My Kind of Country (2023): Season 1, Episode 1 - Jimmie Allen's Showcase - full transcript
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First love was this old six string
That was handed down to me
I ain't from the right town or place
But the West wind takes
My voice all across the land
It ain't where you're born and raised
It's the song in my heart
That makes me say every day
Yeah, I'm country made
I'm Jimmie Allen. And Mickey, Orv and I,
we're looking for a winner.
An artist who has a unique sound, authentic,
and the storytelling ability to become
a force in today's country music world.
Believe it or not, my opportunity came
when an artist canceled
and I was called to fill in.
And that night, I met the guy
that changed my life forever.
So, you never know
when your moment's going to come.
So, it's always best to be ready.
I chose my artists because
I like their music.
No matter who you are as an artist
or what you look like,
the music is the first thing
that's supposed to grab people.
And there are so many great artists
that don't have access
to the country music
industry because of where they live.
There's no real market for
country music in South Africa.
The biggest thing
about Indian music is basically Bollywood.
I am one of the minority. I sing in a
language that is not native to my country.
My four artists are
on their way to Nashville.
They've gotta get ready to showcase
a totally unique cover
for just me and the other scouts. We asked
the artists in the beginning to pick
a cover song that they connected with,
whether it's a country song or not,
but one that they would kinda reshape
into their own.
Morning. Today's the day.
I am ready to pack for Nashville.
So excited to come out to Nash.
We're gonna make some new memories.
This is my sister.
She came to the airport to say goodbye.
I don't wanna cry.
Nashville is the country music mecca.
Just to play live music here,
it would be the dream.
We're pulling up at
the legendary Dark Horse Studios,
where everyone from Taylor Swift
to Keith Urban, Alan Jackson,
all these amazing artists
have recorded music right there.
This will be their home base.
This is going to be home
for the next few days. This is... It's mad!
This place looks amazing.
Yeah, we don't really have things
like this in South Africa.
I feel a huge wall of pressure.
We all want the same thing.
We all want the opportunity
to change the trajectory of our lives.
There's a lot on the line.
- I'm pretty excited.
- Yeah.
- I've never been to the US before, so...
- No?
- Yeah, I'm...
- Where are you from, actually?
I'm from Mexico. Yeah.
I still don't believe I'm here,
a little bit.
Back at home, I would make my music
in my bedroom, you know?
I would try and make something
that I hope could change the world with.
But now that I am here, you know,
I have dreams of having my name
in bright lights in Nashville.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey.
Very nice to meet you all.
- How are you doing?
- I'm Justin.
- I'm Dhruv. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. I'm Camille.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hi again.
Ale. Good to see you.
- This is crazy.
- Let's get it started. Yeah.
Seeing the other artists that Jimmie chose
added another level of respect
that I have for him.
To choose people who
are not straight Music Row.
Who are not the country music expectation
of what it should look or sound like.
There he goes. What's up, man?
How you doing, bro?
- It's nice to see you.
- Good to see you out your bedroom, right?
- Yeah, it's a completely different space.
- I bet.
How you liking being in Nashville?
You know,
this is very different from my bedroom.
You could fit many beds in here.
Oh, man.
But, like, everything feels like this
is what Nashville is supposed to be like.
I feel like a kid in a candy store.
A bit like...
- Well, touch the candy, man.
- No.
- Man, just go like this...
- No, I...
One little touch. Ready? Go. Come on.
There you go. See that?
Look, that's what it's supposed to do.
No, this just feels legendary. I think...
I guess I'm being, in a way, where...
With kind of not
getting overwhelmed too much.
I was overwhelmed
when I first came to Nashville.
I remember, you know, we were
recording music at my cousin's house,
in his little bedroom,
a little computer setup, you know?
- Yeah.
- And then actually, like,
going to a studio and, like, seeing it.
First, it might seem intimidating,
but it's like,
- you're still singing into a microphone...
- Yep.
...and all the knobs that you use to mix,
instead of it being on your laptop,
are just right here.
- Yeah.
- You know? It's the same exact thing.
It's actually quite inspiring.
I found many parallels with who he is
and my journey as to how I actually
started getting into music
and started writing songs.
I wonder if I could ever be
the same as him.
I'm Dhruv Visvanath. I'm 30 years old
and I'm from New Delhi, India.
I was born in New Delhi. Then,
lived in Zambia for a bit, in Africa.
Lived in Hong Kong for a bit,
and then England.
And then when I was 16,
my father passed away
and we were forced to pack up everything
and move to Delhi.
I've been here now for almost 13 years.
I started my professional music journey
here and been making music ever since.
I am a solo percussive acoustic guitarist,
or a "SPAG" for short.
Just like a one-man band.
- You always responded to music.
- Yeah.
Everybody thought I'd lost my marbles
because I was supporting
your creative effort,
mostly since your father had died and all.
- Yeah.
- But do you remember what I told you?
- No, I don't remember what you told me.
- I said I will support your passion...
- Yeah.
- ...but not your whim.
Yeah, absolutely.
You know, it's sad to say,
but my whole start to music
and writing songs
was born from the passing of my father.
When it comes to recording the music,
writing it and then releasing the music,
it's just always been in
the confines of my bedroom.
And over the last two years especially,
I've had to try and express my personality
in a space so small.
Where do I write
The Far East and our endeavors
I never really grew up listening
to country music.
But then a few years ago,
a song came out that introduced me
to the world of country.
It was a song by Kacey Musgraves.
Let me lie in the sun
Maybe I don't want
To have another cut on my wrists
I've always looked at Nashville
as singer-songwriter central.
Just being here was so much more
than what could have asked for.
I hope one day I can win a Grammy,
where people come and watch me play.
And I like to think of this as the
start of the rest of my life.
How does one ask for forgiveness
When we're color-blind?
This is the reason why
you let your kids follow their dreams.
What's up?
- Hey.
- How you doing?
- Yeah, nice to see you too.
- You too. You gonna grab a seat?
Yeah, please.
You're a lot taller than I thought.
So, tell me what song
you're thinking about doing.
I'm thinking about
very special song for me.
It's called "Home", by Phillip Phillips.
- I love that.
- Yeah, it's...
- Know you're not alone
- Yeah, that's right.
And you can make this place your home
Yeah.
That song just reminds me of my home,
you know?
I've been just doing
all this musical journey by myself,
just looking for opportunities,
so it's kind of special song for me.
Yeah. Are you gonna play guitar
while you're singing,
- or are you not gonna play guitar?
- Yeah. I'm gonna play the guitar.
- Let's go.
- My lefty guitar.
- I'm a lefty.
- Are you a lefty? Let's go lefty.
Yeah.
When I first heard Ale, she had
this sweet, calming spirit about her.
I thought she was a great singer.
But English isn't her first language,
which might be, you know,
a little challenging to connect with
an American audience,
having the language barrier.
What's up, bro? Man.
- How you doing, buddy?
- Chillin', man.
- It's good to see you over here.
- Thank you.
I've been looking forward
to meeting you, man.
- Yeah, you too, man.
- Like, you're dope, bro.
And I was just, like...
What the hell am I supposed to teach him?
You know what I mean? You know everything.
Nah, there's stuff.
Justin, what grabbed me was
you can feel the experience and the
maturity as a songwriter and a performer.
I'm interested to see how
he connects to these songs emotionally,
show a little softer side.
And if he can mix those two together,
this dude's gonna be a problem.
So, you know we got that showcase.
What song are you doing?
Showcase. Gonna be doing a song called
"Wild World," by Cat Stevens.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, growing up,
that's all my dad used to, like...
All he wanted to hear was Cat Stevens.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Even still today.
I think it's quite special that
my first performance is a song
that my dad loved so much.
When I left, he was just like,
"Go live the dream."
My name is Justin Serrao. I'm from
Johannesburg. I'm born and bred here.
Come on! Here we go!
There's not really
a country music scene in South Africa.
There's an amazing die-hard fan base,
but it's not a big fan base.
The reason why I want to be stateside
and play music there is obviously,
there is people that actually
want to hear the songs that I sing.
Playing, you know, all the amphitheaters
and the amazing venues
you guys have across the country.
That's the dream, to play music.
All right!
I started music at a young age.
From there, I went to a couple guitar
lessons, concerts at schools,
started playing live shows at a young age,
and taught guitar for a long time.
And then I just went
a hundred percent playing live music.
The first time I heard a country song.
I remember Sundays,
driving with my family,
and my mother used to sing all these
old songs as they would come on the radio.
And, yeah, that's when I...
First hearing Elvis and Cat Stevens
and John Denver,
and it stuck with me.
Writing music is like a dear-diary moment.
You write about what you've been through.
Heartbreak. Relationships.
You know, if you write a good song
about a crappy situation,
at least there's some light.
And if some of my lyrics and music
can get people through something,
that's super powerful.
- Good to see you.
- Nice to see you, man.
- Oh, yeah. Good.
- How's it going?
Okay, I'm curious to know what
you're looking to get out of it.
When you're a new artist, I don't know
if you remember, there's, like...
Sometimes, you feel like there's
this pressure where, like, I have to
choose which parts of me,
- musically that I get to share, you know?
- Yeah.
I know the people that I love in country
music, they don't look like me. I get it.
I just refuse to believe that
marketing and images
should dictate who gets to sing
a certain kind of song.
I've lived with it all my life,
and I'm ready to show people
what they've been missing.
You see so many artists
sometimes put themselves in a box.
And then you have this little lane
sometimes that they put you in,
or sometimes people in
the industry put you in,
- and you've got to maneuver in this lane.
- Right.
When people first saw me, you know,
as a Black guy, they're thinking,
"You should be a rapper,"
or "You should be an R&B singer."
And I'm sure Camille has faced
a lot of the same things I have.
But here, she gets the opportunity to be
who she is, a country girl from Carolina.
- You play so well.
- Thank you.
Oh, man.
I mean, I've always thought of myself
as a guitarist who sings...
- Are you kidding?
- ...not the other way round.
- Oh, man. I'm sure you do both amazingly.
- Not a singer who guitars.
I started writing songs
when I was probably 12 or 13.
We didn't have money for instruments,
so we definitely don't have money
for lessons.
So, how did you get your ideas down?
- I would run to the radio...
- Really?
...and I would record
the instrumentals from the commercials.
And it would be, like, a tire commercial,
and I would get, like, the 30 seconds.
And then I would have another tape,
and then I would literally overdub
till I could get, like, you know,
90 seconds or something,
and I would start writing my songs there.
I have never heard of anybody
who does that. That's incredible.
My name is Camille Parker. I'm 32
and I live in Durham, North Carolina.
I discovered country music twice.
The first time I discovered it
was through my grandfather's eyes.
Linda Martell and Loretta Lynn.
More recently, I would say
it's been Mickey Guy ton and Rissi Palmer.
They don't know it,
but they really changed my life.
Navigating the country music scene as
a Black woman is a really hard business.
When I was 17 or 18, I met a record
producer and I sang a Rihanna song,
and it went really well.
And then I sang "Folsom Prison Blues"
by Johnny Cash, and I got cut.
It was almost like they were disappointed
that I wasn't fitting into
what was easy for them to digest.
At first, it really hurt.
And then I stepped back and decided that,
musically, that meant committing to being
the type of country artist I wanted to be.
And now I am laser-focused, I've got big
goals, and I'm here to prove 'em wrong.
- Well, hello there, beautiful.
- Hey.
- How're you doing? Good to see you.
- How you been, baby?
- Good to see you.
- How you doing? Hey, Nana.
- Hi.
- Good to be home.
Yeah, we missed you.
I was abandoned by my mother and my father
before I was even three.
And my grandparents, they are my parents.
They raised me and that's
who I consider mom and dad.
Me and my grandfather, we, like,
always connected over music.
You surprised us one Sunday at church,
when you sing that solo.
- It didn't surprise me.
- No?
No, you really didn't surprise me.
Because he knows about singing.
You just wanted me to be happy
and have some fun.
Thank you for giving me a place
to start learning what I love the most.
I have really big dreams
and really big goals,
and they all started right there.
So, thank you for having
the space where I could find myself...
- I'm glad we could be a part of it.
- Yeah.
Maybe I've been chasing flowers
Running from all the rain
All of these great,
amazing things are happening for me,
but they really started because one
little choir in one little, tiny church
right outside of town gave me a chance
and put a microphone in my hand.
And special things happen sometimes.
This is such a cool opportunity, so
I'm gonna take advantage of the moment.
There's only one shot to impress
me and other scouts at the showcase.
They're gonna be rehearsing with
the legendary music director,
my friend, Mr. Adam Blackstone.
This guy is a beast. You name the artist,
he's worked with them.
He has the ability to pull out the best
in every artist he works with,
especially when it comes
to a live performance.
- Oh, yes. What's up, Adam?
- What's up, bro? Good to see you, man.
How's everything? Come on up.
I couldn't believe it when they told me,
"Okay, you're gonna to meet
Adam Blackstone, the MD."
I was like, "What? Are you joking?"
That's massive. I can't wait
and hear what he has to say
and what he wants to do with
the music and the song.
Beware, yeah
It's so much pressure
because you're playing with
the best session musicians in the world.
These guys are playing with, you know,
Beyoncé and Rihanna and,
you know, everybody.
It's cool.
You get out of your comfort zone.
Yeah, baby, I love you
I have an idea. I... Can...
- You guys are in A minor?
- Yeah.
Like, let me hear it up
a half step because I...
It feels like the top of your range.
You can, like, push a little more.
- Hundreds.
- I would love...
I would love to just hear that up
a half step and...
- Me too. For sure.
- ...I think you can just push through it.
And that will give the emotion.
All right. Let's hear up a half step.
Wait, sorry.
Now
- All right.
- You like it up there, better?
- Definitely.
- All right, cool.
I think we should stick to that one...
Yeah, it's cool. It's way better.
I get to release, you know?
- Like, actually give it...
- Yep. Cool. Let's keep it there.
- Thank you.
- Great job, man.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you, bro.
Pressure's on. Just need time
to go back and practice by myself.
- Ready?
- Yep.
This opportunity feels like
it's once in a lifetime.
There's always been this fear
of not being able
to feel fully independent.
My dream should not
put pressure on my family.
I need to be my own man,
and I need for my dream
to help me be my own man.
I understand now that this is
the chance that I've been waiting for.
That is a vibe.
- I'm a huge fan of your style.
- Thank you.
Omar been telling me about
this crazy tuning.
- Yeah.
- Show him your tuning, bro.
- So, it's a...
- Full major chord?
Yeah, it's, like, a...
- Substitute.
- Yeah, it's a substitute.
Play it one more time for me.
So, it sounds nice when you play,
like, some...
I love it.
And then on top of that,
just, like, some percussion.
A little light percussion, yeah.
I couldn't afford a drummer.
Yeah. Listen, you don't need one.
If I have any criticism,
it's just watch your pitch,
specifically when you do
the alternate thing, which I love,
but just execute them just as well as
you're executing everything else.
- Absolutely, yeah.
- All right. Best of luck, man.
- Thank you. Thanks, Clay. Thanks, Omar.
- Yep. Good job, Dhruv.
You know,
the people around me are amazing singers.
And I've always thought of myself as
a guitarist who sings
and not the other way around.
And I think it puts a lot of pressure
on me to nail tomorrow.
- Hey, guys. Morning.
- Ale.
- Hey, hey.
- How are you? It's good to see you.
- Glad to see you, Adam.
- How's everything?
You are in Nashville.
We're so excited to have you.
- Yeah. Sorry.
- How has it been for you?
- It's like... I'm so excited. Yeah.
- Great.
I'm Ale Aguirre and I'm 27 years old.
And I live in Mexico.
What I try to express with my music
is just the feel of freedom,
the feel of passion... and heartbreak.
I grew up listening to George Strait
and Alan Jackson with my stepfather.
That was, like, my first contact
with country music.
In Mexico,
the main genres in there are mariachi.
It's kind of, like, the same of country.
But country, it's more acoustic.
So I was very interested about
writing your own stories,
because country music,
it's about being you. I just love it.
I grew up in Chihuahua,
where my family lives.
But I've had to move around MĂ©xico
to pursue my musical dreams.
It's tough being so far from my family
and I miss them a lot.
As a Latin artist,
being here is huge opportunity.
It's a lot of pressure because winning
could completely change my life.
I'm nervous, but I think I'm ready.
Hold on
"Home" is such a special song
for me because
it's that song that connects me
and reminds me
that place where I used to live.
I'm gonna make this place your home
Yeah.
That is awesome.
Your pitch is, like, so spot on.
Maybe even at the end,
just take your time.
- I wanna make this home
- Okay.
- Just a little bit at the end.
- Slowly, like... Yeah.
- Yeah. Great job. Good luck.
- Thank you.
This is a new experience for me,
so I'm just focused on the good things
and the good experience
and just taking a deep breath.
Then, everything's fine.
That's sounding good. Here we go.
Beautiful. Thank you.
You look out the window
For this showcase,
my biggest focus is be vulnerable.
Be my true self.
Let that flower unfold petal by petal.
That's what I'm here to do.
Cowboy
Yeah.
Right at the modulation
I just want you to take your time.
What's the first... Play that first chord.
- Look
- The window
That right there sets the tone for
the whole thing.
I need that to be... You got to nail that...
- Nail it. Okay. Yeah.
- ...emotionally, vocally, pitch...
Like, that's going to be like,
"And now we're listening."
- All right. Okay.
- You got it. All right. Great job.
- Thank you very much.
- Super proud.
- Awesome. Thank you.
- Great job, y'all.
For me to nail my showcase performance,
I'm going to have to be in
the moment 150%.
I know how hard I've worked
to get to this point.
Being a Black woman in country music,
I have a lot to prove to a lot of people,
and it starts with this showcase.
Well, y'all, it's showtime now.
Mickey, Orv and I,
we're looking for a winner.
What artist is gonna bring it?
What artist isn't?
Either way, it's time to get it done.
- Jimmie.
- What's up? What's going on, y'all?
- Hey.
- What's up, man?
- How y'all feeling today?
- You're looking good.
- You know.
- Yes, you are.
I'm trying to keep up with y'all guys.
I'm so excited to hear these new artists,
and this is gonna be amazing.
I think you guys will dig
what these artists have to offer,
and I think they're all kind of
just missing that opportunity.
- So, who's first up?
- Up first, we have Dhruv.
- Dhruv, what's up, bro?
- Hey!
- How you feeling?
- Hi, guys.
I'm going to be playing
"Ring of Fire" for you guys.
I did feel a little scared because
I have to figure out how to,
you know,
do something I was already insecure about.
I'm just caught in a spot where I really
do have to push myself beyond anything.
Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
And I fell into a ring of fire
I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames, they just went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
He's very good.
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
And the taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
Oh, I fell for you like a child
Oh, but this fire
This fire burns wild
I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames, they just went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
Yes. Dhruv!
- Yeah!
- Sounding good. Let's go.
- Thank you.
- Hi.
I felt the song. I loved it.
Just being here proves
that I fought my own demons
to try and prove myself wrong,
that I could do something like this.
Hey, it sounded great.
Literally listening to it,
I forgot it was a Johnny Cash song.
- It was so him.
- Same.
It was his own style.
It's a style I've never really
actually kind of heard before.
It's really, really unique.
- That was amazing.
- Dhruv set the bar so high.
- I can't wait to see more.
- Yeah, I can't wait.
When I'm in moments where I am unsure,
you know,
there's a door between me and my future.
That's when the nerves start to creep in.
If I were to be anxious about anything,
it would just be,
like Adam said,
making sure that I emotionally connect.
- Let's get ready for Camille.
- I'm ready.
- Camille, what's up, girl?
- Hi.
Hello.
How are you?
My name is Camille Parker, and the song
I'm gonna sing for you today is
a song that really touched me when I was
finally jumping off the cliff
to do what I feel I'm meant to do.
So, this is "Space Cowboy"
by Kacey Musgraves.
You look out the window
While I look at you
And saying I don't know would be like
Saying that the sky ain't blue
And boots weren't made for
Sitting by the door
So, if you don't wanna stay anymore
You can have your space, cowboy
I ain't gonna fence you in
Go and ride away in your Silverado
I'll see you around again
And I know my place
And it ain't with you
Yeah, sunsets fade, and love does too
Yeah, we had our day in the sun
When a horse wants to run
Ain't no sense in closing the gate
You can have your space
You can have your space, cowboy
I ain't gonna fence you in
We had our day in the sun
When a horse wants to run
Ain't no sense in closing the gate
You can have your space
Cowboy
- Boy, that hit me.
- So good.
- Get out of here, girl. Yes!
- Yeah. Girl, get outta here, please.
- God, go. Wow.
- So good!
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- Thank you very much. Thank you.
- So great. What a voice. Come on.
That got me. The way she sang that song,
it hit me like no other.
- Yeah.
- And you could feel, like, her emotion,
her vocal tone to the passion.
- Absolutely.
- Wow.
- That was really special and beautiful.
- It was a special moment.
I'm just worried about the language.
I don't feel like I can express myself
completely speaking in English,
and that's... that frustrate me.
Up next, we have Ale.
- Ale's from Mexico.
- Okay.
She has a very unique voice
and I like it a lot.
So, the song that I chose
to perform tonight,
it's called "Home" by Phillip Phillips.
And, you know, being in unfamiliar places
could be sometimes a little scary,
but as long as you remember that
home is where your heart is.
So, hope you enjoy this.
Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave
Is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna
Make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
Trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost
You can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna
Make this place your home
I'm gonna make this place your home
Yeah!
I'm getting chills!
Come on, kid!
Oh, my God.
- Wow. Well done.
- You killed that!
- That was amazing.
- I was so nervous.
I think seeing the shift where at first,
I feel the beautiful, almost,
like, indie quality to the voice.
And then when it kicked in
and it was, like...
- The oohs.
- She was feeling it.
I mean, I wanted to get up and,
like, dance.
It's so important for the Mexican culture
to be in country music, first of all.
Yeah.
The first vaqueros. Everything that we do,
the style, everything is inspired...
That whole country western vibe.
We need it on a mainstream level.
Absolutely.
Adam asked me to bring it up half a step.
I played it a bit lower my whole life.
So, to step it up, you know,
it was a new space for me vocally.
You know, we're doing new arrangements
and there's elimination,
so of course I'm nervous.
- So, you have one more.
- Got one more. This is Justin.
- So, let's see what Justin's gonna do.
- All right.
This is a song called "Wild World"
by Cat Stevens.
And I hope you guys are gonna enjoy.
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart
You're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
'Cause if you wanna leave
You take good care
I hope you find a lot of
Nice things to wear
But a lot of nice things
Turn bad out there
Oh, baby, baby It's a wild world
It's hard to get by
Just upon that smile girl
You know I've seen a lot of
What the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna
See you sad, girl
Don't be a bad girl
If you wanna leave
Take good care
I hope you make a lot of
Nice friends out there
Just remember there's
A lot of bad everywhere, yeah
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by
Just upon that smile, girl
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you, yeah
Like that child, girl
Hey!
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Yeah, baby I love you
Yeah. He's a performer.
- Wow. Oh, my God.
- Yo, y'all stepping it up today.
Yeah. I like that, bro.
- So Good.
- Shot.
Hopefully we see you again. I don't know.
- Yes!
- Hey. You killed it, bro.
Thank you.
- Thank you so much. Cheers!
- Cheers.
Come on!
So, now I've done my performance.
I think I've nailed it.
Adam's suggestion to tweak my track
a half a step up,
it really opened up my voice to the song.
You rock.
He literally came, walked to the stage,
sat on the couch, kicked his shoes off
and said, "Y'all enjoy." You know...
He brought, like,
such energy to that stage.
Oh, yeah. He brought it.
I love, like, some good country rock too,
you know.
So, like, that energy is, like, very
appreciated. I just thought it was great.
And it's so needed
in country music as well.
Like, country rock has made such
a resurgence, for sure.
Wasn't that exactly what you
were kind of hoping we were...
- We were gonna see from these artists?
- It was exactly what I needed.
So,
what did y'all think about Captain Dhruv?
I fell into a burning ring of fire
- His voice was buttery. It was velvety.
- I bet you about to say "velvet".
Dhruv carries this confidence with him.
Whatever he was doing
in his bedroom during this pandemic,
he was ready for the world to hear it.
- And he... An incredible guitar player too.
- Exactly. Same.
- Yeah.
- I mean, that was, like...
It was really cool, like,
a really kind of unique picking pattern.
And, I mean, he's super talented.
All right. Let's talk about Camille.
You can have your space, cowboy
When Camille performed,
the sincerity, the vocals...
- That whole metaphor... Oh, yeah. She is.
- And she's beautiful. Like, what the hell?
Professionalism in being able
to show her emotion, but yet not over sing.
- Right.
- That takes restraint.
It takes discipline.
You can kind of feel that spirit that,
like, you know,
she's getting up again over and over,
and like that is the passion
and the authenticity...
- Absolutely.
- ...that is just...
It just separates, like,
artistry from a performer.
Ale.
If you get lost
You can always be found
- I love her.
- Yeah.
She took that song that's normally a
big vocal song and she still made it hers.
- Sound cool.
- She stayed true to the song,
- and you believed her and you felt it.
- Yeah.
I really heard her culture
in what she was doing.
Absolutely.
But I also heard country music.
A hundred percent.
Which is so important,
because her culture is country music.
Absolutely.
- Justin.
- Damn.
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
He's a performer. He's an entertainer.
I told you, he's seasoned,
like, he's done it.
- I felt like I was at a show.
- Great voice.
Yeah. He was comfortable and confident
- without the obnoxious arrogance.
- Great voice and great guitarist.
Wasn't arrogant at all but very confident.
But you could tell he knows,
"I'm good at what I do."
- Yeah.
- He does.
- I love that.
- Yeah.
Well, I guess my question is, with Justin,
'cause he is such a great entertainer,
is there the room there to show us,
like, even more growth down the line?
Every single artist
brought it so hard today.
And I feel like country music
needs all of them.
Now, this decision's gonna be tough.
I was not expecting this level of talent.
They all delivered their performances
in a way that shocked me.
Since I'm their scout, Orville and Mickey
let me have the room to myself,
so I could tell my artists who's staying
and who's going home.
What's up? Grab a seat.
Yeah. Y'all girls grab a seat.
Y'all can stand right there.
First off, no matter what happens,
I couldn't have been prouder,
than to be the one that was called,
your scout.
You know,
that's why this whole competition...
At the end of the day, there's one winner.
So, here we go. Let's do this.
I'm not going to drag it out anymore.
Dhruv, great performance.
You're safe.
Ale, the way you mix country music
and Hispanic culture,
country music needs you.
So...
you're safe.
Camille...
I know you've been
putting in work for a long time.
And I know you've been let down before.
And I didn't want to be the one to do it,
so I'm not gonna start now. You're safe.
Justin, man,
you are an amazing entertainer.
- Cool.
- And I just wanted to say, man...
- It was a great journey.
- ...I appreciate you coming but
you're not over. You're safe too, bro.
Come on!
Are you serious?
Oh, man.
- Did you like the theatrics though?
- No!
One artist was supposed
to go home tonight.
I asked them to be great
and they delivered.
- Come on!
- There you go. Yeah. Oh, yes.
Not a missed note.
Not a missed emotional connection.
Like, honestly, like,
I see you all as equal peers.
We're all musicians.
The only differences between you and me
is the opportunity,
and this is your opportunity.
- So, y'all have fun. Y'all be safe.
- Cool.
I feel like, you know,
greatness should not be held back,
and tonight there was greatness
in all four of these artists.
So, I can't ask them to deliver,
and they deliver, and send them home.
- Come on!
- Oh, yeah. I'll see y'all.
So, I'm looking forward to seeing
if Orville and Mickey's artists
achieve the same greatness because,
whether you go home
the first week or the last week,
at the end of the day
there's only one winner.
---
First love was this old six string
That was handed down to me
I ain't from the right town or place
But the West wind takes
My voice all across the land
It ain't where you're born and raised
It's the song in my heart
That makes me say every day
Yeah, I'm country made
I'm Jimmie Allen. And Mickey, Orv and I,
we're looking for a winner.
An artist who has a unique sound, authentic,
and the storytelling ability to become
a force in today's country music world.
Believe it or not, my opportunity came
when an artist canceled
and I was called to fill in.
And that night, I met the guy
that changed my life forever.
So, you never know
when your moment's going to come.
So, it's always best to be ready.
I chose my artists because
I like their music.
No matter who you are as an artist
or what you look like,
the music is the first thing
that's supposed to grab people.
And there are so many great artists
that don't have access
to the country music
industry because of where they live.
There's no real market for
country music in South Africa.
The biggest thing
about Indian music is basically Bollywood.
I am one of the minority. I sing in a
language that is not native to my country.
My four artists are
on their way to Nashville.
They've gotta get ready to showcase
a totally unique cover
for just me and the other scouts. We asked
the artists in the beginning to pick
a cover song that they connected with,
whether it's a country song or not,
but one that they would kinda reshape
into their own.
Morning. Today's the day.
I am ready to pack for Nashville.
So excited to come out to Nash.
We're gonna make some new memories.
This is my sister.
She came to the airport to say goodbye.
I don't wanna cry.
Nashville is the country music mecca.
Just to play live music here,
it would be the dream.
We're pulling up at
the legendary Dark Horse Studios,
where everyone from Taylor Swift
to Keith Urban, Alan Jackson,
all these amazing artists
have recorded music right there.
This will be their home base.
This is going to be home
for the next few days. This is... It's mad!
This place looks amazing.
Yeah, we don't really have things
like this in South Africa.
I feel a huge wall of pressure.
We all want the same thing.
We all want the opportunity
to change the trajectory of our lives.
There's a lot on the line.
- I'm pretty excited.
- Yeah.
- I've never been to the US before, so...
- No?
- Yeah, I'm...
- Where are you from, actually?
I'm from Mexico. Yeah.
I still don't believe I'm here,
a little bit.
Back at home, I would make my music
in my bedroom, you know?
I would try and make something
that I hope could change the world with.
But now that I am here, you know,
I have dreams of having my name
in bright lights in Nashville.
- Hey, guys.
- Hey.
Very nice to meet you all.
- How are you doing?
- I'm Justin.
- I'm Dhruv. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. I'm Camille.
- Nice to meet you.
- Hi again.
Ale. Good to see you.
- This is crazy.
- Let's get it started. Yeah.
Seeing the other artists that Jimmie chose
added another level of respect
that I have for him.
To choose people who
are not straight Music Row.
Who are not the country music expectation
of what it should look or sound like.
There he goes. What's up, man?
How you doing, bro?
- It's nice to see you.
- Good to see you out your bedroom, right?
- Yeah, it's a completely different space.
- I bet.
How you liking being in Nashville?
You know,
this is very different from my bedroom.
You could fit many beds in here.
Oh, man.
But, like, everything feels like this
is what Nashville is supposed to be like.
I feel like a kid in a candy store.
A bit like...
- Well, touch the candy, man.
- No.
- Man, just go like this...
- No, I...
One little touch. Ready? Go. Come on.
There you go. See that?
Look, that's what it's supposed to do.
No, this just feels legendary. I think...
I guess I'm being, in a way, where...
With kind of not
getting overwhelmed too much.
I was overwhelmed
when I first came to Nashville.
I remember, you know, we were
recording music at my cousin's house,
in his little bedroom,
a little computer setup, you know?
- Yeah.
- And then actually, like,
going to a studio and, like, seeing it.
First, it might seem intimidating,
but it's like,
- you're still singing into a microphone...
- Yep.
...and all the knobs that you use to mix,
instead of it being on your laptop,
are just right here.
- Yeah.
- You know? It's the same exact thing.
It's actually quite inspiring.
I found many parallels with who he is
and my journey as to how I actually
started getting into music
and started writing songs.
I wonder if I could ever be
the same as him.
I'm Dhruv Visvanath. I'm 30 years old
and I'm from New Delhi, India.
I was born in New Delhi. Then,
lived in Zambia for a bit, in Africa.
Lived in Hong Kong for a bit,
and then England.
And then when I was 16,
my father passed away
and we were forced to pack up everything
and move to Delhi.
I've been here now for almost 13 years.
I started my professional music journey
here and been making music ever since.
I am a solo percussive acoustic guitarist,
or a "SPAG" for short.
Just like a one-man band.
- You always responded to music.
- Yeah.
Everybody thought I'd lost my marbles
because I was supporting
your creative effort,
mostly since your father had died and all.
- Yeah.
- But do you remember what I told you?
- No, I don't remember what you told me.
- I said I will support your passion...
- Yeah.
- ...but not your whim.
Yeah, absolutely.
You know, it's sad to say,
but my whole start to music
and writing songs
was born from the passing of my father.
When it comes to recording the music,
writing it and then releasing the music,
it's just always been in
the confines of my bedroom.
And over the last two years especially,
I've had to try and express my personality
in a space so small.
Where do I write
The Far East and our endeavors
I never really grew up listening
to country music.
But then a few years ago,
a song came out that introduced me
to the world of country.
It was a song by Kacey Musgraves.
Let me lie in the sun
Maybe I don't want
To have another cut on my wrists
I've always looked at Nashville
as singer-songwriter central.
Just being here was so much more
than what could have asked for.
I hope one day I can win a Grammy,
where people come and watch me play.
And I like to think of this as the
start of the rest of my life.
How does one ask for forgiveness
When we're color-blind?
This is the reason why
you let your kids follow their dreams.
What's up?
- Hey.
- How you doing?
- Yeah, nice to see you too.
- You too. You gonna grab a seat?
Yeah, please.
You're a lot taller than I thought.
So, tell me what song
you're thinking about doing.
I'm thinking about
very special song for me.
It's called "Home", by Phillip Phillips.
- I love that.
- Yeah, it's...
- Know you're not alone
- Yeah, that's right.
And you can make this place your home
Yeah.
That song just reminds me of my home,
you know?
I've been just doing
all this musical journey by myself,
just looking for opportunities,
so it's kind of special song for me.
Yeah. Are you gonna play guitar
while you're singing,
- or are you not gonna play guitar?
- Yeah. I'm gonna play the guitar.
- Let's go.
- My lefty guitar.
- I'm a lefty.
- Are you a lefty? Let's go lefty.
Yeah.
When I first heard Ale, she had
this sweet, calming spirit about her.
I thought she was a great singer.
But English isn't her first language,
which might be, you know,
a little challenging to connect with
an American audience,
having the language barrier.
What's up, bro? Man.
- How you doing, buddy?
- Chillin', man.
- It's good to see you over here.
- Thank you.
I've been looking forward
to meeting you, man.
- Yeah, you too, man.
- Like, you're dope, bro.
And I was just, like...
What the hell am I supposed to teach him?
You know what I mean? You know everything.
Nah, there's stuff.
Justin, what grabbed me was
you can feel the experience and the
maturity as a songwriter and a performer.
I'm interested to see how
he connects to these songs emotionally,
show a little softer side.
And if he can mix those two together,
this dude's gonna be a problem.
So, you know we got that showcase.
What song are you doing?
Showcase. Gonna be doing a song called
"Wild World," by Cat Stevens.
Oh, yeah.
I mean, growing up,
that's all my dad used to, like...
All he wanted to hear was Cat Stevens.
- Yeah. Yeah.
- Even still today.
I think it's quite special that
my first performance is a song
that my dad loved so much.
When I left, he was just like,
"Go live the dream."
My name is Justin Serrao. I'm from
Johannesburg. I'm born and bred here.
Come on! Here we go!
There's not really
a country music scene in South Africa.
There's an amazing die-hard fan base,
but it's not a big fan base.
The reason why I want to be stateside
and play music there is obviously,
there is people that actually
want to hear the songs that I sing.
Playing, you know, all the amphitheaters
and the amazing venues
you guys have across the country.
That's the dream, to play music.
All right!
I started music at a young age.
From there, I went to a couple guitar
lessons, concerts at schools,
started playing live shows at a young age,
and taught guitar for a long time.
And then I just went
a hundred percent playing live music.
The first time I heard a country song.
I remember Sundays,
driving with my family,
and my mother used to sing all these
old songs as they would come on the radio.
And, yeah, that's when I...
First hearing Elvis and Cat Stevens
and John Denver,
and it stuck with me.
Writing music is like a dear-diary moment.
You write about what you've been through.
Heartbreak. Relationships.
You know, if you write a good song
about a crappy situation,
at least there's some light.
And if some of my lyrics and music
can get people through something,
that's super powerful.
- Good to see you.
- Nice to see you, man.
- Oh, yeah. Good.
- How's it going?
Okay, I'm curious to know what
you're looking to get out of it.
When you're a new artist, I don't know
if you remember, there's, like...
Sometimes, you feel like there's
this pressure where, like, I have to
choose which parts of me,
- musically that I get to share, you know?
- Yeah.
I know the people that I love in country
music, they don't look like me. I get it.
I just refuse to believe that
marketing and images
should dictate who gets to sing
a certain kind of song.
I've lived with it all my life,
and I'm ready to show people
what they've been missing.
You see so many artists
sometimes put themselves in a box.
And then you have this little lane
sometimes that they put you in,
or sometimes people in
the industry put you in,
- and you've got to maneuver in this lane.
- Right.
When people first saw me, you know,
as a Black guy, they're thinking,
"You should be a rapper,"
or "You should be an R&B singer."
And I'm sure Camille has faced
a lot of the same things I have.
But here, she gets the opportunity to be
who she is, a country girl from Carolina.
- You play so well.
- Thank you.
Oh, man.
I mean, I've always thought of myself
as a guitarist who sings...
- Are you kidding?
- ...not the other way round.
- Oh, man. I'm sure you do both amazingly.
- Not a singer who guitars.
I started writing songs
when I was probably 12 or 13.
We didn't have money for instruments,
so we definitely don't have money
for lessons.
So, how did you get your ideas down?
- I would run to the radio...
- Really?
...and I would record
the instrumentals from the commercials.
And it would be, like, a tire commercial,
and I would get, like, the 30 seconds.
And then I would have another tape,
and then I would literally overdub
till I could get, like, you know,
90 seconds or something,
and I would start writing my songs there.
I have never heard of anybody
who does that. That's incredible.
My name is Camille Parker. I'm 32
and I live in Durham, North Carolina.
I discovered country music twice.
The first time I discovered it
was through my grandfather's eyes.
Linda Martell and Loretta Lynn.
More recently, I would say
it's been Mickey Guy ton and Rissi Palmer.
They don't know it,
but they really changed my life.
Navigating the country music scene as
a Black woman is a really hard business.
When I was 17 or 18, I met a record
producer and I sang a Rihanna song,
and it went really well.
And then I sang "Folsom Prison Blues"
by Johnny Cash, and I got cut.
It was almost like they were disappointed
that I wasn't fitting into
what was easy for them to digest.
At first, it really hurt.
And then I stepped back and decided that,
musically, that meant committing to being
the type of country artist I wanted to be.
And now I am laser-focused, I've got big
goals, and I'm here to prove 'em wrong.
- Well, hello there, beautiful.
- Hey.
- How're you doing? Good to see you.
- How you been, baby?
- Good to see you.
- How you doing? Hey, Nana.
- Hi.
- Good to be home.
Yeah, we missed you.
I was abandoned by my mother and my father
before I was even three.
And my grandparents, they are my parents.
They raised me and that's
who I consider mom and dad.
Me and my grandfather, we, like,
always connected over music.
You surprised us one Sunday at church,
when you sing that solo.
- It didn't surprise me.
- No?
No, you really didn't surprise me.
Because he knows about singing.
You just wanted me to be happy
and have some fun.
Thank you for giving me a place
to start learning what I love the most.
I have really big dreams
and really big goals,
and they all started right there.
So, thank you for having
the space where I could find myself...
- I'm glad we could be a part of it.
- Yeah.
Maybe I've been chasing flowers
Running from all the rain
All of these great,
amazing things are happening for me,
but they really started because one
little choir in one little, tiny church
right outside of town gave me a chance
and put a microphone in my hand.
And special things happen sometimes.
This is such a cool opportunity, so
I'm gonna take advantage of the moment.
There's only one shot to impress
me and other scouts at the showcase.
They're gonna be rehearsing with
the legendary music director,
my friend, Mr. Adam Blackstone.
This guy is a beast. You name the artist,
he's worked with them.
He has the ability to pull out the best
in every artist he works with,
especially when it comes
to a live performance.
- Oh, yes. What's up, Adam?
- What's up, bro? Good to see you, man.
How's everything? Come on up.
I couldn't believe it when they told me,
"Okay, you're gonna to meet
Adam Blackstone, the MD."
I was like, "What? Are you joking?"
That's massive. I can't wait
and hear what he has to say
and what he wants to do with
the music and the song.
Beware, yeah
It's so much pressure
because you're playing with
the best session musicians in the world.
These guys are playing with, you know,
Beyoncé and Rihanna and,
you know, everybody.
It's cool.
You get out of your comfort zone.
Yeah, baby, I love you
I have an idea. I... Can...
- You guys are in A minor?
- Yeah.
Like, let me hear it up
a half step because I...
It feels like the top of your range.
You can, like, push a little more.
- Hundreds.
- I would love...
I would love to just hear that up
a half step and...
- Me too. For sure.
- ...I think you can just push through it.
And that will give the emotion.
All right. Let's hear up a half step.
Wait, sorry.
Now
- All right.
- You like it up there, better?
- Definitely.
- All right, cool.
I think we should stick to that one...
Yeah, it's cool. It's way better.
I get to release, you know?
- Like, actually give it...
- Yep. Cool. Let's keep it there.
- Thank you.
- Great job, man.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you, bro.
Pressure's on. Just need time
to go back and practice by myself.
- Ready?
- Yep.
This opportunity feels like
it's once in a lifetime.
There's always been this fear
of not being able
to feel fully independent.
My dream should not
put pressure on my family.
I need to be my own man,
and I need for my dream
to help me be my own man.
I understand now that this is
the chance that I've been waiting for.
That is a vibe.
- I'm a huge fan of your style.
- Thank you.
Omar been telling me about
this crazy tuning.
- Yeah.
- Show him your tuning, bro.
- So, it's a...
- Full major chord?
Yeah, it's, like, a...
- Substitute.
- Yeah, it's a substitute.
Play it one more time for me.
So, it sounds nice when you play,
like, some...
I love it.
And then on top of that,
just, like, some percussion.
A little light percussion, yeah.
I couldn't afford a drummer.
Yeah. Listen, you don't need one.
If I have any criticism,
it's just watch your pitch,
specifically when you do
the alternate thing, which I love,
but just execute them just as well as
you're executing everything else.
- Absolutely, yeah.
- All right. Best of luck, man.
- Thank you. Thanks, Clay. Thanks, Omar.
- Yep. Good job, Dhruv.
You know,
the people around me are amazing singers.
And I've always thought of myself as
a guitarist who sings
and not the other way around.
And I think it puts a lot of pressure
on me to nail tomorrow.
- Hey, guys. Morning.
- Ale.
- Hey, hey.
- How are you? It's good to see you.
- Glad to see you, Adam.
- How's everything?
You are in Nashville.
We're so excited to have you.
- Yeah. Sorry.
- How has it been for you?
- It's like... I'm so excited. Yeah.
- Great.
I'm Ale Aguirre and I'm 27 years old.
And I live in Mexico.
What I try to express with my music
is just the feel of freedom,
the feel of passion... and heartbreak.
I grew up listening to George Strait
and Alan Jackson with my stepfather.
That was, like, my first contact
with country music.
In Mexico,
the main genres in there are mariachi.
It's kind of, like, the same of country.
But country, it's more acoustic.
So I was very interested about
writing your own stories,
because country music,
it's about being you. I just love it.
I grew up in Chihuahua,
where my family lives.
But I've had to move around MĂ©xico
to pursue my musical dreams.
It's tough being so far from my family
and I miss them a lot.
As a Latin artist,
being here is huge opportunity.
It's a lot of pressure because winning
could completely change my life.
I'm nervous, but I think I'm ready.
Hold on
"Home" is such a special song
for me because
it's that song that connects me
and reminds me
that place where I used to live.
I'm gonna make this place your home
Yeah.
That is awesome.
Your pitch is, like, so spot on.
Maybe even at the end,
just take your time.
- I wanna make this home
- Okay.
- Just a little bit at the end.
- Slowly, like... Yeah.
- Yeah. Great job. Good luck.
- Thank you.
This is a new experience for me,
so I'm just focused on the good things
and the good experience
and just taking a deep breath.
Then, everything's fine.
That's sounding good. Here we go.
Beautiful. Thank you.
You look out the window
For this showcase,
my biggest focus is be vulnerable.
Be my true self.
Let that flower unfold petal by petal.
That's what I'm here to do.
Cowboy
Yeah.
Right at the modulation
I just want you to take your time.
What's the first... Play that first chord.
- Look
- The window
That right there sets the tone for
the whole thing.
I need that to be... You got to nail that...
- Nail it. Okay. Yeah.
- ...emotionally, vocally, pitch...
Like, that's going to be like,
"And now we're listening."
- All right. Okay.
- You got it. All right. Great job.
- Thank you very much.
- Super proud.
- Awesome. Thank you.
- Great job, y'all.
For me to nail my showcase performance,
I'm going to have to be in
the moment 150%.
I know how hard I've worked
to get to this point.
Being a Black woman in country music,
I have a lot to prove to a lot of people,
and it starts with this showcase.
Well, y'all, it's showtime now.
Mickey, Orv and I,
we're looking for a winner.
What artist is gonna bring it?
What artist isn't?
Either way, it's time to get it done.
- Jimmie.
- What's up? What's going on, y'all?
- Hey.
- What's up, man?
- How y'all feeling today?
- You're looking good.
- You know.
- Yes, you are.
I'm trying to keep up with y'all guys.
I'm so excited to hear these new artists,
and this is gonna be amazing.
I think you guys will dig
what these artists have to offer,
and I think they're all kind of
just missing that opportunity.
- So, who's first up?
- Up first, we have Dhruv.
- Dhruv, what's up, bro?
- Hey!
- How you feeling?
- Hi, guys.
I'm going to be playing
"Ring of Fire" for you guys.
I did feel a little scared because
I have to figure out how to,
you know,
do something I was already insecure about.
I'm just caught in a spot where I really
do have to push myself beyond anything.
Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
And I fell into a ring of fire
I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames, they just went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
He's very good.
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
And the taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
Oh, I fell for you like a child
Oh, but this fire
This fire burns wild
I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames, they just went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
The ring of fire
Yes. Dhruv!
- Yeah!
- Sounding good. Let's go.
- Thank you.
- Hi.
I felt the song. I loved it.
Just being here proves
that I fought my own demons
to try and prove myself wrong,
that I could do something like this.
Hey, it sounded great.
Literally listening to it,
I forgot it was a Johnny Cash song.
- It was so him.
- Same.
It was his own style.
It's a style I've never really
actually kind of heard before.
It's really, really unique.
- That was amazing.
- Dhruv set the bar so high.
- I can't wait to see more.
- Yeah, I can't wait.
When I'm in moments where I am unsure,
you know,
there's a door between me and my future.
That's when the nerves start to creep in.
If I were to be anxious about anything,
it would just be,
like Adam said,
making sure that I emotionally connect.
- Let's get ready for Camille.
- I'm ready.
- Camille, what's up, girl?
- Hi.
Hello.
How are you?
My name is Camille Parker, and the song
I'm gonna sing for you today is
a song that really touched me when I was
finally jumping off the cliff
to do what I feel I'm meant to do.
So, this is "Space Cowboy"
by Kacey Musgraves.
You look out the window
While I look at you
And saying I don't know would be like
Saying that the sky ain't blue
And boots weren't made for
Sitting by the door
So, if you don't wanna stay anymore
You can have your space, cowboy
I ain't gonna fence you in
Go and ride away in your Silverado
I'll see you around again
And I know my place
And it ain't with you
Yeah, sunsets fade, and love does too
Yeah, we had our day in the sun
When a horse wants to run
Ain't no sense in closing the gate
You can have your space
You can have your space, cowboy
I ain't gonna fence you in
We had our day in the sun
When a horse wants to run
Ain't no sense in closing the gate
You can have your space
Cowboy
- Boy, that hit me.
- So good.
- Get out of here, girl. Yes!
- Yeah. Girl, get outta here, please.
- God, go. Wow.
- So good!
- Thank you.
- Well done.
- Thank you very much. Thank you.
- So great. What a voice. Come on.
That got me. The way she sang that song,
it hit me like no other.
- Yeah.
- And you could feel, like, her emotion,
her vocal tone to the passion.
- Absolutely.
- Wow.
- That was really special and beautiful.
- It was a special moment.
I'm just worried about the language.
I don't feel like I can express myself
completely speaking in English,
and that's... that frustrate me.
Up next, we have Ale.
- Ale's from Mexico.
- Okay.
She has a very unique voice
and I like it a lot.
So, the song that I chose
to perform tonight,
it's called "Home" by Phillip Phillips.
And, you know, being in unfamiliar places
could be sometimes a little scary,
but as long as you remember that
home is where your heart is.
So, hope you enjoy this.
Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave
Is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna
Make this place your home
Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
Trouble, it might drag you down
If you get lost
You can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna
Make this place your home
I'm gonna make this place your home
Yeah!
I'm getting chills!
Come on, kid!
Oh, my God.
- Wow. Well done.
- You killed that!
- That was amazing.
- I was so nervous.
I think seeing the shift where at first,
I feel the beautiful, almost,
like, indie quality to the voice.
And then when it kicked in
and it was, like...
- The oohs.
- She was feeling it.
I mean, I wanted to get up and,
like, dance.
It's so important for the Mexican culture
to be in country music, first of all.
Yeah.
The first vaqueros. Everything that we do,
the style, everything is inspired...
That whole country western vibe.
We need it on a mainstream level.
Absolutely.
Adam asked me to bring it up half a step.
I played it a bit lower my whole life.
So, to step it up, you know,
it was a new space for me vocally.
You know, we're doing new arrangements
and there's elimination,
so of course I'm nervous.
- So, you have one more.
- Got one more. This is Justin.
- So, let's see what Justin's gonna do.
- All right.
This is a song called "Wild World"
by Cat Stevens.
And I hope you guys are gonna enjoy.
Now that I've lost everything to you
You say you wanna start something new
And it's breakin' my heart
You're leavin'
Baby, I'm grievin'
'Cause if you wanna leave
You take good care
I hope you find a lot of
Nice things to wear
But a lot of nice things
Turn bad out there
Oh, baby, baby It's a wild world
It's hard to get by
Just upon that smile girl
You know I've seen a lot of
What the world can do
And it's breakin' my heart in two
Because I never wanna
See you sad, girl
Don't be a bad girl
If you wanna leave
Take good care
I hope you make a lot of
Nice friends out there
Just remember there's
A lot of bad everywhere, yeah
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by
Just upon that smile, girl
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
And I'll always remember you, yeah
Like that child, girl
Hey!
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Yeah, baby I love you
Yeah. He's a performer.
- Wow. Oh, my God.
- Yo, y'all stepping it up today.
Yeah. I like that, bro.
- So Good.
- Shot.
Hopefully we see you again. I don't know.
- Yes!
- Hey. You killed it, bro.
Thank you.
- Thank you so much. Cheers!
- Cheers.
Come on!
So, now I've done my performance.
I think I've nailed it.
Adam's suggestion to tweak my track
a half a step up,
it really opened up my voice to the song.
You rock.
He literally came, walked to the stage,
sat on the couch, kicked his shoes off
and said, "Y'all enjoy." You know...
He brought, like,
such energy to that stage.
Oh, yeah. He brought it.
I love, like, some good country rock too,
you know.
So, like, that energy is, like, very
appreciated. I just thought it was great.
And it's so needed
in country music as well.
Like, country rock has made such
a resurgence, for sure.
Wasn't that exactly what you
were kind of hoping we were...
- We were gonna see from these artists?
- It was exactly what I needed.
So,
what did y'all think about Captain Dhruv?
I fell into a burning ring of fire
- His voice was buttery. It was velvety.
- I bet you about to say "velvet".
Dhruv carries this confidence with him.
Whatever he was doing
in his bedroom during this pandemic,
he was ready for the world to hear it.
- And he... An incredible guitar player too.
- Exactly. Same.
- Yeah.
- I mean, that was, like...
It was really cool, like,
a really kind of unique picking pattern.
And, I mean, he's super talented.
All right. Let's talk about Camille.
You can have your space, cowboy
When Camille performed,
the sincerity, the vocals...
- That whole metaphor... Oh, yeah. She is.
- And she's beautiful. Like, what the hell?
Professionalism in being able
to show her emotion, but yet not over sing.
- Right.
- That takes restraint.
It takes discipline.
You can kind of feel that spirit that,
like, you know,
she's getting up again over and over,
and like that is the passion
and the authenticity...
- Absolutely.
- ...that is just...
It just separates, like,
artistry from a performer.
Ale.
If you get lost
You can always be found
- I love her.
- Yeah.
She took that song that's normally a
big vocal song and she still made it hers.
- Sound cool.
- She stayed true to the song,
- and you believed her and you felt it.
- Yeah.
I really heard her culture
in what she was doing.
Absolutely.
But I also heard country music.
A hundred percent.
Which is so important,
because her culture is country music.
Absolutely.
- Justin.
- Damn.
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
He's a performer. He's an entertainer.
I told you, he's seasoned,
like, he's done it.
- I felt like I was at a show.
- Great voice.
Yeah. He was comfortable and confident
- without the obnoxious arrogance.
- Great voice and great guitarist.
Wasn't arrogant at all but very confident.
But you could tell he knows,
"I'm good at what I do."
- Yeah.
- He does.
- I love that.
- Yeah.
Well, I guess my question is, with Justin,
'cause he is such a great entertainer,
is there the room there to show us,
like, even more growth down the line?
Every single artist
brought it so hard today.
And I feel like country music
needs all of them.
Now, this decision's gonna be tough.
I was not expecting this level of talent.
They all delivered their performances
in a way that shocked me.
Since I'm their scout, Orville and Mickey
let me have the room to myself,
so I could tell my artists who's staying
and who's going home.
What's up? Grab a seat.
Yeah. Y'all girls grab a seat.
Y'all can stand right there.
First off, no matter what happens,
I couldn't have been prouder,
than to be the one that was called,
your scout.
You know,
that's why this whole competition...
At the end of the day, there's one winner.
So, here we go. Let's do this.
I'm not going to drag it out anymore.
Dhruv, great performance.
You're safe.
Ale, the way you mix country music
and Hispanic culture,
country music needs you.
So...
you're safe.
Camille...
I know you've been
putting in work for a long time.
And I know you've been let down before.
And I didn't want to be the one to do it,
so I'm not gonna start now. You're safe.
Justin, man,
you are an amazing entertainer.
- Cool.
- And I just wanted to say, man...
- It was a great journey.
- ...I appreciate you coming but
you're not over. You're safe too, bro.
Come on!
Are you serious?
Oh, man.
- Did you like the theatrics though?
- No!
One artist was supposed
to go home tonight.
I asked them to be great
and they delivered.
- Come on!
- There you go. Yeah. Oh, yes.
Not a missed note.
Not a missed emotional connection.
Like, honestly, like,
I see you all as equal peers.
We're all musicians.
The only differences between you and me
is the opportunity,
and this is your opportunity.
- So, y'all have fun. Y'all be safe.
- Cool.
I feel like, you know,
greatness should not be held back,
and tonight there was greatness
in all four of these artists.
So, I can't ask them to deliver,
and they deliver, and send them home.
- Come on!
- Oh, yeah. I'll see y'all.
So, I'm looking forward to seeing
if Orville and Mickey's artists
achieve the same greatness because,
whether you go home
the first week or the last week,
at the end of the day
there's only one winner.