My Kind of Country (2023): Season 1, Episode 7 - Finale Part I - 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 ♪

["The Greatest" playing]

- [Chuck] Hey! Whoo!
- [producer] Final four! Whoo-hoo!

[chattering]

- What? [chuckles]
- What?



I made it. I'm a finalist now.

- Hey!
- [producer] What?

[Micaela]
Winning this would propel my career...

[shouts]

- Hi. [cheers]
- ...into another stratosphere.

[Micaela] So, we wanted to take
a moment to celebrate.

- We are in Smashville.
- Boo!

- We're not even drunk.
- [chuckles]

We're not even drunk. We're so sober.

[chuckles]

[Chuck] This is absolutely insane.

I've always felt, "Am I really good?
Am I deserving of this?"

And then here I am.

This has been
a welcome surprise in my life, though.



I think I'm ready.

Welcome to Nashville CityLights.

Y'all have worked so hard to get here.
One of y'all is going to win.

So, you started your journey
at Dark Horse,

and now you'll be playing your final show
at The Mulehouse.

[Guyton] You'll be playing
in front of the biggest audience

of country music fans
you've played for yet.

[Allen] We've all invited record labels, producers...

- [Peck] Whoo!
- ...publicists.

You'll be playing with Adam Blackstone

and his amazing band
and backing vocalists.

And you'll be performing not one,
but two songs. An original and a cover.

And you're doing
a group ensemble performance.

Performing to a really big audience,
that adds a lot of pressure.

Especially because it's
Nashville's audience, and it's like,

"Am I choosing the right song?"

Making it this far, of course,
deserves a toast

- so we got a little something for you.
- [Guyton] Yes.

The end is here,
and one of y'all is gonna win.

- Yeah!
- You want me to shake it on you?

Oh, no! No! No!

- [contestants cheer]
- [Allen] There we go. You got to!

Hey! He's done this before. [chuckles]

[Ale] The four of us,

we are, like, so unique.
We are so different.

Cheers to all of you. Congrats, you guys.

You never know.
At this point, I feel like I could win.

All right, so you guys get out of here.
Go rest.

- [Peck] Thank you all so much.
- I'll see y'all.

Aw, look at that.
We're watching a winner and three losers.

- Sorry, Jimmie.
- [chuckles]

♪ This might be my last chance
She's gone country ♪

So, we're kicking off the showcase
with this ensemble performance.

It's their first impression
to a big audience.

That could be a little nerve-racking,

but I think the fact
that they get to do it as a group

and they're getting to do a song that is
kind of this beautiful country staple.

I think it's gonna be pretty special.

♪ She's gone country ♪

So do... do me a favor.

This is... It's just... It'll be a...

a pet peeve of mine if everybody
doesn't end at the same point.

[Dhruv] ♪ Gone country ♪

Just cut it.

[Chuck] It's the first time working
as a group together.

We all have specific styles.

- ♪ Gone country ♪
- [Dhruv] ♪ Gone country ♪

- Mmm.
- And then... Uh, faster off.

- ♪ She's gone country ♪
- [Dawkins] ♪ She's gone country ♪

♪ Gone country ♪ And cut it off.

[Chuck]
Right now, the chorus, it sounds terrible.

I'm nervous about this one.

Like... [mock screams]

Dhruv, can you sing the first line?

♪ She's been playing in a room
On the Strip ♪

- ♪ For ten years in Vegas ♪
- [hums] ♪ Ten years in Vegas ♪

♪ Every night, she looks in the mirror
And she only ages ♪

- [Beatty] It's too low, I think.
- Yeah?

Why don't I read Ale's lines
and Chuck reads Micaela's lines?

[Chuck] Says, "I'm a simple girl myself,
grew up on Long Island."

[Micaela chuckles]

I mean, I know it's a different time.

What I'm saying is
it means something different now.

No, it doesn't. Because he's, like,
saying that she says this and she...

I understand what you're saying.
You don't understand what I'm saying.

- [Micaela chuckles] Yeah. I don't get it.
- [Dawkins] You don't get what I'm saying.

Okay.

I don't know, Chuck.

The ensemble is going well, I think.

[interviewer]
So, tell me how it's really going?

- Uh... What... How... What's really going...
- [crew members laugh]

Look here, I don't wanna get in trouble.

♪ Every night ♪

- [Dawkins] Then Chuck.
- Yep.

♪ Every night she looks in the mirror
And she only ages ♪

- Good. And then Ale.
- [Ale] Okay.

♪ She's been reading about Nashville ♪

♪ And all the records everybody's buying ♪

[Dawkins] What happened there,
I like that.

You like that?

We're talking about arrangement stuff, though.

The only thing
that I feel like we have to get...

- [Dawkins] Establish. I got you.
- ...establish this main melody or else...

it's not gonna work.

[Ale] Our voices are so different.

Everyone wants to do their own thing.

It's a very challenging collaboration
between us.

[Ale]
♪ With the crime and the smog these days ♪

- ♪ No place for children ♪
- [Chuck vocalizes]

That's pretty much...

♪ With the crime... ♪

[Micaela] ♪ Serious composer... ♪

[Ale] Uh, everyone is, like, talking,
and I'm just, like...

- [Beatty] ♪ Serious composer... ♪
- [Chuck vocalizes]

- [Dhruv] You okay?
- Can you please stop?

[Dawkins] Hey, hold... hold...

- You are too close to me.
- Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Okay.

I'm trying to listen, but yeah. Okay.

[Micaela] ♪ So she...
So she packs her bags... ♪

[Dhruv] This ensemble is a mess.

The four of us are feeling the stress.

We have everything on the line,
so we need to lift the tension a bit.

[contestants]
♪ The whole world's gone country ♪

[groans]

[Dawkins] We'll figure it out. We'll...

- Yeah. We need to figure it out.
- [Beatty] Run it again until they get it.

[tuning strings]

[plays notes on guitar]

[Ale] I'm feeling tired.
My voice is tired from all the rehearsals.

And also, we are doing a cover
and an original song.

It's challenging,
but I'm just trying to focus on

what I want to project at the finale.

[Dawkins] ♪ You got that James Dean... ♪

- Yeah.
- Yeah!

- What's up, brother?
- [Dhruv] How are you?

I'm wonderful. How you doing?

Uh, a little nervous now that you're here.

- Nah, I'm here to congratulate you.
- Thank you.

Adam Blackstone is back to musical direct

and help these artists
with these final performances.

He's been shepherding them
through this entire process,

so I'm really excited to see
what he's gonna do with them

in these... in these final moments.

- All right?
- Thank you.

- Let's check out some rehearsals.
- Okay.

[Dhruv] ♪ Midnight ♪

[Dhruv] For my cover,
I'm doing "Style" by Taylor Swift.

I'm trying to do something unique
and make it my own.

♪ You got that long hair, slicked back
White T-shirt ♪

I want to win this whole thing,
and I want my voice to carry me there.

'Cause I need to feel like
I'm speaking to everybody

and not just making noise with my guitar.

I do believe in my voice.

The issue is that
sometimes I don't trust it.

♪ Take me home ♪

[Blackstone] We out, guys.

- You a little sharp.
- I am, yeah.

So, I wanna... [stammers] Can I just hear...

- ♪ You got that ♪
- ♪ You got that ♪

♪ James Dean daydream look in your eyes ♪

♪ Eye ♪

You're, like,
overshooting the notes just a little bit.

So I think, you know,
lay back on your breathing

and just know you're right there.
You don't have to overshoot it.

You know what I mean?
We gotta nail that pitch.

- Yeah. [clears throat]
- You playing so good.

So maybe even this one, just concentrate
a little more on the vocal.

Got it. Got it.

[Dhruv] I'm always underconfident
about my voice.

I just hope that on the day,
everything settles,

and I can just, like, you know,
do my... [vocalizes]

...like... like, you know,
just nicely. [chuckles]

♪ Do you wander close
Or far sometimes? ♪

♪ Will you hold me close?
Dear Madeline ♪

[Dhruv]
The other song I'm playing is my own.

It's a song called "Dear Madeline."
I wrote about childhood friends

and how they grow up
to be the human beings they are.

♪ Sail away ♪

[Dhruv] There's a small passage in
that song about the passing of my father.

About the pain or the grief I had felt.

And it just goes, like, "Sail away.
Sail away, little child. I'm awake.

When your dreams turn you down,
have no fear."

I'm just thrilled I get to play that song.

I can only hope that, at some level,
my father's listening.

[Dhruv] ♪ Dear Madeline
Would you follow me? ♪

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry.

I thought that was a track the whole time.

Like, that's him playing
by himself. [chuckles]

You sound like two people, yo.

[Blackstone] Whoo!
Why you have to show off like that, bro?

You just said,
"I don't need anybody in here."

- [imitates guitar]
- [all laughing]

You just did a one-man band.

Your songwriting is incredible.

- Your playing is perfect. Um...
- [Dhruv] Thank you. Thank you.

But just watch your pitch.

'Cause you... you have so many different
melodic things and movement... Exactly.

He was very quick to point out that,
you know, focus on your pitch.

Focus on your pitch.

- Good seeing you on stage. All right?
- Thank you.

- Best of luck.
- Thank you.

You have this chance to play in front
of a full crowd, the scouts and everybody.

There's a sense of fear
that builds in you.

We have one chance to play it on the day,
so that one shot better be right.

[Blackstone] He's special, man.

Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello.

- Hi, everybody.
- Micaela. Micaela.

[Micaela] ♪ Micaela, Micaela ♪

How you feeling?

- I'm feeling good.
- Come on in.

What's been going on
in your head before these finals?

It's a... a little overwhelming.

- But I'm very excited.
- This is just the start because,

you know, if you win this thing,
it's going massive.

It's overwhelming 'cause
I need to win this thing, so...

- Mm-mmm. [chuckles]
- [Blackstone] Oh. Nah. We got it.

- Well, we support you. Proud of you.
- Thanks.

- And, uh, keep singing, all right?
- Yeah.

Let me hear how this rehearsal's gonna go.

♪ Your eyes, your smile ♪

I am working on "Stupid Love,"
one of my originals.

I'm hoping to convey to the scouts
that everything that comes from me,

you know that it comes from
a very deep place within me.

So, I think that's the best thing
for me to do in the finale.

So you need one part that, like...
like, I'm just getting into it.

- I'm like, "Oh, that's the hit."
- Yeah. Yeah.

It's, like, a really good song.
I'm like, "I wanna hear this whole song."

Adam, he feels like
we're finishing it too soon,

so he added this extra, like...

an extra punch to the end of the song,
which sounds amazing.

♪ If I die young, bury me in satin ♪

♪ Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in ♪

I'm also working on "If I Die Young,"
by The Band Perry.

It speaks about how people listen
only after you're gone.

It has a lot of meaning to me as well.

Talking about my brother
is very, very difficult.

I've spent many years
trying to keep his memory sacred.

So, it feels like a message.

♪ Well, I've had just enough time ♪

[Dawkins] You've gotta milk that
a little more. Goes like...

♪ I've had just enough time ♪

♪ Just enough time ♪

- [Dawkins] That's the moment right there.
- Okay.

There's this really long note that I re...
I have to sustain for a very long time.

So it requires a lot of breath control
and a lot of, like, "I need to focus."

♪ Just enough time ♪

I have to kill every single note.
Like, I have to be perfect.

♪ I'll wear my pearls ♪

[Ale] I think the hardest part
about being in here, it's...

I don't feel like I can express myself
completely speaking in English.

I'm still familiarizando.

I don't know how to say familiarizando
in English but...

Like, still "familiaring"?

- [producer] Still getting familiar with.
- Still getting. Okay.

- How you feel?
- [inhales sharply] Great.

- You feel good? All right.
- Ready. Yeah.

I'm so excited
to hear you sing in Spanish.

- Yeah.
- Let's hear it. Can we hear it?

- Yeah. Sure.
- All right, cool.

[sings in Spanish]

I'm performing an original song called
"Hacia Ningún Lugar."

It's like my personal anthem.

[sings in Spanish]

It's a great opportunity to sing
in Spanish to connect with my songs.

- [Blackstone] Yeah. That's great.
- [chuckling]

[Blackstone] That's great.

So, backgrounds, I think I wanna take
y'all off of that one breakdown

- and let her sing that.
- [background singer] Okay.

Feels really good.
How do you feel about that?

[chuckles] Great. I... I'm just loving
this version, you know?

- It sounds, like, more country.
- [Blackstone] Yes.

- I love this. Yeah. [chuckles]
- [chuckles] That's what we was going for.

Yeah, all right, cool. Here we go.

-"Only Exception."
- [Ale] Right.

♪ When I was younger ♪

♪ I saw my daddy cry ♪

♪ And curse at the wind ♪

[Ale] The other song that
I'm going to perform, it's a cover,

and it's called "The Only Exception,"
by Paramore.

It's a difficult song because it just go

more high than I usually go in my songs.

♪ I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't... ♪

[Ale] It's a risk, but it's, like,
the last chance that I have

to show to the scouts what I can do

with my voice and my talent.

Don't be afraid to, you know, sing out.
'Cause it feels so heartfelt.

- Okay. Right.
- Know what I mean?

[Ale] This final performance,

I'm trying to push harder
to get out of my comfort zone

and see what happens.

Uh-oh, it's got Sting vibes.

- [Blackstone] Chuck!
- Yeah.

- What's up, brother?
- Ah, what's up, man?

- How you doing?
- Dope, man.

- You good, man?
- Yeah.

- Hello, everybody.
- [Beatty] Hi, Chuck.

So excited for you, man,
making the finals.

- How you feel?
- Feel good.

- Good.
- Yeah, I'm ready to do this.

Your original song, man,
what inspired that?

"A.P.C.H." Yeah. "A Place Called Hell."
"Place Called Heaven."

- Wrote the song about heartbreak.
- Mm-hmm.

- [stammers] A... A piece came from my life.
- Yeah.

- Kinda missing somebody for a second.
- Yeah.

And I just made... created a story.

- I'm looking forward to hearing it.
- Thank you.

Let's see how we do.

♪ I miss you so much ♪

♪ I drank all the whiskey ♪

[Chuck] "A Place Called Hell."

It's a love song. Missing someone.

Going into the finale,
I wanted to show my vulnerable side.

I didn't really think of it much of...
the competition part from the beginning.

Now, it's kinda hitting me.

♪ I miss you so much ♪

Yeah.

This next song's, uh, by James Bay.
It's called "Hold Back The River."

♪ Tried to keep you close to me ♪

"Hold Back The River."
It's about wanting to stop time.

Things start moving so fast, man.
I've been doing music my whole life.

There was a point where
I just dedicated every second to it.

I missed birthdays and missed everything.

So I wanna pick some music
that pushes me and then kill it.

♪ Hold each other ♪

- [Blackstone] Yeah.
- [all clapping]

I mean, that's pretty flawless.
I have no notes.

[chuckles] That is so good.

Great job, man.
Like, I'm super proud of you.

You representing the culture,

not only country,
but as an African-American male.

So I appreciate that too, man.
So keep doing your thing.

- Thank you, man. Thank you.
- All right, man.

["I'm a House of Cards" playing]

[vocalizing, sighs]

I'm tired and I'm grateful.

This entire journey is-is-is a lot.
It's a lot to take in.

And I've been oddly calm,

but I think I'll be singing
a different tune...

[chuckles] ...when I need to perform.

[vocalizing]

[Blackstone]
Can I get a mic check from everybody?

[Chuck] Check, check.

[Blackstone] Dhruv, you okay? Micaela?

Yeah.

Hello.

[all clamoring, cheering]

- Hey, guys. How are you?
- So good.

What's up, my man. Sup, baby.

- How are you?
- Good, man.

[Blackstone] All right, cool.
So, we have an ensemble number

that we are working through,
just to be honest.

- That's what rehearsal's for.
- [Guyton] Okay.

You know, the ensemble is so important

because we're gonna see
that shade of things.

- Then after that, you're each gonna do...
- Your own performances.

Yeah, an original and a cover song,
each of you, right?

- So two songs back-to-back.
- It's really important what you choose.

Really important for song choice.

But without it being too much pressure,

just remember you get three
different shots to show us, kind of...

This is the finale, so you gotta bring it.
No holding back. No second chances.

- It's like, this is it.
- This is it.

[Dhruv] It's a lot of pressure to nail
not only my own songs but this ensemble.

[Allen]
And the winner gets some cool stuff.

You get a hundred grand
to put in your pocket.

I don't know if that's before tax
or after tax. You gotta talk...

- [all laugh]
- I don't know if that's net or gross,

but you get a hundred grand,

and then you get the support
of Apple Music across their socials.

You get the cover
of Apple country spotlight.

- [Guyton] Billboards in LA.
- You get billboards. Yeah.

LA, New York, Nashville.

It's a big deal, you guys.
Like, the prize is a genuinely big deal.

A lot of record labels fight daily
with Apple to get this sort of spotlight

for their signed artists
that have a few number ones.

We're telling you this...
What the prize is and these stakes

because that's how much
we believe in you guys.

Bring it, have fun, and remember,
you wanna be a singer, so sing.

- [Peck] Yeah.
- Well, we gonna keep working.

We'll see y'all on stage. Bye-bye.

[Peck] Bye.

A Black man on the pedal steel.

- [all laughing]
- [Allen] Let's go.

- [Allen] And his name is Ray-Ray.
- [all] Ray-Ray!

[Guyton] Yes, Ray-Ray!

- All right, y'all have fun.
- [Guyton] Bye, y'all.

- Don't mess up.
- [Micaela] Don't mess up.

All right, see y'all later. Y'all be safe.

[all chuckling]

And don't forget,
you're not being judged on the ensemble.

[Micaela] Uh-huh. Yeah.

[Micaela chuckling]

So we have chosen "Gone Country."
I know you guys have been working on that.

So excited to hear you as an ensemble.

We'll start with the mic stands,
but I would love for this to be energetic.

No mic stands.
You guys interacting with one another.

This is the first time we're kinda
seeing you all together as the finalists.

All right?

This ensemble needs to be good.
Hopefully, Adam can improve our situation.

Let's do it, James.

I'm nervous about this ensemble song.
We're not ready yet.

♪ Whole world has gone country ♪

All right, all right, all right.
So, we got some work to do.

We got some work to do.

Everybody's individual part is incredible,

but this is a exercise
in singing as a group. Okay?

Yo, so, I got a idea.

♪ She's gone, she's gone
Gone country ♪

[scats] ♪ She's gone, she's gone ♪

Try just ad-libbing in between.

♪ Look at them boo... ♪

Like, uh,
each person can, like, uh, take a...

♪ Ain't on the rally ♪

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ But he's got a house in the Valley ♪

♪ She's gone, she's gone
Country! ♪

So much work ahead
for this performance to go well.

The whole world has gone...

- ♪ Has gone country ♪
- ♪ Has gone country ♪ [vocalizes]

[producer]
He's gonna count us in. Stand by.

[Guyton]
We're launching a new country artist,

so we're looking for them
to leave their heart

and everything out on that stage.
They better bring it.

[producer] We go in three, two...

[Dhruv sighs]
I'm consistently hard on myself.

I'm an anxious and nervous character.

I'm in a place
where I can't make excuses for myself.

I'm here, and I can't just, like,
give up now.

- How was the vocal from here?
- Vocal was great.

[Dhruv] This opportunity feels
like it's once in a lifetime.

And I'm the kind of guy that,
when I make a mistake on stage,

it shows on my face.

- Thank you, guys.
- [Omar] Good job, bro.

[Allen] How you feeling, man?

Uh, a little nervous.

- Why?
- It's just...

It's because I think I think too much.

I feel like an alien on stage,

- but I know that's where I belong.
- Yeah.

I don't know why I have this lack of, uh,
confidence in my voice.

At the end of the day,
when fans come to see your show,

they don't come to see a insecure artist
that don't wanna be great.

- Yeah.
- You know what I'm saying?

I want you to step on stage and say,

-"You know what? I'm Dhruv."
- Yeah.

-"I'm the man..."
- Yeah.

"...and ain't nobody here touching me."

- Yeah.
- 'Cause that's facts.

- You can do it.
- Thank you.

- You've been one of my favorites.
- Thank you. [chuckles]

Step on stage as the reigning champion
of My Kind of Country.

- That's the mentality you should have.
- All right.

[Micaela's mother] Hello.

Hi. Hello, parents.

- How you doing, baby? Are you good?
- I'm fine, Micky. And you?

I'm very nervous for tomorrow.
It's the final, so... Yeah.

But are you prepared? Have you practiced?

- Yeah.
- How's that going?

Yeah, I've just...
I've mainly been resting a lot

because the songs I'm doing is...

- is quite vocally challenging, so...
- Yeah?

[Neville] Don't let the nerves
get the better of you.

- Yeah.
- [Lezell] You're gonna be ok.

- Yeah.
- Just do you.

- Do Micaela.
- Yeah. [chuckles]

- Aw, man.
- [Neville chuckles]

I miss my family.
They are so excited for me.

Before I even came, they were like,
"You're gonna win." [laughing]

So, they've been excited this entire time.

And they've believed in me,
like, since day one.

But I'm so nervous.

The prize is life-changing
in more ways than one.

- [people cheering]
- [Micaela laughing]

[sighs] Okay.

I need to remember that I belong.

- [producer] Yep, you're clear.
- Okay, cool.

[producer]
You are clear. I need all of our team...

- [crew] You got it?
- Yep.

I'm so tired. I mean,
my throat is all the time singing.

And even when I'm sleeping, I'm singing
on my dreams. And it's like, "Oh, my God."

I just have to work through the music.

- [producer] You good?
- Yeah.

So you're gonna enter this way,
and then will exit this way.

- [Ale] Okay, so right for... Okay.
- [producer] This way. No, where I'm going.

- [Allen] How you feeling?
- [Ale] I'm just having a little issues.

My voice is tired.

- Whiskey helps.
- [chuckles] I know.

And you believe
you're a great singer, right?

- Yeah. Yeah, I do.
- Believe it and let us see it.

I'm very proud that I have
two of my artists in the finale.

And I really hope Dhruv and Ale
see that this opportunity, right here,

can point their career in the direction
that they want it to go.

Your voice sounds amazing.

- Thank you.
- But have you, I guess, kinda looked back

at your performances and see
how you could've gave a little more?

- What... What do you mean? Like...
- I mean, I feel you've given us a six...

- Okay.
- ...and you can go to ten.

- Right.
- Because I've seen glimpses of it.

You've been great.

But I'm ready to see you get to
where I know you can get to.

- You know what I'm saying? And you got it.
- Okay.

- Hi, C-Chuck. [chuckles]
- Hi. Oh, hi, Mom. [chuckles]

- [Bettie] How's everything going?
- [sighs]

It's good. I'm-I'm at rehearsal now.

- You know, for the... for this finale.
- Oh, I'm excited.

- [chuckles]
- I know you are. I know you...

[Bettie] Did you sing any of the songs...

- Oh.
- ...that you wrote?

Yeah. Yeah, I did. For the finale,
I'm doing an original and a cover.

- Oh, my gosh.
- [Chuck] Mmm.

- Oh. Oh. [chuckles]
- [chuckling]

- You look like your dad just now.
- [chuckling]

[both chuckling]

- Oh.
- [Bettie] Wow.

My mom was a performer. You know,
she was a singer and piano player.

My whole family's encouraged me
my whole life.

You know, just do your best.
You're gonna be great,

'cause no matter what you do,
you're great to me anyway.

- So... [sniffs]
- Well, thank you, Mom. [chuckles]

- Okay. [inhales shakily]
- All right, I-I love you, Mom.

- I love you more. [moans]
- [chuckles]

And when I think of all the people that
are supporting me and, like, behind me,

I kinda wanna do it for them.

Maybe more for them than myself.

It'd feel good to take this thing
all the way.

- [people cheering]
- [sniffs, trills]

All this talent, but I'm just so happy
with everybody's, you know, development.

I know for me, from The 5 Spot,
their initial performances till now

here on this main finale stage,
it's-it's been such growth.

- Yeah.
- Now, what do you think about Dhruv?

Dhruv's musicality to me
is, like, amazing.

I know one thing we talked about, E,
with Dhruv was, like, his pitch.

He has a tendency to overshoot,

and most of the time
it's because he's overthinking.

- So, how about Ale?
- I love her voice. She was, like,

one of my favorites
from day one, just the tone...

[Blackstone] Yeah.

- ...and her endearing energy.
- [Dawkins] Yeah.

She's really, really special.

She has the softest voice of everybody.

- She does.
- So, you kinda... you kinda worry, like,

is she gonna... is she gonna fit?

- But she's... she's going for it. Yeah.
- [Dawkins] She's showing up.

If she's feeling kind of stressed
or, like, she has to reach for something,

she's getting tight.

So we're working on
keeping everything loose.

- Loose. Yeah.
- And each time it's coming out...

- Better and better. Great.
- ...stronger, with more control,

so she's feeling it.

My man, Chuck.

- Like, the confidence thing. He has it...
- [Blackstone] Yeah.

...but he thinks a lot as well.

- [Beatty] He's deep.
- [Dawkins] Yeah, he's super deep.

- Know what I mean?
- When he gets lost in the music,

everybody gets lost with him.

- It's incredible to see.
- Yeah.

Now, my girl, Micaela.

- She is just a powerhouse vocalist.
- Yeah.

[Beatty] She can be very vulnerable
in her songs, but, like,

showing up on stage and
bantering with the audience,

just being able to be vulnerable there.

To me, that would, like,
crack open the next level for Micaela.

Dhruv, he has the personality...

- Yes.
- ...to speak to everybody.

- Yeah.
- We wanna infuse that into Micaela.

- [Edwards] Into each other, yeah.
- Right.

- But Dhruv needs the intimacy...
- [Beatty] Right, exactly.

...that Micaela has,
so the vulnerability, we want that too.

So, all of these contestants

have something that they can even
pull from each other.

- You know what I mean?
- Absolutely.

So that's gonna be great to see
how we have them

interact on that opening number.

And then what they pull from
one another to infuse on the stage.

[Blackstone]
We have definitely transcended, I think,

the genre of country
by bringing these people together.

[Dawkins] Yeah. I'm absolutely looking
for all of them

to go into competition mode.

- Mmm.
- Mmm.

- And it's gonna be a fun, fun ride.
- [Beatty] Yeah.

[vocalizing]

[inhales deeply] Oh, my God.
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

[vocalizing]

Okay, I don't wanna push myself too much.
I'll be fine. I'll be fine.

[Ale] Here we got three boxes of tea bags
to help my throat.

[Dhruv] ♪ Dear Madeline ♪

♪ Dear Madeline ♪

♪ Dear Madeline ♪

[inhales sharply] Come on.

That's exactly how I have to do it.
That's the way. Just do it like that.

Dhruv, just please do it like that.
Do it with all the heart and the emotion.

Feel it. Go for it.
[inhales deeply, sighs]

[radio chattering]

[radio host] Hello, country music fans.

- I'm Kelleigh. And this is Fancy.
- I'm Fancy.

[Bannen] We have some exciting stuff
happening tonight in Nashville.

It's the My Kind of Country finale.

The winner of My Kind of Country
is going to receive $100,000.

- Can I compete?
- Um, yes, baby.

- Okay, perfect.
- Get in there.

As an independent artist, you need, like,

a lot of money to make real things happen,

and it's a life-changing thing.

We're also super excited to tell you
that whoever wins

will be on Today's Country, which is
our biggest country music playlist.

These are things
that I didn't imagine happening at all.

[Bannen] As part of that, the winner,

you will sit down with me for an interview
for my radio show, Today's Country Radio.

I'm trying not to let it overwhelm me
too much, 'cause it's big. It's big.

The winner will also be put on billboards

in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville
as well as all of Apple Music's socials.

[Chuck] Billboard in New York,
which is the big one for me.

Yeah, I can see it in...
Right in Times Square. Whoo.

That'd be nice.

[Bannen] So, to our top four finalists,
we want you to go into that finale

and show the world
what My Kind of Country is all about.

Good luck to everyone, and we will see you
at The Mulehouse tonight.

[Blackstone] Okay, can I hear your fiddle?

- [band member 1] Yeah, yeah.
- Amazing.

[band member 2] Whoo!

[speaking Spanish]

- [in Spanish] Check me out.
- [Cecy] Oh.

I'm ready for action.

- Very good.
- [Ale speaking Spanish]

It's very nice to see you so happy.

[chuckles]

- We hope that it all goes well for you.
- [Ale] Sí.

I love you so much.

We love you so much.

- [Ale, Cecy in English] Bye.
- [in Spanish] Take good care.

It makes me happy

to know they're supporting me at home.

[chuckles]

[people laughing, chattering]

[in English] Are you guys nervous, though?
For real, for real?

- Little bit. Yeah.
- Yeah?

- No.
- [Micaela] No?

- Are you excited?
- [inhales deeply] Yeah,

I'm like in-between.

I am a ball of nerves at the moment.

And you, lovey?

[Ale] All the nervous come five minutes...

- Before you get on stage.
- ...before I get on stage, yeah.

- [celebrity 1] Oh, my God. I'm so excited.
- [celebrity 2] I know.

- [chuckles]
- Oh, wow. Hi.

- [celebrity 2] Hi!
- [Dhruv chuckles]

- Oh, my gosh! Hello.
- [laughing]

I'm so excited to see y'all.

[Micaela exclaims]

Look here, nobody told me that
Reese Witherspoon...

- It's us.
- It's us.

...and Kacey Musgraves were going
to be watching this finale.

[Musgraves] We're the surprise.

My mind is blown.

- Surprise! [chuckles]
- Hi.

- [chuckling]
- Oh, my God!

Uh, you guys look amazing.

- Oh, my God. Hi.
- [Musgraves] Hi.

Okay, can I just tell you, we have heard
so much about you guys. [chuckles]

- [Dhruv chuckling]
- Oh, man.

And we are excited
to see you perform today.

- [chuckling]
- Yeah. I'm so stoked.

- Thank you.
- You know, we're all here because

Kacey and I had this crazy conversation
a few years ago

about how many closed doors
there are in Nashville.

And how could we be part of something
that really opened the door

- for people who really deserve a shot.
- Yes.

I'm really inspired to see you guys
do your thing today.

- [chuckling]
- Yeah.

So, thank you for the inspiration
because you make me wanna work harder,

- be more interesting, tell more stories.
- [laughing]

- Be more interesting? What? [laughing]
- What?

- Where did that come from?
- [chuckles]

- How are you guys feeling?
- Nervous.

- [all chuckle]
- No, don't be nervous.

It's so different to see you guys, like,
on a screen and then here.

[Micaela, Ale chuckling]

Is there something
that you've really learned

about yourselves through this process?

- Yeah, just roll with it.
- [Witherspoon] Yeah.

- [laughs]
- I love that.

For me personally, like,
I've... I've always, um,

had this issue
with a bit of my self-esteem.

- Mmm.
- And every time I kind of get on stage,

I always think of myself as, like,
you know, not as good as I think I am,

- or anything of the sort.
- Mmm.

So w-what I've learned is that
that's a terrible way to think.

- Mm-hmm.
- [Dhruv] And just, like...

You know, just to forget about that,
and just, like,

just be more than anything else.

I was personally blown away
by your audition video. I saw it...

- Thank you.
- ...and I was like,

"Okay, this is a really cool adaptation
of all these different styles."

I would say when I sing something or
say something, it comes out as country.

I just kinda can't help that.

But it's wrapped up
by all these different influences.

And I feel like you guys
are like that too.

- Yeah, thank you.
- Yeah, man.

- Also, the outfits.
- [laughing]

- I'm here for the outfits.
- Thank you. [laughing]

And the sparkles and the fringe.

- Okay, y'all are gonna kill it.
- Yeah.

You're gonna kill it. Don't be nervous.

- So excited.
- You're here because you're so talented

and you deserve to be here,
in every single way possible.

Just own it. Enjoy it.

- And we're just here to enjoy...
- Yeah.

- Thank you so much.
- ...your amazing selves.

I'm glad I don't have to perform today.

I'm gonna have a little drink
and then watch you do your thing, so...

- Cheers. Okay, bye.
- Thank you.

- Bye.
- [Dhruv] Bye, guys.

Oh, my God.

It's nuts.

I never thought I'd be in a room

with Reese Witherspoon
and Kacey Musgraves.

I love Kacey's music.

Now, the anxiety of what's coming is,
like, a massive level up.

And I hope that I can just give
my best performance.

- [Guyton] Hey, guys.
- [Musgraves] Hey, Mickey.

- Hi, Kacey. How are you? Good.
- Oh, how are you?

- Hi, Jimmie.
- How are you doing?

- You looked so good at the Grammys.
- Thank you.

- And how's this been going?
- I'm having a good time. It's fun.

And I love meeting new artists
and talking to them.

And trying to... You know, every advice

that people gave me
I try to give to them too.

[Witherspoon] That's great.

There's some truly incredible artists
that are really...

- That were so excited to meet you.
- Yeah, good, good.

[Dhruv] Hello.

[Dhruv's mother] Hello.

How are you guys? Oh, Mom, Mom.

- Mom, you're looking great, yaar.
- Okay.

Yeah, we wanted to look our best for you.

- [both laugh]
- [Jay] Right.

Well, I'm actually in my finale outfit
right now.

- Nice.
- And this.

[laughs] I look like Aladdin's assistant
or the genie's assistant.

No, actually you look like Willy Wonka
in the chocolate factory.

[all laughing]

Anyway,
I'm going to get on stage very soon.

How you feeling?

[inhales, exhales deeply]
I'm nervous as hell.

You know, it would be nice
to have you guys here. But, uh...

We are here. I mean, like, in spirit.

- [chuckles] Yeah.
- [Jay] Yeah.

[Jyoti] But you've come a long way.

You've worked very hard. You've reached
this place, and now have fun with it.

- Yeah.
- [Jyoti] Enjoy yourself.

Just believe in yourself.
Put all of that energy into the finale.

- Thank you, I will. Okay, I'm gonna go.
- [Jay] Right.

- [Jyoti] Yeah.
- You guys go to sleep now, please.

- Love you. Bye.
- [Dhruv] Bye.

- Kick ass, man, you got this.
- [Dhruv] Bye.

[Jyoti] Sha...

[laughs] I cut her off. Oh, man.

[Dhruv] My mom has been through hell
and back and watched me follow my dream,

and so I'm scared of letting the people
who believed in me down.

- [crew 1] You're on stage now.
- [crew 2] Hey, Dhruv.

- We're hitting the stage.
- Okay.

- Okay, we're going.
- Good to see you.

- [Witherspoon] They're killing you.
- Yep, we're out.

- Thank you. One, two.
- Thank you.

[Beatty] Have fun.
You guys did an amazing job.

- [Dawkins] You guys.
- Visually and vocally, same thing.

Everybody feel confident?

[people cheering]

[announcer]
Ladies and gentlemen, My Kind of Country.

- Jimmie Allen...
- Whoo!

...Mickey Guyton and Orville Peck.

[Allen] We wanna welcome you all
to My Kind of Country.

This is gonna be a... a great night.

We're super excited
for you to see these artists.

And what I'm most excited about

is seeing the way country music
has grown across the globe.

And getting a chance tonight
to hear each artist

and their representation
of what country music means to them.

Yeah, these four are singers, songwriters,

and most importantly,
they're storytellers.

And it's been such a privilege

for us to watch them grow
through this competition.

This is a really big night for them.

Yes, it's a big night for all of us.

We truly believe that these artists,

all of them,
are the future of country music,

and it looks so bright.

Unfortunately,
there will only be one winner.

Let's bring them out. Are y'all ready?

- [Peck] Yes.
- [people cheering]

First up, ladies and gentlemen,
all the way from Cape Town,

my South African sister,
the one and only, Micaela Kleinsmith.

[Guyton whooping]

[Allen] And from India,

a guy whose talent knows no bounds
and keeps us laughing,

the amazing Dhruv Visvanath.

And from Mexico,
this lady's voice is so sweet and smooth,

everybody's gonna want it
on their ringtone.

- [people laughing]
- The amazing Ale Aguirre.

[chuckles]

And last, but certainly not least,

Nashville's very own
incredible singer-songwriter, Chuck Adams.

[Peck] Come on, Chuck.

Okay.

I like pressure
because pressure busts pipes.

I'm looking forward to seeing
who's gonna see this challenge,

accept it and get the job done.

- Enjoy the show. Take it away, y'all.
- [Guyton] Yes!

[Peck] Whoo.

[Allen] Even though we chose
our artists from the beginning,

we are all here to find
the best country artist,

so we have to make the decision together.

♪ She's been playing in a room
On the Strip ♪

♪ For ten years in Vegas ♪

I love him so much.

♪ Every night, she looks in the mirror
And she only ages ♪

♪ She's been reading about Nashville
And all the records ♪

♪ That everybody's buying ♪

♪ Says, "I'm a simple girl myself
Grew up on Long Island" ♪

- Yeah!
- [Guyton] Come on!

♪ So she packs her bags to try her hand ♪

♪ Says, "This might be my last chance" ♪

[all] ♪ She's gone country ♪

♪ Look at them boots ♪

[all] ♪ She's gone country ♪

- ♪ Back to her roots ♪
- [all] ♪ She's gone country ♪

♪ A new kind of suit ♪

♪ She's gone country ♪

♪ Here she comes ♪

♪ He commutes to LA
But he's got a house in the Valley ♪

♪ But the bills are piling up ♪

♪ And the pop scene
Just ain't on the rally ♪

- [Dhruv] ♪ Yeah ♪
- Ow!

♪ And he says
"Honey, I'm a serious composer ♪

♪ Schooled in voice and composition" ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ But with the crime
And the smog these days ♪

♪ This ain't no place for children ♪

♪ Lord, it sounds so easy
It shouldn't take long ♪

♪ Be back in the money in no time at all ♪

♪ She's gone country ♪

♪ A new kind of walk
She's gone country ♪

♪ A new kind of talk
She's gone country ♪

♪ Look at them boots
She's gone country ♪

♪ Oh, back to his roots
She's gone ♪

[all] ♪ She's gone
She's gone ♪

- ♪ Country ♪
- ♪ Up on Long Island ♪

[all] ♪ He's gone
He's gone ♪

- ♪ Every night, yeah ♪
- ♪ Country ♪

[all] ♪ He's gone
He's gone ♪

- ♪ Everybody ♪
- ♪ Country ♪

[all] ♪ He's gone
He's gone ♪

♪ Whole world has gone country ♪

- [cheering]
- [Peck] Come on!

Yes!

That was great. Wow.

[Allen] Yeah!

They are so cute. I love them.

[Ale] I'm really relieved.
We've worked so well as a team,

but we have individual performances now.

So, how is that word
that you say in the States?

Um, "Go bigger or go home."
I think it's that. Yeah.

- So good!
- Oh, man.

That was really good.

Do you feel like you're related now?
You're like, "Oh, that's my baby."

- That's, like, my children.
- Aw.

- That's so tender.
- [Guyton] I know.

We've just seen them all grow so much,
you know.

We've seen them go from sweatpants
to rhinestones, you know what I mean?

[Allen] Coming up next, solo performances
by Chuck, Dhruv, Ale and Micaela.

[Chuck] Working as a group together, yeah,
it was fun. Everybody did a great job.

Now it's showtime.

[Dhruv] There's one thing
I've had to come to terms with.

If I want to win, then I shouldn't
be afraid of trying to win.

[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen,
make some noise for the first artist.