My Kind of Country (2023): Season 1, Episode 3 - Orville Peck'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 ♪

["Daytona Sand" playing]

I'm Orville Peck.

I was the number one artist on
Billboard's Emerging Artist Chart in 2022.

I've done collaborations with Lady Gaga,
Diplo, Shania Twain.



Most people don't realize, but my mask
allows me to be more vulnerable

and share my unique perspective
as an openly gay country artist.

I definitely feel like I had to carve
a bit of my own path into country music.

I remember sitting at home as a kid
and seeing Dolly Parton on TV

and learning about this whole world
that seemed so distant.

At one point for me, it seemed like
just an impossible pipe dream.

Being an outsider myself for so long,

I'm looking for other outsiders
with their own unique sound.

I've always been an advocate
for cheer leading different perspectives

within the genre
and hearing new stories within country.

These artists that we found,
I just really hope that we can show,

not only the world
that they belong in country music,

but even just really show them
that they belong in country music.

If you wanna be a country singer,
you dang well can be. [Chuckles]



When I searched for my artists,

the first place I looked was
in the country I grew up in, South Africa.

The car's packed. The banjo's in the boot.
This is it, baby! Let's do it!

[Peck] From there, I continued around
the globe until I had my four.

And now they're coming to Nashville.

It's been one long journey.
Finally in Nashville.

I am very, very, very,
very, very, very, very stoked.

Yeah, I actually can't wait to try
all the food. So... [laughs]

It's like being in a... in a dream.

I'm still dreaming. Maybe because
I just woke up from a long flight.

Sure. [Laughs]

["Ours to Own" playing]

I am about to meet my artists
for the first time

and welcome them to Nashville

at the legendary Dark Horse
Recording Studios, their home base.

[chuckles] It's so cool.

[Micaela]
Nashville is the capital of music.

I feel overwhelmed.
I can't believe that I'm here.

I try not to think about it too much...
[chuckles] ...'cause I'll psych myself out.

[contestant 1] I thought about moving
to Nashville in my early 20s,

but I felt a really strong draw
and responsibility

to working at the ranch with my family.

So, this is definitely the first time that
I've done something just for my music.

Dark Horse, guys.

- Yeah, it's amazing.
- It's beautiful.

Do have a bit of a mystery.
Like, what are through these gates?

What are we gonna walk into now?

You feel ready when you walk in here, hey?

That's true.
It makes you feel like I wanna play now.

- [all laugh]
- Let me do what I came for.

- Are you guys ready?
- You open. Open for sesame.

I am so intrigued by the Congo Cowboys.

They're doing African bluegrass.

There's just so much
potential for something

I don't think anybody's ever seen
before in country music.

[contestant 2]
We're the band Congo Cowboys.

And we've been performing
around South Africa for a few years now.

[contestant 3] Most of the songs we sing,
it's our new version

of a song that has been sang already
by the sons and daughters of slaves.

♪ No more, my Lord ♪

To do that fusion between country music
and African music,

you are doing something that you love.

♪ My lord no more
My lord ♪

Taking our music overseas
is our ultimate goal.

That's what we're most excited about.

[banjo playing]

We've all been playing together for
many years in a band called Freshlyground.

And then we started the Congo Cowboys
after I got a banjo.

That's when we started experimenting
with a mix

between Americana,
country and African guitar.

Yeah, something like that.

[contestant 3] I was born in Congo.

I used to go visit my grandfather
in the village.

That's actually where I heard, for
the first time, the sound of the banjo.

[contestant 4] Growing up in Mozambique,
we have a lot of music from West Africa.

[sings in foreign language]

The banjo, that sound was taken
from slaves to America. I'm talking about

early 1600s.

[singing in Lingala]

[Simon] We're all very excited
to be able to perform

our version of country in Nashville.

That's what we... we're aiming for.

They always say,
a soldier when he goes to the war,

he goes for the win.
Don't go for the lose.

So, as we are soldiers...

So we don't think we came for...

For a lose.

I'm right behind you. [Laughs]

Thank you, man. [Laughs]

[contestants laughing]

- [Alisha] Hi. Nice to meet you.
- Pleased to meet you too.

- What's your name?
- Chris.

- Chris. Alisha.
- Alisha. Nice to meet you.

- Hi, Alisha. Simon.
- Hey. Good to meet you.

- Simon, hey.
- Yeah. Where are you from?

- I'm from Bombay. Where are you from?
- Bombay? Cool.

We're all from Cape Town, but...
But also different places originally.

- Where are you from?
- California.

- [Simon] Cool.
- Northern California, so...

I'll show you guys around.
Get on horseback.

- What is the American thing...
- Can you ride a horse?

Oh, yeah. Every American.

- [Simon] Oh.
- No, I'm just kidding.

[laughing]

- [Micaela] I didn't get that.
- [Julio] Good acting, eh? Very good.

- [Peck] Hello.
- [Is may] Uh-oh.

- Wow.
- Oh, hey.

- [others] Hey!
- Hi.

Oh, my God. Y'all look amazing.

Ah. You look amazing.
What are you talking about?

[laughs] Thank you. Oh, this old thing?
This is my casual look today, yeah. Wow.

Welcome to Nashville.

[Is may]
I definitely feel nervous. You know,

Orville is just such a strong character.

Partly because of his mask, but,
you know, just his spirit as an artist.

And it just feels surreal.

What are your guys', like,
first thoughts on being in Nashville?

- I don't think I expected to ever be here.
- [Peck] Yeah.

- [Micaela] It's kinda surreal.
- I mean, I feel like it's a bit surreal.

It's, like, such a... The whole thing
is such an incredible experience.

The thing that really struck me
about each and every one of you is, uh,

I just found that there were such unique,
important stories

that each of you had to tell.

And for me, country music is about taking
the history of country

and where it comes from, or
the influences of it, or the sound of it,

and combining it with
unique personal storytelling.

And I think that's the most important
crossroads of country

and what I try
to do with the music I make.

Obviously, we haven't heard
any of you play live.

So, the first thing that
we're gonna do is, uh,

throw you all into a showcase
for me and the other scouts...

- Cool.
- ...and we'll be deciding who moves on

to the next round, the workshops,

based on how you put
your own country spin on it.

[Micaela] This is the time where
I get to prove myself.

You know, people always talk about...

Opportunities come,
and you need to be ready for them.

Hopefully, I am ready. I think I'm ready.
I think I'm ready. Yeah.

I mean, are y'all missing home?
Have you been feeling that?

- Yeah.
- Trying to figure out night and day.

- [Peck] Yep. Yeah.
- [all laughing]

[Is may] I'm just loving these people from
all over the world

with this country music connection.

It's so profound and special.

And to grow in their expression
and connect with other human beings,

that's just really what it's about.

I can't wait to get working with y'all.
I'm so excited. Yeah.

- Same here.
- Me too.

I love the idea
that Ismay's family is from

old, regal,
kind of formal part of country music,

but Ismay's perspective
is really different

than anything I've heard
in country music yet.

I'm Is may, and I live on Sonoma Mountain,
which is in Petal um a, California.

When I was about nine years old,

my grandfather started a free
bluegrass music festival in San Francisco.

He had this love for music,

but he never had the opportunity
to really be a professional musician.

But he left behind this legacy

that makes it so I don't have to wait
till I'm 60 to play music.

I get to do it now.

♪ Beginning with daylight
Stars as I open my eyes... ♪

I identify as non binary, and I use
"they," "them" or "she," "her" pronouns.

Being a non binary person is
sometimes strange to people

and might make them a little confused,

or they might think that they can't
relate to me or something.

I don't feel like I fit into
certain groups sometimes,

like with gender or whatever,
and that's a little bit hard.

When I get to sing, that's the only place
in my life that I feel totally whole.

I struggle with my own inner voice
a little bit. [Sighs]

I feel like that anxiety gets
control of me, and I get overwhelmed.

It makes me hold myself back
from dreaming bigger

because I worry about criticism.
People are gonna try to tear me down.

A lot of people do wanna hear,
sort of, the traditional thing,

and I know that I'm not that.
I'm not the traditional thing,

but I believe that the music I make
is authentically my own.

Being here with an opportunity
like this, it's just exciting.

I mean, inclusion is important.

I feel like I can step up to the plate
and show people, "This is me."

I'm ready for it.
But it's definitely scary.

Yeah.

- [Micaela] It was so fun. He's so nice.
- He is so nice.

I love that, and the masks are so cool.

Yeah. The sequins.

[both laughing]

[Alisha] I was walking around the yard,

and I was imagining Dolly Parton
sitting on the porch. [Chuckles]

Imagine if she were sitting here.
That would be so cool.

- I'm sure she's sat on this porch.
- [chuckles] I would say abs...

[Alisha] It's great to be following
in the footsteps of people like that

and being in the same places.

'Cause you never know. Maybe one day,

I might reach the heights that they have.
[chuckles]

Can't wait to hear you sing
and listen to your music, you know?

- I can't wait to hear you sing.
- I want to hear your songs

and see what's going down
in Cape Town. You know?

We need to do, like, a world tour.

- [laughs]
- Absolutely. Yeah.

- You've got a pal in Bombay now.
- Yeah.

Whenever you wanna come to India
you have to tell me.

[Micaela laughing]

The thing that really drew me to Alisha is

she wants to infuse a lot of what she does
with unlikely country sounds.

I just like people who progress
the evolution of country.

I am Alisha Pais. I'm 29 years old.

I was born and raised in Bombay

and I've lived all my life there.

Bombay is this big, busy, happening city,

full of traffic, and colors,
and smells and sounds.

It's a lot of chaos.

And the moment the pandemic hit,
I got my stuff together

and I came to Goa
to get some peace of mind.

♪ Shine your shoes, it's time to go... ♪

Growing up, my dad was the person
who sung us all the country music.

And as I grew older,
I discovered other genres

and incorporated them
in my own style of music.

♪ And I don't feel like it's
I don't feel like it's what I want ♪

At 16, I hit the stage to sing
the first few songs that I wrote.

I just fell in love with it. I write about
experience, life, the way it's treated me

and the way I've gone through it.
I love discovering things.

My dream is to record
and produce my own album,

and I can't wait for the rest of
the world to hear my music.

♪ When we find those things we love
We've wasted nothing at all ♪

- Here you go.
- Thank you.

[Alisha] Cowboys, come drink a soda.

- Yeah. Hey!
- [Is may] Howdy.

Hey, hey. Hold on.
Do you guys have a drink?

- [Is may] Yeah, we're having a drink.
- [Simon] What's going on here?

Is this really
the oldest bar in Nashville?

In Tennessee. Uh... since 1796.

- [Is may] Wow.
- Seen a lot of hard drinking then.

[all laughing]

- Cheers! Our first drink in Nashville!
- Cheers.

[cheering]

[Micaela] I know it's a competition,

but it feels so good
to get to know each other.

Even though I'm doubting myself

or I feel like I'm not good enough
to be in a space

with human beings that
are way more talented than I am,

I... I'm still gonna do it,
'cause I need to break through this...

This voice in my head. [Chuckles]
It needs to go away.

Okay, here we go.

What drew me to Micaela, not only
does she have an incredible voice...

♪ This stupid love song
Was meant to last... ♪

[Peck] There's so much wisdom behind it.

She's got this sort of old-soul feel,
and I think that she's gonna amaze us.

I am Micaela Kleinsmith.
I live in Cape Town, South Africa.

Country music is where I learned
to express emotions through music.

And I can't believe I was chosen
to be a part of this.

♪ When I see you walking down the street ♪

♪ I'm hoping you'd
Stare right back at me ♪

I just think that I was born to perform.

I was one of those kids
that watched all the singing shows

so that I could steal tips from everyone.

Carrie Underwood. Kelly Clarks on.

Even Daughtry,
definitely a huge influence.

But I still thought that I'm not gonna
fit the mold of being a famous singer.

My self-doubt stems from being bullied
quite a bit when I was young.

For a very long time, I was told,
"You're not good enough."

I don't look like a singer. I don't
act like a singer. I'm not the package.

That lack of confidence,

that self-doubt, is definitely something
that affected me for a very long time.

But I think the thought
of not being a singer

was more scary than
the things that I was insecure about.

The feeling that I get when I perform,
I literally cannot describe it.

I'm very scared that
I might not be as good

as a lot of people think I am.

I feel like I'm an impostor. [Laughs]

But I'm gonna try anyway
and see what happens. [Laughs]

- [cheering, laughing]
- Ah, no! [Mock cries]

[Peck] To prepare for the showcase,

the artists will rehearse at the venue
with talented musical director,

- Adam Blackstone.
- What's going on, dude?

Yeah, it's good to see you. [Chuckles]

Seeing Adam for the first time,
I've been anticipating.

I've heard so many cool things about him.
Like, he was at the Super Bowl.

He's done many, many, many, many good
and cool things. Which is really cool.

[gasps] Why am I saying "cool" so much?
[laughs]

How has Nashville
been treating you though? It's different.

- Very well. Very different. Yeah.
- Okay.

Well, we're gonna use that as,
like, inspiration for some new vibes.

And, uh, you got the best guys behind you.

So, let me hear it, and then we'll just,
you know, evaluate some things.

- Okay, cool. Cool, cool, cool.
- All right. Awesome.

♪ Picture perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor ♪

Lady A is my jam.

♪ Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore ♪

[Micaela] I am doing "Need You Now"

because I've had to be on my own
for the first time.

And I need my family,
but I can't be with them.

And, like, I'm doing okay,
but, like, I need you. You know?

♪ I just need you now ♪

♪ Oh ♪

- At the end, right?
- Yeah?

♪ And I need you now ♪

Can she... 'Cause she gotta...

♪ And I need you now ♪

We're missing that one chills moment,

'cause that would make it
the climax that I need.

I can try it.

I think that's gonna really
make it a moment.

- Great job.
- [clapping]

[Micaela] The way that Adam's suggesting
that I go higher

is definitely a game changer for the song.

It's... It's like a lot to think about
prior to the showcase.

And I'm actually very nervous about it,
so hopefully... hopefully all goes well.

- I love your jacket.
- Thank you.

It's like real Nashville vibes.
You, like, here for real.

- [laughs] Exactly.
- And where are you from again?

- California. Northern California.
- Northern Cali. Okay, cool.

I can't wait to hear
what you're gonna do with this song.

And, uh, let's take it away.

- Okeydokey.
- All right.

[Is may]
I'm singing "Linger" by The Cranberries.

It's a story of loneliness, heartbreak.

It's very vulnerable too. These
are just things that everybody feels.

We all have so much more in common
than we realize.

♪ If you could return
Don't let it burn ♪

I want you to execute
that very, very, very first phrase...

- Yeah. Okay.
- ...with a little more confidence.

[Is may] I'm feeling very overwhelmed.

My nerves are getting
a little bit a hold of me

and making my voice shakier
than I want it to be.

'Cause I wanna hear you right away

and not have to go wait to get to the hook
to be like, "Oh, okay. Yeah."

Got it. Okay.
So, a little more like... [grunts]

Yeah. Right in there.

- All right, cool. Good to see you.
- Awesome. Thank you.

I wanna do well in the showcase.

I just wanna really get into
a head space where

I'm relaxed enough
that I can feel like this is me.

- Welcome to Nashville.
- Thanks.

- [laughing]
- It's great to be here.

So I'm looking forward...

- Let's listen and see what happens.
- [Alisha] Okay.

♪ Have you ever thrown
A fist full of glitter in the air? ♪

I was gonna play my guitar,

but it went so perfect with Clay
on the guitar and with Omar on keys

that I took my guitar off and I just
wanted to focus on singing my song.

♪ Have you ever looked fear in the face ♪

♪ And said "I just don't care"? ♪

[Blackstone]
One of the things is the dynamics.

Make sure we start just that same,
not necessarily volume

but the intensity behind your word.

You know, I feel like you wanna perform.
You don't have to stand there.

I love when you got aggressive and...
[grunts]

♪ Have you ever ♪

- Know what I mean?
- But I usually have a guitar...

I know.
But you gotta give me a little something.

- You got it, all right? You can do it.
- Okay.

He said, "Hold your mic and sing it out,"
so I'm gonna use it all.

And, you know, I wanna finish that song
and say, "I'm proud of that. I'm proud...

You know, if I have to go home,
I'm proud to go home on the back of that."

- Yeah! There's my guys.
- Yeah.

How are you, man?

[Chris] We always wanted
to bring Congo Cowboys to the States.

And here in Nashville,

I would say it's the right place... [laughs]
...at the right time with our music.

So,
it feels like it's a dream coming true.

[Blackstone]
One second, guys. Sorry, sorry.

That's like...
You know, how would you start together?

[Simon] We've got a thing we do.

[Blackstone] How would it go? Something...
Let's hear it. One, two, three.

- [speaks Lingala, vocalizes]
- [Blackstone] Yeah! [Chuckles]

Little things like that
is gonna take it over the top

- to make the cohesiveness.
- [Chris] Okay.

[speaks Lingala]

[Blackstone] Whoo!

[Simon] We got the showcase coming up.
We know someone's going home.

That means it's pretty important
to us to get on there

and do our thing from the get-go.
Go large or go home, I'm thinking.

- [Chris] It's one of the two.
- [all laughing]

That count off and then the engagement
just took it to a whole nother level.

All right. That's what I need right there.

- [all laughing]
- [Blackstone] See y'all tomorrow.

[Peck] Today is the showcase.

I'm both excited and nervous because
before the end of the night,

we'll be sending at least one
of these artists home.

[Simon] This is the point of no return,
guys, getting on this bus.

- [laughs] Yeah!
- [Simon] I'm not ready. I can't do it.

- [all laughing]
- [Chris] Yeah, let's do it.

We're jumping on the bronco,
and it's going out of the gate.

Going into the showcase, I just...

My heart's been racing since
the rehearsal, all night and all day.

This is such a big deal.

I feel like, when I close my eyes,
my senses are better.

- I agree.
- You know, I can hear better.

- I can sing better.
- [all chattering]

Winning this all would be incredible

because it's been over a decade
of playing music

and that being my sole job and career.

There've been, like, high moments,
but there've been lots of low moments too.

So, winning this would be life-changing.

[contestants vocalizing]

- Hey, hey. What's up, y'all?
- Hey, y'all.

- Hey.
- Hey, Orville.

[Blackstone] My man, Orville.

I am already so proud of you all

and know that you are confident
to be yourselves out there,

'cause that's why you're already here.
And that's what we wanna see.

- [Blackstone] Absolutely.
- Come out there and just be vulnerable

and show us who you are,
'cause that's gonna win us all over.

- Good luck. Break legs.
- [Simon] Thanks.

- [Chris] Thank you.
- Awesome.

[Micaela laughs] Yeah.

There he is.

- Y'all! Hello.
- [Guy ton] Hello.

- How are you?
- Good.

- [sighs] Guys.
- Ah, what's up, man?

- I'm so excited.
- [Guy ton] I'm so excited.

I cannot wait for y'all to see my artists.

It's just mind-blowing to...
To see all these different talents

coming from all over the world
that are just so good at their craft.

I know this is gonna be the same for you,
and I can't wait to see it.

- You have anybody from South Africa?
- Oh, yeah.

- I've got two artists from South Africa.
- [Guy ton] You have to.

What is in the water over there?

Well, listen, we got some talent
over there, if you know what I'm saying.

- We clearly do!
- [laughing]

Well, uh, first up is actually
one of my South African artists.

And, uh, she is so cool.
She's from Cape Town. Her name is Micaela.

All the nerves it's all rushing to me
at, like, one moment.

It's the make-or-break.

Like, this is gonna determine
whether I'm good enough to be here.

Come on, Micaela.

- Micaela, come on in.
- [Guy ton] Whoo!

Like every bone in my body feels like
it's shaking.

Okay. I am Micaela Kleinsmith.
I'm from Cape Town, South Africa.

And I will be doing
"Need You Now" by Lady A.

Uh, I'm doing it because I really,
really love the song

and it speaks to me on a deep level.
And I hope that it does for you too.

- Yay!
- So, here I go. [Chuckles]

Yeah.

♪ Picture perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor ♪

♪ Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore ♪

♪ And I wonder if I
Ever crossed your mind ♪

♪ For me, it happens all the time ♪

♪ It's a quarter after 1:00 ♪

♪ I'm all alone, and I need you now ♪

- Okay.
- Yeah.

♪ Said I wouldn't call
But I lost all control ♪

♪ And I need you now ♪

- Yeah!
- [Guy ton] Girl!

♪ And I don't know how I can do without ♪

♪ I just need you now ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ I just need you now ♪

[mouthing] Wow.

♪ Guess I'd rather hurt
Than feel nothing at all ♪

- [squeals] Girl, that was so good!
- I'm sorry. I gotta come give you a hug.

- I'm so proud of you, Micaela.
- Who gave you permission?

Wow!

- [Guy ton] Micaela!
- Thank you.

Got me hot over here. That was so good.

- Bye, guys.
- We'll see you in a little bit, girl.

- [Guy ton] It was so nice meeting you.
- [chuckles, sighs]

- [Is may] Hey.
- [Alisha] Micaela.

- Yay! [Laughs]
- Yay! Awesome.

- [Alisha] Whoo!
- [Micaela] Yay.

- You did that one so good.
- Thank you.

I can't wait to hear her stories in...
In country music. I mean...

- [Guy ton] Yeah.
- ...it's so important 'cause...

- She's important.
- Yeah. 100%.

- Wow.
- She set the bar of the night.

I know.

- Our next artist is Is may.
- Okay.

- They are non binary.
- Oh, great.

- And they...
- Is it a group?

- No. Their pronouns are "they, them".
- When they're non binary,

- it's "they."
- [Allen] So, it's one person?

- Yeah, but it's one person.
- Oh. I was like, "Huh?"

Like, I heard about it, but nobody ever,
like, explained it to me.

And that's my thing,
I don't have to understand it.

But if that's what you want,
then that's what it is.

- [Guy ton] I respect that.
- [Allen] Hell yeah.

♪ But I'm in
But I'm in so deep ♪

[Is may] Leading up to the showcase,

there's a little bit of nervousness there,
for sure.

Sometimes I get so nervous that it...
I don't get to experience it,

and I don't want to do that.

I'm Is may, and the song that
I'm gonna be playing for you guys today is

"Linger" by The Cranberries.

And it's one of my favorite songs
because it's a song of unrequited love,

of being in a relationship where

you think you're kind of
in some kind of deal,

and the other person thinks otherwise.
All of us have been there a couple times.

- Yes. Yes, we have. Yes.
- [Peck] That's for sure.

- Aw, yeah.
- [Is may chuckles]

♪ If you, if you could return ♪

♪ Don't let it burn
Don't let it fade ♪

♪ I'm sure I'm not being rude
But it's just your attitude ♪

♪ It's tearing me apart
It's ruining every day ♪

♪ But I'm in so deep ♪

♪ You know I'm such a fool for you ♪

♪ You've got me
Wrapped around your finger ♪

Mmm. Beautiful voice, hey?

♪ Do you have to let it linger? ♪

♪ Do you have to, do you have to
Do you have to let it linger? ♪

♪ Oh, I
I thought the world of you ♪

♪ And I thought nothing could go wrong ♪

♪ But I was wrong ♪

♪ I was wrong ♪

♪ Ooh ♪

♪ You know I'm such a fool for you ♪

♪ You've got me
Wrapped around your finger ♪

♪ Do you have to let it linger?
Do you have to let it linger? ♪

♪ Do you have to, do you have to
Do you have to let it linger? ♪

- [Guy ton] Whoo!
- [Peck] Yeah!

Oh, my God! Is may.

[Peck] Yeah. That was super unique.

- Very. It's...
- Right? Like it's haunting almost.

- Like, you take the air out of the room.
- [Allen] Yeah.

Thank you. You can run out of here
while we chat about you.

Get out of here, so we can talk about you.

[Peck] Thanks so much. Great job.
Yeah, ride 'em out!

- Thank you. [Chuckles]
- [Guy ton, Allen] Thank you.

- [contestants cheering]
- Y'all okay?

[cheering continues]

- Whew!
- [contestants laughing]

- Since yesterday, my heart has been, like...
- Yeah?

- ...racing almost all day since then.
- Oh, my gosh.

- Whew!
- That was two strong acts right there.

Hell yeah. Yeah.
You know I'm gonna deliver.

- Oh, you delivered.
- [laughing]

I'd expect nothing less from you, Orville.

[Peck] Y'all ready for Alisha?

- [Allen] Oh, yeah.
- [Guy ton] Yeah. Let's go.

- Come on, Alisha.
- Alisha!

Before I go on to the stage, I'm
not trying to let the nerves take over.

Because it's so important
to be centered and not in my head.

- Hello, hello. [Chuckles]
- Hello!

Well, I'm Alisha. Alisha Pais.
I'm from Bombay, India.

The song I'm gonna sing for you is
"Glitter in the Air" by P! Nk.

And we're gonna do
our own country version.

You know, it celebrates vulnerability,
tenderness and courage.

You know, it might seem like
little things in regular life,

but I think they have the biggest impact
in shaping who we are.

- Absolutely.
- Grateful to be here. [Chuckles]

- We're grateful for you.
- We're glad to have you here.

♪ Have you ever fed a lover
With just your hands? ♪

♪ Close your eyes and trust it ♪

♪ Just trust it ♪

♪ Have you ever thrown
A fist full of glitter in the air? ♪

♪ Have you ever looked fear in the face ♪

♪ And said "I just don't care"? ♪

♪ And it's only half-past
The point of no return ♪

♪ The tip of the iceberg
And the sun before the burn ♪

♪ The thunder before the lightning
The breath before the phrase ♪

♪ Have you ever felt this way? ♪

♪ There you are
You're sitting in the garden ♪

♪ Clutching my coffee ♪

♪ Calling me sugar ♪

♪ You call me sugar ♪

♪ Have you ever held your breath ♪

♪ And asked yourself ♪

♪ If it ever gets better than tonight? ♪

- [applause]
- [Peck] Yeah.

Yes.

[Alisha] Thank you.

- [Guy ton] So good, Alisha.
- [Peck] Great job.

- I hope you feel real good about yourself.
- I feel really good.

- You should be really proud of yourself.
- I'm proud of me.

When you clutched that mic,
I was, like, in it.

- Whoa.
- [cheering]

- [Is may] Nice job. [Chuckles]
- [Chris] Whoo!

- [Allen] I like her.
- I love her!

It was like the energy was, like,

- boiling out of her.
- [Allen] Building up.

- How do you feel?
- Feeling good.

- Feeling good?
- Feeling good.

- You're shaking.
- Yeah. [Laughs]

- Why are you shaking?
- I don't know.

- It's all that excitement.
- Ah. Great job.

- Great job. Great job.
- [chuckles] And joy. And... Thank you.

[Peck] I am so excited for y'all
to see Congo Cowboys. I...

[stammers] I mean, I'm already,
like, their biggest fan.

- The name itself has me, like, intrigued.
- Just you wait.

[Chris] After our showcase,
somebody must go home.

So,
it makes you feel a little bit nervous.

Like, I have to deliver.

I don't have to lose,
so I have to deliver.

Hello. Howzit?
I am Simon, and I'm from South Africa.

Olá, I'm Julio from Mozambique.

Bon soir. I'm Chris Bakalanga.
I'm from the Congo.

And we are the Congo Cowboys.

- [Peck] Yes, please.
- [Allen] All right.

Tonight, we are gonna play for you
a song called "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.

When we started this band, it was the
very first song that we record together.

So tonight, we're gonna play the
Congo Cowboy version of "Jolene." Enjoy.

[speaks Lingala]

♪ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene ♪

♪ I'm begging of you
Please don't take my man ♪

♪ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene ♪

♪ Please don't take him
Just because you can ♪

[singing in Lingala]

Ow!

♪ Jolene ♪

Yeah!

[singing in Lingala]

What? [Gasps]

♪ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene ♪

♪ I'm begging of you
Please don't take my man ♪

♪ Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene ♪

[Guy ton squeals]

[singing in Lingala]

- [Guy ton] Ah! That was so good!
- [Allen] Whoo!

- [Peck] Yeah!
- Yeah.

- [sighs] Y'all killed it. Incredible.
- Wow. Man.

- This is what it's all about.
- I mean...

- Y'all are trailblazers.
- Yeah.

Y'all are country music.
That was so... Wow.

You were able to get our attention
and, uh, keep it.

- Kudos to y'all for killing it.
- [Guy ton] And the sincerity.

- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.

[contestants cheering]

- [Is may] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
- [Micaela] Oh, my God.

- It's done. Thank you.
- Done, done.

Wow. And what language was that?

- [Simon] Lingala. From the Congo, yeah.
- [Alisha] Lingala.

- It wasn't good. It was great.
- Oh, thanks. Thank you.

They just shared one common thing,
and that's music...

- [Allen] Music.
- ...and a love for country music.

I'm not happy because I'm too happy,
if that...

- You know what I'm saying? Like...
- Yep.

Now you know what we went through.
It ain't fun, is it?

I wanna know what you guys think
and where we all stand here. Micaela.

[Micaela] ♪ It's a quarter after 1:00 ♪

♪ I'm all alone and I need you now ♪

She actually even surprised me because
she really struggles with confidence.

I didn't even see that.

She was, like, really badly bullied
and, you know, like,

a lot of her songwriting and music is
channeling that hurt and incredibly sweet.

You felt that watching her. You could feel
everything that she was singing.

I love when she starts.
You know, she gets in her world. Like...

It's just so beautiful, and her...

- It felt easy. You know what I mean?
- Yes.

I love her. This is where I'm at,
okay, with things.

- Okay.
- For me personally,

there's two very easy yeses.

- Micaela.
- Micaela, yep.

- Mm-hmm.
- And Congo Cowboys.

- Congo Cowboys.
- Yeah, saddle up.

[Chris singing in Lingala]

- They make me emotional.
- I'm blown away. Okay? I'ma just say it.

- I'll let you gather your emotions.
- Yeah.

Just as a Black man, it felt great
to see them up there together

and hearing non-US stereotypical sound
come from them.

- Yeah.
- I was like, "That's dope."

You know, that leaves Is may and Alisha.
Both incredibly unique.

Incredibly unique.

Like, stories couldn't be more unique.
It's...

One from California, one from India.

- Yeah. Is may.
- [Peck] Yeah.

[Is may] ♪ Do you have to let it linger? ♪

The thing I really love about Is may is
I have never heard a country song or a...

Or a story told by, you know,
like, a non binary...

- Yeah.
- ...country dweller who lives on a farm

from a bluegrass family.
I mean, that alone is just so...

- Intriguing.
- ...intriguing.

I feel like when Is may sings,
the air leaves the room.

- Everybody listens.
- You listen.

And then Alisha.

[Alisha] ♪ Have you ever fed a lover... ♪

- Alisha's just so raw. Like in...
- She smacks you in the face.

- Yeah, the emotion.
- Are her notes perfect? No.

But I was drawn to this Indian girl
that loves music...

- Mm-hmm.
- ...that is out of her element.

And she laid it
all out on the line right then.

- Yeah.
- They're both equally as talented.

You can compare them to who's here.

- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
- [Allen] All the artists so far...

And, I mean, that can help make
a decision. To always put forth

whose voice won't get drowned out
by someone else's.

Whose voice isn't similar
to who's here already.

[groans] God, it doesn't make it
any easier though, does it?

- Absolutely not.
- [chuckles]

Feel like we're the angel
and the devil on your shoulder.

- Or two devils on your shoulder.
- Which one's which? You're the angel?

- I'm the angel.
- [Guy ton] No.

I knew he would say that. [Laughs]

I think we've kinda
come to a decision here,

and I think I definitely know
what I need to do.

It doesn't escape me that this is,
like, such an important opportunity

for all of these people.

[grunts] I'm ready to do it though.

- I feel good.
- I guess you could finish your...

- I'm gon... Hey, literally.
- ...whiskey over here.

- [chuckling] Oh, my God.
- See you in a little bit when you done.

- Thanks y'all. See you in a bit.
- [Allen] All right.

- Guys.
- [Chris] Yes.

- Come on in. Welcome back.
- Orville.

I just wanna say, first of all,
I was just so proud of you guys tonight.

It was so lovely to see Mickey
and Jimmie see you guys do what you do.

So, like, I'm so happy to say that you
guys are going through to the workshops.

We're so excited to have you.

- Thank you. Awesome!
- You made it through. You did so good.

- Thank you, Orville. That's so cool.
- Come on. You guys are the best. I'm so...

I'm gonna get a Congo Cowboys tattoo,
you know? I gotta...

[all laughing]

I love y'all, seriously.
Great job tonight. I can't wait.

- Thanks, guys. I'm so excited.
- Thank you.

Get some good rest. I'll see you later.

- Whoo! [Chuckles]
- Yeehaw! Yeehaw!

We got through.

- We got through.
- Hey!

[Simon] We're feeling very excited
about working with Orville.

You know,
he kind of gets what we're about.

We're looking forward to that.

You know, I know we talked about
your struggles with confidence,

about all of this,

- and you're out of your element here.
- Yeah.

You just went up there

- and you blew everybody away.
- Aw.

There's something really special
about the fact that

- I think you don't know how good you are.
- [both chuckle]

Yeah. We were all blown away.

- Mickey and Jimmie love you.
- Aw.

Uh, yeah, you made it through
to the workshops.

- Yay! [Laughs]
- You made it through to the workshops,

and we are just, like...
I'm so proud of you.

- [grunts] I love it. And I...
- Thank you.

- I can't wait. All right. Good night.
- Okay. Okay, bye.

- [chuckles] Thank you.
- See you soon. Bye.

- [laughs]
- Oh, my word.

I'm so grateful to be here
and to be able to go to the next round.

I am growing more with my confidence.
For sure. It's only up from here.

Obviously, I have a long ways to go still,
but this definitely helped a lot.

Every moment here
is exhilarating experience.

And I just want to be a part of it
for as long as I can.

- Hi. Come on in.
- Hi.

- Great job tonight. I'm very proud of you.
- Thank you.

- Wow, the wait was excruciating.
- [groans] I mean... I know.

I mean,
it was a very long, hard decision for us.

It's really difficult when all of you
are so unique and talented,

and are up there doing everything we want.

So we did come to a decision.

Hi.

- Come on in. Welcome back.
- [chuckles] Thank you.

You did so great tonight.

It was so exciting to see you perform,

'cause you have such a unique sound
and such a unique story.

So, yeah, we had to make an
insanely hard decision tonight and, uh...

Is may, sadly,
you're not going through to the workshop.

Okay.

But I... I want you to know
this was incredibly, incredibly hard.

I think tonight,
some nerves overtook you a little bit...

Yeah.

...and I felt like
you held back a tiny little bit.

- Mmm.
- But you are bringing a story

that does not currently really exist
in country

and a perspective
that doesn't exist in country.

And I am so proud to have
worked with you and to have met you.

And I absolutely know

in my heart of hearts that
this is just the beginning for you.

And I think you have an incredible future.

- Thanks, I...
- Yeah.

I'm excited about the future too.
[chuckles]

I can't wait to see your future.

- Thank you.
- I'm so, so excited.

- All right.
- Thanks.

- I'll see you soon. Bye, Is may.
- See ya. Bye.

Ismay's performance was beautiful
and quite moving,

but I could sense their fear behind it.

Whereas Alisha, her performance was
a little bit wild and raw,

and maybe not what people
would be expecting,

but that rawness and fire
is actually more what I'm looking for.

Well, didn't make it to the next round,
but I'm still proud of what I did.

I think I really showed who I am.

And I wish I had made it, but, you know,

it's just great that I got
to be here in the first place.

Welcome back. We're gonna have a little,
quick celebratory drink.

[cheering, laughing]

[Peck] And, you know what?

Not forgetting about Is may, because this
was a really hard decision this evening.

But I can't wait to see what comes
from the workshops.

And this is, honestly, to you guys. Cheers.

I hope you are all
incredibly proud of yourselves...

- [cheering]
- ...'cause I am so proud of you.

[laughing]

Now, everyone, get to bed.
You got work to do to.

- Get out of here. Make me proud.
- Yeah!

Don't stop making me proud, okay?

- [Micaela] We won't.
- [Alisha] Yeah.

[Allen] Now that we've seen all of
the artists, over the next few episodes,

each scout will be leading a workshop.

So my workshop
is all about collaborations.

Mine is first,
and things are about to get real.

- This is not a time to play safe.
- Yes.

We've been warring with each other.

Oh, shit. I totally [bleep] it up.

[Allen] We can't move forward
off of potential.

We gotta see it now.

If either one of us are even just
a little bit off, it's gonna be a problem.

Letting yourself down is always
in the back of your head.

I don't want to go home.

[Is may] ♪ Turn blue from a soft white... ♪

[Peck] To hear more music from Is may,

go to My Kind Of Country
on Apple Music right now.