Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with The Voice’s Micah Iverson

There’s no plan B for singer-songwriter Micah Iverson, who’s fully committed to making his dreams a reality. Last year, the twenty-five-year-old went all in on himself and his music career, leaving behind a steady job as an investment analyst at a Fortune 500 company. That decision proved invaluable and saw Micah land one of the coveted spots on Team Kelly on this season of The Voice. Since then, he’s continued to wow all four coaches and America with his genre-defying sound. As he gets ready for the live shows, he spoke with us about his journey thus far.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Micah: That’s a great question. My passion for music came a little later in life. A lot of people say they were singing since they were four. I was probably fourteen or sixteen. I grew up in Japan. When you’re a teenager, one social thing you do is go to karaoke as a group. I was always embarrassed to sing, but at one point I finally sang a song. My friends were like, “You’re kind of a good singer.” I was like, “Oh, I like listening to music, but I’ve never thought of singing.” So it was in that age range that I started singing.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Micah: Personally, my older siblings. I have four older brothers. They listen to a lot of the music that shaped how I sing, how I enjoy lyrics and melodies—a lot of emo alt-rock music. They were pretty influential.

Professionally, I have a few heroes but specifically Hosier, an Irish singer-songwriter. His lyrics and his melodies are intricate and provocative. He’s probably one of my biggest influences professionally.

PC: Last year, you quit your job and decided to pursue music full time. How challenging was that decision?
Micah: It was pretty scary. I’m someone who really likes financial security. When you give up a job to pursue music, you’re promising yourself anything but financial security. You’re doing it because you love it. It’s definitely a risk, and I was worried. I was going off my savings for a while there.

I was fortunate to get onto The Voice within months of quitting my job. I auditioned for The Voice. I got farther and farther. Soon I was in front of the coaches for the blinds and got three chairs. That was a huge blessing and totally unprecedented, considering I had only been trying music for a little while.

PC: You were a part of an a capella group in college. How has that experience prepared you for The Voice?
Micah: Being a part of an a capella group in college definitely helped me with my stage presence. It’s a little different because you’re backed up by twelve other people who are singing in the group. Being a solo artist is different, but I think that I learned a lot about my own voice and what I’m capable of. When I was in an a capella group, I learned the type of songs I can and can’t sing. I learned how to blend. I learned how to harmonize, how to vocally prepare myself before a performance, so those things were actually really helpful. I think it strengthened my ear for music a lot.

PC: Heading into your blind audition, did you know which coach you wanted? What made Kelly [Clarkson] stand out?
Micah: Going into the blinds, I wanted Kelly. She’s done this all before. She knows what it’s like to be in a singing competition. On top of that, she knows what it’s like not to subscribe to a specific genre when it comes to singing. The other three artists on the show are pretty genre-specific. Kelly’s all over the place, and I really admire that, especially since I’m all over the place. Going into it, I thought she’d be someone who could guide me through the ins and outs of choosing songs that she thinks would fit well with my voice and help me navigate what to do with them melodically so that they play to my strength. She’s a great person. She’s really humble. She’s very kind. She’s very earnest. She was my top pick the whole time. I was thrilled when she was the first to turn.

PC: What’s been the best piece of advice that she’s given you?
Micah: When we were doing the battle rounds, Kelly encouraged us to be more present and remember that it’s just a performance. She said, “When you’re going for a high note, just sing it. Don’t put too much stake in it. You’re just singing, and it’s something you love to do.” A lot of times singers can get in their own heads about high notes, and it ends up resulting in a crack or they can’t quite hit it. Kelly has this way of encouraging us to enjoy singing. Impress people with how much you love what you’re doing. I really appreciated that.

PC: It was announced earlier this week that the live shows will take place from home. How has that changed the coaching aspect of the competition? How are you preparing?
Micah: Great question. The coaching is no longer in person, but through virtual means we’re able to talk to them about our upcoming performance, which has been cool. It’s cool to have Kelly Clarkson on a call in my house. It’s definitely changed. We were looking forward to being on the stage for the live performances, but this new type of performance is proving to be really interesting and cool for someone like me who likes a more intimate setting musically. I won’t have a live audience in my room in my house, but I’ll have my coach there and my family. It’s exciting.

PC: You’re only a couple of performances in, but which has been your favorite? Which has been the most challenging?
Micah: My favorite has been my battle. I got paired with Gigi [Hess]. She’s such a wonderful musician to work with. Kelly gave us a great song that’s prominent, popular, and challenging. I think that performance was my strongest yet. I really practiced a lot. I was pushed by Kelly, Gigi, and the music department on The Voice to get outside of my comfort zone. That was really helpful.

I think the most challenging was my knockout performance. Days before the actual performance, I realized this is not the song that I should have picked. It wasn’t in my wheelhouse. It didn’t play to my strengths. It’s not a song that the coaches like. Kelly liked the song, but the rest of the coaches had no real taste for it. So I was nervous. I had accepted the fact that I would lose. The week before the knockout was very stressful for me and I had accepted it. I was bummed about the fact that I might have chosen a song that wasn’t great for me. My opponent, Taylor [Green], sounded incredible. I was really lucky to share a stage with her. But despite it all, Kelly had faith in me, and I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful that she stuck by me.

Photo Credit: Tyler Golden/NBC

PC: How does that affect the songs that you’re picking moving forward?
Micah: That’s a great question. The songs that I’m choosing moving forward are a lot more carefully chosen. They’re songs that I’m really comfortable with and songs that I’ve played and performed before and I’ve discussed with Kelly.

PC: We know you’re still in the competition right now, but thus far, what’s been the biggest takeaway from this experience?
Micah: That’s a good question. I think I would go back to Kelly’s advice to me, but just to extrapolate on that, it’s singing. It should be fun. It should be entertaining—not just for the people you’re performing to but for you. Music is close to the heart of everyone here on The Voice, and I’ve learned that the best performances come out of musicians who are on a stage enjoying themselves and less concerned with executing things perfectly. You can do both though. You can execute a perfect performance and have fun.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Micah: Taylor Swift. I love her song “All Too Well.”

PC: First album you bought?
Micah: Boys Like Girls’ Love Drunk.

PC: First concert you attended?
Micah: Maroon 5, 2008, Tokyo, Japan.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Micah: Switchfoot’s The Beautiful Letdown. It has every type of emotion you could want in an album, and it goes all over. Lyrically, it really gets to the heart of a lot of internal struggles, existential ideas, and it’s beautiful to listen to.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Micah: The Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Micah: My Bible.

To keep up with Micah, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to his YouTube channel. Vote for Micah on The Voice official app or on NBC.com/voicevote.

Photo Credit: Trae Patton/NBC