Former Cactus Cutie Blaire Elbert once sang at White House, but being on ‘The Voice’ stage was ‘whole different beast’

Blaire Elbert found her yodel on the Murfee Elementary School playground a little more than 20 years ago.

Fast forward to Season 29 of NBC’s “The Voice.” The Lubbock native and former Cactus Cutie broke out that yodel on the show’s stage while singing “Wide Rollin’ Plains” during the first round’s Blind Auditions, broadcast a few weeks ago.

Elbert started yodeling a minute into her song and less than ten seconds later, coach Kelly Clarkson turned her chair, sending Elbert to the show’s next round.

“I pretty much blacked out. But I do remember seeing her chair turn around and just in my mind, I was like, keep it together. Keep it together,” said Elbert in an interview with LubbockLights.com.

“The whole experience of getting to do what I love and getting to work with such incredible musicians, artists, coaches and being around the environment … it’s just very inspiring,” said Elbert.

Now Elbert is back to working on her career in Nashville – writing songs, releasing music – hoping to one day have her own tour bus.

Related story: Fresh off ‘The Voice,’ Blaire Elbert gives hometown crowd a show, also shares stage with one of her fellow Cactus Cuties

Singing on show ‘a whole different beast’

Despite Elbert having sung with Lubbock’s Cactus Cuties in the White House for President George W. Bush, on the Disney Channel, the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, singing on “The Voice” was “a whole different beast.”

Her legs were shaking as she walked on the stage, she said – not knowing if she would receive any chair turns from the judges – Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine – who can’t see the singers until they decide to turn for them.

When Clarkson turned her chair, Elbert tried to avoid looking at her. The only thing on her mind was finishing the song without messing up.

“I’ll glance and look at her, but I just have to make it through the song, and I have to land this last note, or else I’m gonna absolutely lose it and become a mess knowing that Kelly Clarkson is watching me right now,” she said.

Elbert moved to “The Voice’s” Battle Round before losing to J.W. Griffin – but they have plans to record together.

Her “Voice” journey began when the show’s casting team contacted Elbert, asking her to submit a virtual audition. She sent in several performance videos, including a yodeling piece, before advancing to a casting department interview, she said.

A call followed inviting her to California to prepare for the Blind Audition.

The show provides a list of songs the artists can pick, but Elbert said she pushed to sing “Wide Rollin’ Plains” to showcase her yodel.

“‘Wide Rollin’ Plains’ was the one that I wanted to sing for the coaches,” Elbert said. “There’s been a couple of other yodelers that have been on the show, but I really wanted to do something that stood out.”

A lot of people have done “I Wanna Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” she said, which features yodeling. It was first recorded in 1935 by Patsy Montana.

The Battle Round

During the show’s Battle Round, contestants from a coach’s team are paired to perform together and their coach picks one of the artists to go to the Knockout Round.

Elbert was matched with Griffin, singing Lee Ann Womack’s “Never Again, Again.”

“I initially didn’t know the song super well. I’m obviously familiar with Lee Ann Womack and grew up on a lot of her stuff, but once I heard the song I really did love it, that classic country sound it has,” she said.

“We loved that it had a lot of range for harmonies. It had the perfect setup to be a duet,” she said, adding even though it was competition, they focused more on giving a strong performance.

Clarkson couldn’t be there to coach before the Battles. Jennifer Hudson filled in, reminding them it is a competition and something else Elbert said she’ll carry forever.

“She focused a lot on portraying the meaning of the song, which has always been important to me. But I can also be a perfectionist at times, so I want the sound, the song and the notes to be perfectly spot on at all times,” Elbert said.

Hudson told her it’s not a competition of perfect notes, it’s a competition of being able to tell the story better.

“We just wanted to give the best performance we could and really showcase our abilities,” said Elbert.

Host Carson Daly turned to Elbert while they were waiting on Clarkson’s decision, saying, “I have no idea how they’re going to choose.”

Clarkson picked Griffin. Elbert’s “Voice” run was over, but she plans to record with Griffin, who made it to the semifinals.

“I now have found a lifelong duet partner. I kind of met my country brother. We text almost every day,” she said.

“I was really, really happy with how the performance turned out and really, really happy with what all of the coaches had to say,” Elbert said.

The show is edited, so not everything she heard from the coaches made the show. Legend and Levine had nice things to say, both wishing they had turned for her earlier, she said.

“Kelly said I added a couple other runs in our arrangement and she told me every single place I put a run, that’s exactly what she would have done. … That was the biggest compliment … validation hearing from Kelly Clarkson, who is one of the best vocalists out there,” Elbert said.

Legend also complimented a rasp in Elbert’s voice she hasn’t been comfortable with.

“I’ve always kind of been a little scared of the rasp in my voice,” she said, adding she was pleasantly surprised to hear it complimented.

“It’s just really giving me that confidence to using that more and not being afraid of showcasing that as often. That’s just kind of what happens when you’ve been singing a long time, but it made me feel really good to know that’s not something I should stray away from,” she said.

Hanging out, getting star treatment

Preparation to sing for the judges meant a number of trips from Nashville to Los Angeles for Elbert, starting last June, then a couple of weeks in July and a couple more in August.

“You do a lot of preliminary filming, working with some vocal coaches and a run-through with the band before you make it to the stage,” she said.

She also worked with the music department, making sure the song’s arrangement fit in the given time each singer gets.

“Just working through it with the band to make sure – because it is a live band that’s back there playing with you, which is really, really great. I was lucky to get to work with some amazing vocal coaches, amazing musicians. They really are top tier,” Elbert said.

Elbert also worked with the show’s Wardrobe Department before the Blind Auditions.

“You get to bring kind of your own clothes, but they also have items for you to pull from. They help you with styling, which is really, really great. For my battle, they do dress us. So that was a lot of fun getting to work with my stylist and I absolutely loved what I got to wear,” she said.

Some famous country stars didn’t make the show

Major country stars who’ve been on “The Voice” did not make it as far as Elbert.

Luke Combs, Maren Morris and Laney Wilson were all rejected by the show – Wilson was rejected seven times. All have gone on to successful country music careers.

Others used it as a springboard for successful careers.

“I’ve seen a couple of other country stars I really love … and found out they were on the show before their careers took off,” Elbert said, mentioning Jake Worthington, Ashland Craft and Emily Roberts.

Chance discussion between moms leads to voice lessons

One of Elbert’s friends was taking voice lessons with the Caldwell family, which back then ran the Cactus Theater.

The girl’s mom suggested to Elbert’s mom that her five-year-old daughter might enjoy it. A vocal lesson was set up with Cami Caldwell, still one of Elbert’s best friends and mentor, who also now lives in Nashville.

The Cactus Theater became her home every weekend.

“While normal kids were doing what they do, I was performing and doing shows at the theater,” said Elbert.

The Cactus Theater wanted to do a country show and were looking for a yodeler, she said.

“I went into my lesson that day, and she’s like, I think we’re gonna try and teach you how to yodel,” Elbert said.

Cami Caldwell said, “My mom and I noticed she had what we call a natural break in her voice and mom suggested we try her on a yodeling song.”

Caldwell showed Elbert what yodeling was, demonstrating the break from chest voice to head voice which creates the yodel sound.

“She couldn’t get it during that lesson, but she is a perfectionist. The very next lesson, a week later, she was so excited and ran into the room and said, ‘Cami, I found my yodel on the playground,'” Caldwell said.

Blaire sat on the playground and practiced breaking from chest voice to head voice until she found her yodel break, Caldwell said.

“Absolutely adorable. She has always been the hardest worker … she is extremely driven,” she added.

Yodeling will always be part of her career, Elbert said.

She was overwhelmed by support from Lubbock and across Texas during her time on “The Voice,” saying she received a steady stream of messages.

“It means everything for me to have the support of my hometown and the support of Texas,” she said.

And when she comes back to Lubbock – which she did the last weekend of March to play two shows – she has her favorite places to go.

“I have a couple of friends in Nashville who are from Lubbock and they say the exact same thing. As soon as they get off the plane, they go to Taco Villa,” she said.

The first time she brought her band to Lubbock they were in town for three days and went to Taco Villa four times.

She also likes margaritas at Chimy’s and a Chilton – the cocktail born in Lubbock, as the story goes.

“They don’t make them anywhere else, and they suck if they do,” she said.

Nashville

Elbert went to Belmont University in Nashville, after hearing about it from Caldwell. She was accepted by Texas universities but chose Belmont.

“It has one of the best music business programs and I knew I wanted to be in that scene for music,” Elbert said of Nashville.

She was recently performing in some of the bars on Nashville’s Broadway. That’s where she met the guys who are now in her band. But she decided to take a break to rest her vocal cords while working on “The Voice.”

“I got a job at a place called Skull’s Rainbow Room. I’ll serve there a couple of days a week. I consider that my normal person job,” she said.

She was the opening act for a stop on the tour for country star Sara Evans last week.

Elbert continues to write and release songs.

“When I was with the Cuties, we did get into writing a little bit. I really started honing in on songwriting once I moved to Nashville,” she said, adding she writes with Nashville friends who “really get my sound and get what I want to go for.”

Elbert writes about things going on in her life, or something she sees going on in a friend’s life or just stories she hears.

“I have a notes app on my phone and if I just have an idea … I’ll write it down. I have some songs about breakups in my life. Every country artist has got to have a drinking song. So I got one of those,” she said.

She also wants to stay true to her yodel and cowgirl vibe so she’s planning songs staying true to that.

Elbert has seven songs out with more on the way. They can be found on Apple and Amazon music. Most are originals, but two are covers – “When I Get Where I’m Going” by Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley and “Wide Rollin’ Plains” by Rosalie Allen in 1948, which she just released on the heels of singing it on “The Voice.”

She hopes to perform at iconic venues like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, following great country artists before her.

“I’ve always said this is forever. I do not see myself doing anything other than music. It’s a matter of keep doing what I love and pushing my goals,” she said.

Hearing how her music makes people feel also drives her.

“If I can help someone else in a way through my music, that’s what I want to do.”

Post Voice

Being on the show was a “great milestone” for Elbert.

“I have become really, really good friends with everyone that’s on the show. I could call them up right now and I know they’d answer,” she said, adding it was an inspiring atmosphere.

“While it is a competition … there wasn’t really anyone that ever came off as … I’m trying to beat you. It wasn’t cutthroat. There’s very good camaraderie and you get to be around other artists that have different journeys than you, but you can all have something to learn from each other,” Elbert said.

Plus, it’s a great marketing opportunity.

“I’ve already been blown away with all the love I’ve gotten – on the Internet and my socials have grown. It’s just a great way to get exposure and get my name out there,” she said.

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