The Voice | NBC Official Site - Elenowentag:www.nbc.com,2011-04-21:/the-voice/artists/elenowen/2332011-05-17T03:01:18ZThis indie singing tandem from Nashville, Tennessee met as solo performers and soon fell in love. Their stage name is taken from their parents' middle names. After a year of marriage, they wrote and released their debut album, "Pulling Back the Veil," chronicling the highs and lows of life as newlyweds.Movable Type Enterprise 4.32-enBattle Rounds - Duh, Duh, Duuuhhhnnn!tag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.837532011-05-18T14:02:02Z2011-05-17T03:01:18ZFrom the excitement of meeting and working with Blake Shelton, to the nerves of performing against another singer in front of not only a panel of extremely talented celebrities, but also an audience of millions, it's safe to say this...NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137
Blake Shelton, to the nerves of performing against another singer in front of not only a panel of extremely talented celebrities, but also an audience of millions, it's safe to say this experience has been a whirlwind!
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Blake gathered our whole team together to pair us against each other - that fact alone
was nerve-racking enough considering we'd all become friends at that
point. Secondly, we were paired with Jared Blake and were assigned to
sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough!" Our initial reaction, as well as
Jared's, was shock. Because our styles are so different, we were taken
back at the fact that we were both assigned a song far from either of
our genres (not to mention the fact that it's a Marvin Gaye song)!
All of us knew it was going to take a lot of time and effort to find a key and arrangement
that would work well for us, so we went to Paul, the bandleader, to start working it out. Little did
we know another shocker was awaiting us when Blake and his "advisor"
Reba McEntire walked in! Long story short, Blake and Reba helped us
arrange the tune and gave us some extremely helpful advice. The best
part about them both is that they seemed completely invested in the
process and truly wanted to help us any way they could. It's not every
day you get artists of that caliber to mentor you - so it was surreal.
Before our Battle Round performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," we became
comfortable with the trio approach (an idea that was encouraged by Blake
and Reba) and knew that whoever Blake chose in the end, it would be a
fun performance either way...Sad to say, we weren't chosen. When it came
down to it, we didn't get a chance to make "Ain't No Mountain High
Enough" more "us." We would have loved to strip down the tune, make it
more harmony driven, etc. Since we didn't get that chance, we weren't
able to win Blake over. Hats off to Jared Blake for really working the
crowd and giving a killer performance.
Needless to say, this has been a crazy and awesome experience. This is definitely only the
beginning for us and our music. We cannot thank you enough for the
support, encouragement, and kind words we have received in the past few
weeks. We'll be seeing you soon.
Love,
Elenowen
Josh & Nicole Johnson
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Elenowen's Best Friendtag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.836242011-05-16T14:01:44Z2011-05-15T21:42:19ZNBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137
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Fairy Godmothertag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.833252011-05-14T14:04:01Z2011-05-11T23:45:04ZNicole's fairy godmother brings her a little gift in the hotel room....NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137 ]]>
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Oh Hi Bevtag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.829902011-05-09T14:25:43Z2011-05-09T04:26:52ZSay something funny, Bev!...NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137 ]]>
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Q&A: Elenowentag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.827752011-05-09T14:05:54Z2011-05-05T20:08:06ZNBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137
J: I always sing in the shower. Whatever I just listened to.
N: I never sing in the shower.
J: I sing enough for both of us.
What song is your guilty pleasure?
J: "Last Friday Night" Katy Perry.
N: "Peacock" by Katy Perry.
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J: Mint chocolate chip. N: Anything involving peanut butter and chocolate.
Pirates or Ninjas? Why? J: Ninjas. All day. I grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles and all three ninjas movies and I'm a huge peter pan fan so I'd always fight the pirates. N: Pirates for sure. The accessories and the layers that they wear.
If you were to be stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want there? J: 1) If I had service, my iPhone 2) My acoustic guitar 3) My Costco card with the hope that there is a Costco on this island. Hopefully the island is deserted with just a Costco.
N: 1) Definitely my iPhone 2) Definitely mascara 3) Neverending supply of hummus and peanut butter
Who is your celebrity crush? J: Natalie Portman N: Joaquin Phoenix
If you could spend the day with anyone dead or alive, who would it be? N: Honestly it would be Jesus. J: If Nicole is hanging out with Jesus, I'd say Bob Dylan.
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Josh At The Studiotag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.829892011-05-09T14:00:27Z2011-05-09T04:30:41ZJust a little chit chat with Josh right before we record....NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137 ]]>
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Blind Auditionstag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/artists/elenowen//233.816802011-05-04T15:17:40Z2011-05-05T20:04:13ZOURS: "Blind Auditions" Well, the gang's all here! Both sets of parents came to L.A. to watch the Blind Auditions, so we have some free time to hang out. However, since we're not allowed to leave the hotel, our hanging...NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137
OURS: "Blind Auditions"
Well, the gang's all here! Both sets of parents came to L.A. to watch the Blind Auditions, so we have some free time to hang out. However, since we're not allowed to leave the hotel, our hanging out consists of sitting around (in the hotel room or the lobby), catching up, eating overpriced hotel food, etc. Regardless of the circumstances, we are so happy they're here. Days prior to the blind audition , Nicole was dealing with a not-so pleasant stomach bug. Thankfully it passed, and we were all ready the day of.
We woke up early, ate our Irish porridge with fruit, and started sucking
down some singers' tea. Up until our Blind Audition we were pretty calm
considering what was before us (having each other throughout this whole
process makes things so much better/easier). Right before we walked
onstage, however, the importance of the audition really sunk in. I did
my best to keep calm on the outside, but on the inside I was freaking
out. Nicole, on the other hand, kept her cool as always.
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Blake the stud Shelton turned around. Yes. Score. Then Cee Lo freaking Green turned around. High fives all around. The fact that these two amazing, very successful, and very different artists turned around in approval of US was an incredible moment! We were thrilled to say the least.
Long story short, after some questioning Nicole decided to put me on the spot (like wives tend to do) to make the final decision about which coach we were gonna go with. Nicole keeps saying that even though people may think she "threw me under the bus," she says she honestly felt 100% comfortable and confident that I would make the right choice for us. We both feel like I did ;). Good ole' Blake Shelton completely understands what it's like to do music alongside the one you love, he was the first to turn around, and he's from Nashville. Triple threat. Needless to say, we're ecstatic to be a part of this show and are so ready to work with Blake. Stay tuned!
And now a little personal blurb from Josh...
HIS: "A Whole Lotta Nothin'" My day was rather uneventful. All morning & afternoon I sat in the hotel room, answered emails, listened to tunes, attempted to write tunes, flipped back & forth between HBO family & NBC. I didn't even get out of the room to eat lunch (seriously). I just munched on apples, peanut butter, cheddar rice cakes, & dark chocolate raisinets. After my assorted snacking extravaganza I felt guilty, so I went to the gym & did a Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout. Finally, I felt somewhat productive!
Later on into the evening, I ordered some actual food from a Greek restaurant down the street. Good ole salad w/ falafel. Up until this trip I had no clue what falafel was - I just really liked saying the word 'falafel' (I know you're saying it out loud right now, & I hope you're smiling). If you didn't already know this, not only is 'falafel' fun to say, but it's also fun to eat. Anyway...as the night wound down I joined the nightly poker game w/ Javier, Curtis, & Patrick. I cleaned Javier & Patrick out pretty early on & totally thought I would take home the $80 pot. Nope...fail. Curtis "the river rat" Grimes called my all-in bluff & took all my money. Fortunately, he & I worked out a deal that 2nd place would get their $20 buy-in back, so all in all it was a good time...for FREE!
And now a little blurb from Nicole...
HERS: "Red Dye & Cup Cakes" Unlike Josh, my day was rather eventful. Tammy, the wonderful mom of Tori and Taylor, colored my hair! Girls, you know how icky you feel when your roots start to show, but coloring your hair in a small hotel room can be tricky! The best part was trying to rinse out the dye in a tub with colored water splashing everywhere while dye dripped in my eyes...but we conquered it and I feel like myself again!
The other great part of the day was when Rebecca and I went out to get our nails done. We discovered a really unique place that I like to call the Bar Bakery! This place had amazing cupcakes and goodies mixed with dance club music and a bar! Probably the highlight of my girl day! Chocolate salted caramel cup cake and a cup of coffee - yes please!!
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Here We Are!tag:www.nbc.com,2011:/the-voice/elenowen//233.816782011-04-27T03:00:00Z2011-04-26T17:10:48ZOURS: "Here We Are (Intro)"Welp, here we are - sunny California for the first time! Who would've thought a couple months back when we auditioned in Nashville that we'd be here? Craziness....NBC Community Teamhttp://www.nbc.com/system/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=233&id=137 Welp, here we are - sunny California for the first time! Who would've thought a couple months back when we auditioned in Nashville that we'd be here? Craziness.
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Before we get into the nitty gritty details of this show, a quick introduction of who we are and how we got here seems necessary. Our names are Josh and Nicole Johnson. We are a husband and wife folk/pop duo called Elenowen (pronounced "ellen-owen") from Nashville, TN. We met in 2003, had a long distance relationship for a year, broke up for a year and a half, got back together, got married in June of 2008, and have been living in Nicole's parents' basement ever since. Throughout our whole relationship, we developed strong passions for writing and performing music. The more we fell in love (especially after being married), the more relevant our music became in our relationship. It served and continues to serve as a way to honestly and beautifully express the feelings (good and bad) we experience on our journey as a married couple. Music is, in a way, therapy. Needless to say, it's been an amazing experience thus far, but it's time to give our career some wings...this is where The Voice comes in.
For us, there is nothing more exciting than connecting and sharing who we are as artists and as people to a large audience. Being on The Voice makes this opportunity possible. We are strong believers in following our hearts, staying true to our music and (most importantly) to each other, and on this show we intend to do just that. We have no doubt that this show will stretch us in ways we need to be stretched, and we're excited to learn and grow from this experience. We've already met a plethora of amazing people out here. Everyone from the contestants, staff, musicians, producers and coaches are unbelievably talented and genuine people. The fact that we have the opportunity to build relationships with these folks is simply amazing - definitely one of those experiences that comes along once in a lifetime. We can't wait to see this show comes to life and to connect with you. Our dreams are truly becoming a reality and we couldn't be more excited.
And now a little personal blurb from Josh...
HIS: "Kum Bay Ya" There's only so much you can do to kill time in a hotel. You can sleep, eat, work out, watch TV, and...well, that's about it. Thankfully the majority of the other contestants felt this way, so a huge group of us congregated outside most days and nights. In these little congregations we would do what any group of singers would do - "kum bay ya" (coom-by-yah) sessions! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, a "kum bay ya" session is a term used to describe a bunch of people sitting a fire, sharing original songs, singing favorite cover songs, and having a jolly ole' time. Definitely some of my favorite moments on this trip.
And now a little personal blurb from Nicole...
HERS: "Hummus, Hummus, & More Hummus" So in order to try and save my money, I went to the grocery store for a few essentials (that way I won't eat out every meal). This list usually consists of carrots, apples, peanut butter, oatmeal, and lots and lots of hummus - three huge tubs in fact. Unfortunately, today it's all gone. I think I have officially eaten my own weight in hummus! But the beauty of it all is I saved my money and now I can spend it at H&M! Yeah baby!
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Blake gathered our whole team together to pair us against each other - that fact
