Kristen Merlin was a Top 5 finalist on Season 6 of The Voice on NBC.
NBC’s Emmy-winning show The Voice pits coaches against each other as they fight to bring auditioning singers onto their teams, singers who then compete with each other to escape elimination each week based on America’s votes. Different from American Idol or other such shows, the artists competing on The Voice are oftentimes regulars in their cities' bar scenes or have spent years seriously pursuing a career in music before the show and all of America “discovers” them.
Houla Entertainment, a Tennessee-based promotion company, now boasts an impressive roster of eight past Voice contestants from seasons 3-7, spanning a range of genres from country and indie to pop and R&B.
“What we offer is a little different,” said Lee Mayer, Houla president and CEO. “Because we have so many Voice artists, I take it a step further. For performing arts centers and different types of venues I can offer The Voice tour. I’ve got anywhere from one artist up to eight. It’s basically them doing miniconcerts for you. Generally the number I like to get is four.”
Mayer’s interest in the show was initially sparked when Will Champlin was a contestant in Season 5.
“I was watching him perform, and somebody asked me if I’d be interested in him,” said Mayer. “Well, of course I was interested in him. They connected me to some people in his camp, and as soon as the show was over, I immediately sent out emails.”
Will Champlin.
Champlin was a Top 3 finalist and as soon as he ran out his time with the show and the following tour, she started working with him. From there, she signed Kristen Merlin, a Top 5 finalist from Season 6, whom she had met while Merlin was on tour with the show. After those two artists came on, Mayer said it took off from there.
“They saw Will and Kristen and started seeing the different artists we were getting, and then they start contacting you,” said Mayer. “I have relationships with folks in American Idol, America’s Got Talent and different casting directors, so if I see somebody, I can make a call. But I really follow the show to see what’s going on and look at people I might be interested in. They could be finalists, they could win or it may be somebody who doesn’t make the final, but I know they’re good and I know they’ve got what it takes, so I start working on getting them into the Houla umbrella.”
Matthew Schuler was signed when Mayer was watching reruns of Season 5, heard him sing “Hallelujah” and sent an email on his webpage. Schuler’s management called her and ended up signing with Houla Entertainment, bringing Season 5 contestant, Brandon Chase, with them. Next, Vedo from Season 4 came on, then Chris Jameson, Damien Lawson and DOMO.
In the beginning, Mayer said they would have the most success with college shows, because the younger audiences watch The Voice and even participated in the voting. Even at a recent showcase in Connecticut, Mayer said a group of girls came up to Chase after he performed and told him they never missed a chance to vote for him when he was on the show.
“And I thought, wow they’re dedicated, die-hard fans that will follow him anywhere,” said Mayer. “I have Will’s fans who know my cell number because it’s on my business card, and they’ll text me and ask me to bring him to Tampa or wherever. I’ve had requests from other countries even. Once they see them on The Voice, they feel connected. They become a part of that and they never leave. They’re a part of their fan base forever.”
Now, these artists play anything from fairs and festivals to corporate events. Because of The Voice, artists like Kristen Merlin have built a large following on social media, creating a national and even international audience. Merlin and her band were popular regulars in the Boston and South Shore bar scene with a modest following of their own that exploded during the show.
“Social media blew up immediately from the first blind audition night,” said Merlin. “Then from there, people just got behind me during the show. So now it’s not just the locals and everyone who knew me from the South Shore, but I’ll fly anywhere and I’ll get stopped still two years after being on the show and people want pictures and want to talk with me about it. That’s just an instant kind of fan base. Making those translate into people coming out to shows and purchasing the music I put out and stuff is a really great platform to jump off of.”
Merlin has played a variety of different shows since leaving The Voice, including intimate private events and huge crowds like those at Marshfield (Mass.) Fair. Currently, Merlin is working on a new country-pop album and has been collaberating with different songwriters and producers in Nashville.
“I want to move as many people with my music as possible,” said Merlin. “The biggest thing I took away from being on the show was people thanking me for being me and being an inspiration to them and allowing them to not be fearful of certain things. I’m doing what I love to do, and by me just doing that, it was moving people in different ways. That was incredible to me.”
Champlin also agrees that the exposure from the show was a valuable piece of the experience.
“It definitely got my social numbers up and a pretty good guarantee of people showing up to different events,” said Champlin. “I utilize everything, every single platform I have, and I’m blasting it out if I have a show. It’s exposure, it’s also becoming a larger dot than I was.”
Champlin is also a two-time Grammy award winning songwriter, with his latest project debuting on One Direction’s new album, “Made in the A.M.,” out Nov. 13. The song, called “Wolves,” was co-written by Champlin and could mean big things for his career.
“It’s amazing. I did The Voice thing, but then I have a song on One Direction’s album, which is the bomb,” said Champlin. “Having that kind of pedigree, it’s such a great place to build from. I’m so glad to be going forward in this way. I’m hoping that it may open up more doors for people to come on board with my project and what I want to do.”
Mayer said being able to market these artists as past Voice contestants can help get them through the door, but it always comes down to their voice and talent.
“I have to sell them on their voice,” said Mayer. “I can always start out with their stint on The Voice, but they have to have a really good voice to follow. If you get on YouTube and see half-a-million views or 1.5-million views or whatever it might be, that speaks highly. You pretty much know that people will listen to their music, and that gives you a good deal when you talk to buyers about this is what I have.”
Beyond their performance ability, Mayer said she looks for someone who is appealing to a number of different markets. She pays attention to whether they would do well in performing arts centers, fairs, corporate events or college shows. Equally important is someone who will be able to talk and interact well with people.
“If you don’t think they can talk to people, they’re not going to do well,” said Mayer. “I really need people to be friendly and outgoing and talk. As much as the performing is a big part of it, the talking is, too.”
With Houla Entertainment’s growing roster, Mayer said they can get anywhere from a couple to 20 requests for representation in a week. People are constantly contacting her to see if she’s watching The Voice and a particular artist they think would be a good fit for her.
“It’s crazy at this point,” said Mayer. “We really have to pick the cream of the crop. I have certain people on the roster that are so good, it has to be up there with the very best for us to bring them on. If they’re from The Voice, it’s an added plus, but it really has to be somebody that stands out that I feel like can really do something.”
Interviewed for this story: Lee Mayer, Will Champlin and Kristen Merlin (865) 414-9266