 10, they're probably going to say, hey, that'll make great TV. Let's give her that song. We'll put her in front of Kelly Clarkson. And I'll be like, oh my gosh, she's singing Kelly Clarkson's song for Kelly Clarkson. Like, how crazy.

[30:26] Kelsie Watts: Every heart you know seems cold and hardened. You may not have the stage, but you still have a voice. You may not have the strength, but if you have a choice, I dare you to love. I