Dia took to Facebook to share the news with her fans first:

“This Tuesday, Kid Cudi and I just may be hanging out on The Voice. “Don’t kick the chaaaaiiiiirrrr.” Also, on tour now with The Fray. See Tour dates. Also, more dates are coming for our 1 month tour in June!!!! Tickets on sale this weekend. XOX”

It’s Dia’s first time back on The Voice since she placed second last season. Who do you think will be the last one standing from Team Blake this year?

Related posts:

1. CONCERT REVIEW: Dia Frampton
2. CONTEST: Autographed Copy Of Dia Frampton’s Album & Poster!
3. Keepin’ it Country Blog backs Dia Frampton for The Voice

The double-booking wasn’t Dia’s fault.  Instead, the blame belongs with Mother Nature.  Bad weather postponed her scheduled March 14 show in Reno, Nevada, where she was set to open for Blake Shelton and his Well Lit & Amplified Tour.  That show has now been rescheduled for this coming Sunday March 18.

Problem solved, right?  Wrong.  It turns out Dia had long since been scheduled to play a solo show that night at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

So now she has two shows booked on the same night.  Quite the dilemma.  It’s a tough call, but one Dia is handling with complete class.  Here is what she posted on her Facebook page:

Yes, Reno got rebooked on the same day of our night at the Troubadour.  It looks like no matter what, we’ll be disappointing someone. I wish I could be in 2 places at once… But, the troubadour has been sold out months in advance, & I know people have bought flights & hotels for that show….fans that have supported us for years.  So, I truly am sorry Reno.  I know you were expecting us too.  I hope we can go back there in April & make it up to you…dang snowy roads! But in a few days…I’m gonna be at the Troubadour.

I say kudos to Dia for sticking with the people who have stuck with and supported her throughout the years –even before she came to fame as the runner-up on the first season of The Voice.  By taking the Troubadour, she’ll be playing to a much smaller crowd.  But it will be her crowd.  One that she clearly cares for, respects and appreciates.

We’ll let you know when she schedules another show for Reno.  It probably won’t be with Blake, but if you live anywhere in the area, it will definitely be worth your time to see her.

Related posts:

1. CONCERT REVIEW: Dia Frampton
2. Dia Frampton Releases New Single & Music Video
3. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Dia & Meg Frampton of Meg & Dia

Blake was forced to postpone the concert due to wind and weather conditions on specific routes to Nevada, according to the media release at the time of posting.

Blake’s tour features his first season The Voice finalist Dia Frampton and Justin Moore.

Related posts:

1. Spousal Support: Miranda Brings Her “Baggage” To Blake’s Show
2. Blake Shelton’s Father Passes
3. Blake Shelton’s Well Lit & Amplified Full Tour Dates

Fact is, Frampton seems very comfortable in her shoes — or as she was Friday night at KeyArena in Seattle — out of her shoes.  She performed (as she often does) barefoot.  If being sans shoes isn’t a sign of comfort, then I don’t know what is!

She describes her music as “indie folk with a lemony twist.”  Again, not country, but it’s catchy, clever and crowd-pleasing.  It helps that it’s being delivered by Dia, who, as we all found out last year, has a certain charm and sweetness about her.  She’s a little pixie with a big presence that just naturally makes people like her.  When we team that with her undeniable talent, it’s easy to see why Blake tabbed her for his tour.

She opened her set at the piano, playing “Walk Away” from her debut album Red.  At the end of the song, Dia addressed the crowd, which was still filtering in, for the first time.  It wasn’t any great speech or proclamation.  She simply said, “My name is Dia Frampton.  Thank you so much for coming in early, you guys.”  Her not having much to say may have been her way of letting her music speak for itself.

What her music has to say is often very serious, but presented in a way that makes the often heavy messages easy to handle.  The aforementioned “Walk Away” deals with the victim of child sexual abuse living with the aftermath.  It was followed by “Isabella,” which Dia has said she wrote for one of her sisters during a difficult time for her family.  Then came “Trapeze,” which Frampton told the crowd she wrote for a friend of hers who had gone through a lot of hardships in his life, but is still one of the most optimistic and positive people she knows.

Please don’t let me give you the impression that Dia’s show is a downer.  It’s quite the opposite.  Her songs are well-crafted and the melodies can be infectious.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s backed by the members of Meg & Dia, her band with her sister before she came to fame on The Voice.  I’m guessing if they could, they still would be presenting themselves as Meg & Dia.  But for now it’s Dia’s name that is known, thus her solo billing on this tour.  Still, having Meg, guitar player Carlo Gimenez, drummer Nick Price and bass player Jonathan Snyder along with her makes it feel like family.

Dia played “Good Boy” before launching into a cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.”  She wrapped things up with “The Broken Ones,” the first single off of Red (see the official video below).   The touching and tender song was a perfect end to her tight and tidy set, which lasted about 25 minutes.

Blake, of course, coached Frampton on The Voice and hand-picked her to open for him.  Nobody would’ve blamed her if she went out on stage and talked non-stop about the show.  But she never said a word about it.  Fact is, it was Blake who brought it up when he brought Dia out to perform “I Will.”   As Blake told the crowd, Dia wrote the song about her time with him on the show.  Blake said he was all too happy to record it with her and, naturally, sing it with her on stage.  When the two performed it the previous night in Spokane, Miranda Lambert (who was at both the Spokane and Seattle shows) tweeted that hearing it gave her chills.  I don’t know if it brought chills to Seattle, but the song definitely showcases the special relationship they share.

The “Well Lit & Amplified” Tour is approaching the end of its first leg.  If you have tickets for any of the remaining shows (or when they add a second leg), be sure to get there early to see Dia.  As I hope we’ve clearly established, her opening of the show is anything but token.  It’s all about her talent.

*******

Dia’s debut album Red can be purchased on iTunes.  Plus, you keep up with her at her official Facebook page and on Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Dia Frampton Releases New Album “Red”
2. Dia Frampton Releases New Single & Music Video
3. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Dia & Meg Frampton of Meg & Dia

We are back with our “Video Picks of the Week.”

Music Video

Brantley Gilbert is one of my new favorites. He’s the perfect mix of country and rock, and I love the tone of his voice and overall vibe.

Brantley was signed to Valory Music Group in 2011, and you definitely know him for his songwriting skills as well. Most notably, he has written songs for Jason Aldean and Colt Ford. He was a co-writer on “Dirt Road Anthem” and “My Kinda Party,” both of which were eventual mega-hits for Aldean.

This week’s pick is Brantley’s music video for his single, “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” The track is the second single off of his album “Halfway To Heaven.” The album is available on iTunes!

Continue reading for our live performance and cover song video picks…

Live Performance

This week’s live video is Casey James performing his song, “Drive,” at 102.5 Bull Lounge last year. The track is from his upcoming self-titled album due out March 20th. Casey recently released a music video for the acoustic version of this song so make sure you check that one out as well.

When I listen to Casey, one word comes to mind… talent. I am a huge fan of Casey’s voice and you cannot deny his amazing guitar skills. I think he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the country music scene, and we will be following his career for a long time. I can’t wait to hear his album!

Cover Song

This week’s cover video is Dia Frampton performing Zac Brown Band‘s, “Colder Weather. ” As you know, Dia represented Team Blake and finished second on Season One of The Voice. Dia has one of the most unique voices I have ever heard. We love her here at Keepin It Country, and we are so happy for her success.

Dia’s album, Red, is available everywhere now so make sure you check it out if you have not grabbed a copy already. Dia is currently on tour with her mentor and one of our very favorite country stars, Blake Shelton. Visit http://www.blakeshelton.com/shows for tour dates and information.

And in case you missed our Dia contest, we are giving away an autographed album and some posters! Check out the contest details and enter to win here:  http://www.keepinitcountryblog.com/2012/02/contest-autographed-copy-dia-framptons-album-poster/.

Have any video suggestions? Sound off in the comments!

Have a good week!

Until next time…

Related posts:

1. Video Picks Of The Week: February 5, 2012
2. Video Picks Of The Week: January 29, 2012
3. Video Picks Of The Week: January 22, 2012

It’s been a little more than three weeks since the 17-year-old made a super splash immediately after the Super Bowl.  The native of Baytown, Texas led off the show’s second season by landing a spot on Blake Shelton’s team (turning down a chance to work with Adam Levine).  Blake tried to entice her to join his team by telling the teen, “I can make you a country star.”  He pretty much had her from the moment he turned his chair, which was a feat in itself as she bravely chose to sing a song by her inspiration and Blake’s wife, Miranda Lambert.

RaeLynn may be one of the youngest members of Team Blake, but that doesn’t mean she’s inexperienced.  She’s part of a large, musically inclined family (she has seven brothers and sisters) and has been performing for most of her life.  Two of her cousins are in the GRAMMY-nominated progressive worship band, “Leeland.”  As for her own career, she spent a lot of time in summer school, allowing her to finish high school two years early so she could try her hand at acting.  But it turned out that her life in L.A. had her leaning back toward music.

Now she’s back in the business with her eyes on the prize.  That includes competing on The Voice and beyond.

We have to start by asking about your blind audition.  Last season, two singers sang a Miranda Lambert song and both times Blake didn’t turn his chair.  Yet, you started the whole show by singing “Hell On Heels,” her hit with the Pistol Annies.  Were you confident, crazy or both?

I watched last season and in the back of my mind and I was kinda concerned because he didn’t turn around for anybody who sang one of his wife’s songs.  It’s his wife so they’re gonna be compared to her.

But I have been listening to Miranda Lambert since I was 11 years old.  I bought her first record, Kerosene, and I listened to it so much my dog could even sing it! (Laughs)  It was just ridiculous!  I absolutely adore Miranda Lambert:  her voice, her lyrics; everything about her.

I thought it was almost right for me to sing a Miranda Lambert song or a Pistol Annies song because she’s influenced me so much.  I just prayed to God that he would turn around because I felt like I had brought something different to the table.  I didn’t sound like her.  I think there’s a difference between imitating someone and then being yourself.  So I thought I sounded different.  I was kinda leaning on that.

By the way, what’s a girl from a religious family (both her parents are pastors) doing singing “Hell On Hells”?

(Laughs)  My Mom raised me right!  She actually doesn’t worry about it.  She was just ecstatic for me to be even on the show.  I told her what song I wanted to sing and she actually loves that song.

My Mom’s motto is “you can cuss and you can pray.”  My Mom is just a normal Southern woman.  In Texas it’s all the same!  We all love that song here!  It doesn’t matter! (Laughs

Before picking Blake, you paused a little bit.  Were you honestly considering Adam or were you giving a pause of the dramatic cause?

They asked me when I first auditioned who would be my first pick and I said Blake Shelton.  They asked who would be my second pick and I said definitely Adam Levine.

So Adam Levine was always my second pick and I didn’t expect him to turn around.  I just didn’t expect it.  He was just so picky!  I didn’t think he would turn around.  I was just a long shot for him to turn around.

When he did turn around it was like a validation to me that I actually had a different voice.  It just made me excited.  And he was just fighting so hard.  It amazed me how much he was fighting for me.  But then Blake was fighting just as hard.

I was just thinking in my head, “He told me I had something more than country.”   Then I thought my heart’s country and really don’t want to do anything else, so I’m just gonna stick to my original pick.  And I really wanted to meet Miranda!  And I really wanted to be influenced by Blake and Miranda because I’ve been listening to them my whole life.  I thought that would just be right.

So that’s what I did.  But I actually was thinking about going with Adam for a little bit! (Laughs)

Not only did you win over Blake, but you won over Miranda, too.  After your segment aired, she tweeted about you calling you a cutie and a badass.  What was your reaction when you saw that?

(Laughs)  There were so many emotions that day!  My phone was on sensory overload.  Literally it was a non-stop buzz.  It was like, “buzzzzzzzzzz!” and it wasn’t stoppin’!

It was just amazing to me!  I was getting Twitters out the wazoo, so I passed her tweet up.  I was flipping out and my friend said, “Oh, my God!  Miranda Lambert just tweeted you!”  And I was like, “No, she didn’t!”  So then I just jumped up and down and I read it and I was like flippin’ out.  I was like, “Oh, my gosh!  She called me a badass!”  I retweeted it and tweeted her back and everything.  It was just so cool!

Some people had asked me if I had to fake her being my idol for the show.  When I say that I’m sincerely like her biggest fan, I totally mean that 100%!  None of that was put on.

That’s what I love about the show.  They want you to stick to who you are.  That’s what I love so much about The Voice.

Miranda will be serving as an advisor for Team Blake, so that means you’ll be getting to work with directly with her.  For any aspiring country singer, just being able to work with Blake would be amazing.  How do you describe the opportunity to get to work with Blake and Miranda?

Being able to work with Blake is a dream come true.  Having the input from Blake and Miranda, both together, is even more amazing!

Miranda is the girl in country music right now.  She is it.  She has such a voice in country music.  To have her speak into my life is incredible.

Oh, and let’s not forget the other advisor for Team Blake:  Kelly Clarkson.

I know!  They’re both amazing!  I’ve been thinking about this:  They (Miranda and Kelly) have both been through a show like this, too.  Miranda was on Nashville Star and Kelly was on American Idol, so they know what this feels like.  I thought Blake was very smart to bring them in as advisors.

Your episode of the show premiered right after the Super Bowl and had an audience of more than 37 million people!  Prior to that, what was the largest crowd you had performed for?

I performed at I-POP, this little international presentation of performers thing, and I sang in front of about one thousand people.  A thousand is like a tiny bit compared to 37 million.  It would take a billion tours to be in front of that many people!  It was so many people!  (Laughs)

I had no idea I was going to be number one.  I had no idea I was going to be the first one aired.  The Voice people just told me I was going to be in the first episode.  They didn’t tell me I was going to be the first one of the whole season!

Because you kicked off the show, did it make it easier for you because everyone had to keep it as secret whether or not they passed their blind audition?  It was only a few minutes and you were able to finally let go of the secret.

Oh, yeah!  Especially in the small town where I live.  I was so thankful..  The Voice people just told us to say “Tune in February 5^th!”  I was just praying I was going to be on February 5^th.  Some people found out just last night that they were on a team.  So they’ve had to wait almost another month.

I was thankful I was on the first episode so the cat was out of the bag.  It’s been so much easier.  I’m so thankful.

You have a huge family.  How tough was it to not tell them?

Oh, my whole family knew!  How could I not tell them!  They’re just so nosy!  (Laughs) And they know everything about me!

So my immediate family knew.  My three cousins and my Aunt; we all knew how far I made it.  But everybody outside of that – to keep my family quiet – now that was the hard part!  But we did it! (Laughs)

From your blind audition, we learned that your voice can be soft and sweet.  But it can also be very big, bold and brassy.  How would you describe your sound?

I have two sides to my voice.  I can get into that real big, gritty country-rock kinda voice.  Then I can get down to that folksy, real sweet country voice.

I’ve been singing my whole life, but I really took the time this last couple of years to just sit and write and just take time with my voice and I’ve developed this unique sound.

It’s kinda hard for me to explain it, but I think it sounds real old-country.  It’s not pop-country.  It’s more of an old-country sound.  I’ve been highly influence by Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn and different old-country artists.  I love it that I have that old-country sound because that’s where it all started.

We’ve talked with your friend and Team Adam member, Nicolle Galyon (read our interview with her here), who told us she encouraged you to try out for The Voice.  How much of a difference did she make in helping you decide to go for it?

I recently had signed with a manager and was going back and forth to Nashville getting to write with amazing writers in the country industry and Nicolle was one of them.

For some reason Nicolle thought I was a pop artist.  But then when she heard me talkin’ in my big country accent, she was like, “That girl can’t be pop!”  She told me to sing her a song, so I sang her one of my original songs called “Baby, That’s My Type.”   She then said, “Please tell me you’re going to audition for The Voice.”  And I said I wasn’t even thinking about it.  She said, “You know they’re coming in a couple of days.”

We were writing on a Thursday and The Voice auditions were that coming Sunday.  I didn’t think it would be fair for me to do it since I was already working with country writers and focusing on my music.  I just didn’t think about it.

Then she was like, “No!  You have to audition!  I’ll give you my spot to audition!”  I had just met her, by the way.  And I said, “Don’t give me your spot to audition!”  But she insisted, saying, “No, I’m giving it to you!”  So I said, “Oh, God!  Okay!”

I auditioned and made it to the top 200.  I had lost her number.  Then we saw each other at the top 200 and I almost had a heart attack when I saw her!  I was like, “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have even auditioned!”  Then to see both me and her both in the final 48 was just a dream come true for me.  It’s just so cool.

You two actually made a rap about the story you just told us (see the video below).  It’s all in fun, but it also shows a lot of collaborating has been going on between the contestants.  How much have you appreciated being around all of those talented people?

We were all together for a very long time.  And they told us that we couldn’t leave the hotel sometimes.  I would be kinda sad that we couldn’t leave, but then I thought about it.  I realized I will never be in this place again; surrounded by so many talented people.  So I took it all in.

Being around so many talented people who share the same passion as you, was just amazing to me.  To just talk to them…and they had the same goals as you.  Everybody has a different story.  For some people, their parents aren’t as excited about them doing music.  Some people have been doing music since they were two.  Some have only been singing for ten months.

Everybody has a different story, but everybody comes together with the passion of singing.  It was amazing to me to see so many people wanting to have this as a career and just love to sing.

Does the support and admiration you have for everybody change now that you’re headed to the battle rounds?

One thing I can say about this show is, of course we’re gonna be competitive people, but we’re all happy for each other.  When I comes to battles or it came to whoever made a team; we’re just excited to be where we are; to be one of 48.

If I didn’t make it any further, I’d be happy because I made it to the 48 on The Voice.  That’s what all of us thought about.  We’re all happy for each other.

When was it that you made the decision that music is what you wanted to pursue as your career?

My whole family sings, so I wanted to break out of the box and do something different.  So when I was 15, I started acting.

I went to this convention and I started acting and I got 25 call-backs from agents and managers.  So I moved to L.A.  But I wasn’t getting lots of auditions, so I started singing again.  Then I started writing and that’s how I met my music manager and that’s how, really, all of those doors started opening.

I still love to act and it’s still one of my passions.  I graduated early to do acting, but I realized that during all my downtime in California I was singing – I wasn’t acting.  I realized that music was still my passion.  So that’s when I started singing again.

What do you hope to get from your time on The Voice.

My overall goal from this show is to get fans and to also just get a record deal.  I’m just praying that (if I don’t win) someone picks me up after this.  I’m giving 150% to this because this is what I love to do.

I’m just praying that I get some fans that’ll stick with me.  And then I’ve got an awesome person like Blake.  I’m just praying that Blake will help me and I know he will.  That’s another reason I picked Blake because I saw the way he treated his artists last year and I wanted someone like that behind me.

You’ve seen that Blake’s taken Dia Frampton (last year’s The Voice runner-up) out on tour with him.  Is that a dream that’s too big at this stage of the game or is it “if I keep working then someday that can be me,” too?

I’m so happy for her!  I bet she can’t even believe that’s happening for her out of just The Voice.  I would’ve never dreamed of that.  It would be so cool if that happened to me and I’m praying.  Whatever happens is God’s will.  So I’m just kinda hoping.  But if I do good in the competition, you never know!

Obviously, you’d love to win The Voice, but if you don’t, you can again look to Miranda Lambert.  She took third place during her season on Nashville Star and has done just fine.  Does she show for you that you don’t have to take the title to be a winner?

You know what?  That’s exactly what I think!  My Momma tells me all the time:  “You don’t have to win this show to do well.”  Sometimes on American Idol, the people who took second do better than the winners.

I realize if I win it will be amazing and if I don’t win and I just make it to the Top 48 or the Top 24 or the Top 10, it’s all what is supposed to happy and I’m just lucky to be on the show.

Will you share with us something that your fans probably don’t know about you?

The funny thing about me is that I love country music, but I absolutely love the Sweeney Todd record!  I know it’s weird, but Sweeney Todd is one of my favorite plays!  (Laughs)  It’s really gory and stuff, but I love the music in it and I listen to it all the time.  I’m like, “(singing) I feel you, Johanna!”  (Laughs)

I love that record and I love the Lion King record!  A lot of people don’t expect that from me, but I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks.  I also have the Tron soundtrack.  “The Grid” I freakin’ love!  I feel like I’m in a movie when I’m in the car.  I love movie soundtracks.   I know that’s kinda weird!  (Laughs)

Finally, I’d like to open it up for you to say whatever you would like.  The floor is yours:

I just want to say I’m so thankful to have such amazing fans behind me.  To get the tweets everyday like “You’re my favorite!  I hope you win!” and “#teamRaeLynn” — it’s just like a dream come true that people are on my team and rooting for me.

I just want to say thank you to all of my fans.  Thank you to NBC for putting me on the show.  Thank you to Blake Shelton.  And thank you to Keepin It Country for doing this interview.  I’m so thankful to be here and so thankful for all y’all!

*******

To keep up with RaeLynn, “like” her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Here’s RaeLynn’s “Hell On Heels” blind audition.  Try not to smile when Blake first does:

Related posts:

1. EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Nicolle Galyon From “The Voice”
2. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Dia & Meg Frampton of Meg & Dia

She’s currently on tour with Blake Shelton on his “Well Lit & Amplified” tour alongside Justin Moore. She released “RED” late last year, and her current single “The Broken Ones” is rising up the charts. See the music video for that single below before entering our contest:

To enter fill out the form below. You can enter once a day! Good luck! We’ll announce the winner next week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related posts:

1. CONTEST: Win A Copy Of Martina McBride’s Hits & More Album
2. CONTEST: Win An Autographed copy of NEON
3. CONTEST: Win An Autographed Copy Of Toby Keith’s Clancy’s Tavern – WINNER ANNOUNCED

With that said, it makes sense that country singer Nicolle would end up on rocker Adam Levine’s team on NBC’s smash singing competition “The Voice.”  As you will find out, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The 27-year-old moved to Nashville after graduating from high school.  She enrolled in Belmont University’s Music Business program and was focusing on a career behind the scenes in the music business.  But her undeniable talent wouldn’t let that happen.  She secretly began writing songs in her spare time.  Thanks to the urging of her friends, she entered a few of her songs into the Songwriter’s Showcase Series at Belmont.  Her success there opened up some doors, which opened up more doors, which led her to a publishing deal with Warner Music Nashville, where she has been a staff songwriter since 2007.

Several of her songs have made it onto records — including a pair by a certain American Idol alum.  But the voices singing those songs — telling her stories — weren’t hers.  That’s one of the main reasons she auditioned for “The Voice.”  She decided her love of music was greater than her fear of failure.  Score one for love.

The auditions were back in October, how hard was it to not say anything to anyone?

It was difficult.  Honestly, though, I think that my mom had a harder time with it than I did.  If you watched the episode my mom and my little brother, Cooper, came out to L.A. for a week.  Cooper is in fifth grade and was gone from school for a week.  He was the one who had to keep a secret in a tiny little town of two thousand people.

If I leave Nashville for a week, nobody notices.  But if a fifth grader leaves school to go to L.A. for a week, you can imagine all the little rumors that were going around my hometown back in Kansas.  (Laughs)  I think it was actaully ahrder on my mom and brother than on me.

Who were you with on Monday night when your segment finally aired and what was their reaction?

I was with about 40 of my close friends here in Nashville.  I was really blessed to have a bunch of friends that threw a party for me.  I just kinda got to show up and it was in my honor and we all watched together.

Everybody knew I was going to be involved in the show in some capacity because they had been showing me in these commercials that had been airing for weeks.  I was doing a pretty good job of just laying low and not really saying anything about the show.

Then they started airing these promos with clips of my audition.  That’s when it really became torture because everybody knew that I was going to be on at some point.  But I still had to act like I had no idea what they were talking about.

(Update:  We now have a video taken at Nicolle’s viewing party.  See it by clicking here.)

You’re a country girl, who sang a Kenny Chesney song in your blind audition (see the video below), yet you’ve said that even if all four coaches had turned around, you still would have picked Adam Levine and not Blake Shelton.  Why Adam over Blake?

I was a fan of the show the first season.  The coach and artists pairings I was most fascinated by, and most taken by, were the non-obvious pairings.  I think that is what was so special about Blake and Dia or Blake and Xenia.  They were non-likely; not your common pairing.  I thought that it was really interesting to see that.  So I thought it would be cool for a pop-rock guy to work with somebody that was in country.

But in addition to that, I’ve never really thought of myself as a singer, per se.  I’ve thought of myself as a musician first and then I became a songwriter,  Now I’m kinda growing into and putting the finishing touches on calling myself a singer.  Adam Levine is probably the most like me in that sense.  He kind of does it all.  He’s a front man for a band, he writes the songs, and he’s a musician.

And he himself, I’ve heard him say in interviews, “I don’t think I’m the greatest singer in the world.  I just happened to have the best voice out of all five or six of us in Maroon 5.  So I was automatically the front guy.”  To me that was attractive to work with because that’s kinda how I feel about myself.  I became a singer almost out of necessity as a songwriter.  Now “The Voice” is really helping me find my voice and kinda putting that final puzzle piece in place.

But it turns out you did have an impact on Team Blake.  We understand he might not have RaeLynn without some help from you.

(Laughs)  Well, my day job is basically as a songwriter, so to speak.  Last summer I was connected through my publishing company with this little girl who was a singer who wanted to start writing for her own project.  So they sent her to Nashville.

I got put in a room with her and it just happened to be a few days before the Nashville “Voice” Auditions.  I had been contacted and I had secured an audition spot.  But I was still pretty skeptical because I didn’t really think of myself as a big, powerhouse vocalist.  I know there are a lot of singers out there in this world that are still undiscovered.  And I thought, “Seriously?  What am I doing?  This is such a long shot!”  So when I met her, she had this voice that, to me, was really, really, really special.

On my blog at NBC.com, I share how I told her to audition in my place.  Long story short, we both ended up getting to audition and we both ended up in L.A. a few months later and just embraced each other.

Honestly, it’s been a big lesson.  You get what you give in life.  I think you get what you give in the music business, too.  I looked at her and was seeing outside of myself in that moment.  I thought this girl was made to do something like that.  There was, honestly, a little voice in the back of my head that was like, “She might be your competition down the road!”  But I didn’t care.  It’s not about that.  There’s room for everyone.

One of the sweetest moments with your audition was the tearful reaction by your little brother.  How important is family to you and your music?

I feel like I flew to Nashville on the wings of my family.  If I were ever put in a position where I had to choose between my family and music or my family and career, I would always choose my family.  They have done nothing but liberate me and send me on my way and told me at 18-years-old, “We’re gonna miss you, but that’s where you belong is in Nashville.”

I also think that you don’t really know somebody until you know some people in their family, too.  So to have my mom and brother on the show, even if it was just for a minute or two, I feel that helped the world see a bigger picture of who I am.  They’re such a big part of my life and such a big part of my support system.

My 10-year-old brother, Cooper, is probably the biggest star of the family, whether he knows it yet or not. (Laughs)  He’s almost like an icon of my time in Nashville.  I call him my “bonus brother” because my parents had him by surprise when I was a senior in high school.  He was in diapers when I moved to Nashville and I was always that cool, unique older sibling that is 17 years older than him.  I come home from Nashville every few months with all these cool stories and everyone’s asking me what’s going on with my music journey.

Over times he’s become my biggest fan.  Honestly, when I look at him, he’s almost like this visual kind of map of how long I’ve been in Nashville.  Now look at hm.  He’s 10-years-old.  His lifespan is basically how long I’ve been here working on music.

How is it that a girl from Sterling, Kansas, not known as a hot-bed for classical music, takes up classical piano?

(Laughs) When I was four years old I had a babysitter that gave piano lessons after school to kids who were, at the time, older than me:  they were fourth and fifth grade.  I would just sit there on the floor  and I would just watch her give them piano lessons.  After she was done and they all left the room I would go and sit down and mess around trying to mimic what they were doing.

She said she wouldn’t start giving me lessons until I could read.  But my mom was like, “That’s totally fine.  Whenever you think she’s ready.”  But she started unofficially giving me lessons really early and I just excelled at it.  I wasn’t one of those people whose parents had to tell them to practice.  In fact, they had to pull me from the piano because I was playing for so long and they wanted some peace and quiet in the house.  (Laughs)

I’ve loved music my whole life and I’ve embraced whatever opportunity has been put in front of me.  When you grow up in a little town of two thousand people in the middle of Kansas, it’s not like there’s a whole bunch of people who want to start a band with you.  And there’s not a lot of opportunities to do commercial music.

Classical was awesome!  I learned a lot about discipline and hard work and doing things not for the accolades.  It’s not really cool, to say, “Oh, yeah, I did this piano competition this weekend.”  That’s not going to get you a bunch of attention normally in a small town.  At a certain point I was on the basketball team in high school and I got way more attention for that than I ever did for my piano.

I think it was really good for grooming me for doing music, in the long-term.  Because if you do music for the love of it, that’s what is going to sustain you.  If you’re doing it for the attention or the accolades…Opportunities like “The Voice” or getting songs on the radio; those things are just a vapor.  They come and they go.  There’s gonna be a next season of “The Voice.”   If were doing “The Voice” to get rich and famous, that’s not really enough motivation.  You’re going to end up quitting.

My whole life I’ve been doing music for the love of it.  No matter what happens with “The Voice,” I’m going to continue to love it just as much.

Have you thought about the battle stages of the show and how you might have to step away from the piano?  Will that take you out of your comfort zone?

You know, I came on this show because I wanted to be challenged and I wanted to grow.  My motivation for doing “The Voice” was to see who I could become.  That’s a big part of it for me.

If that’s presented to me, I’ll take that challenge gladly because I want to stretch myself; I want to be pushed.  I think that’s another reason why working with Adam was such a big deal for me.  The cool thing about Adam Levine is that he’s not gonna do anything that anyone else tells him to do.  He’s going to tell you exactly what he thinks when he thinks it.

I think he’s gonna shoot me straight and if he wants to see me without a piano, I trust him and I’ll try that, for sure.  I go to shows and I don’t want to see somebody sitting there at the piano for three hours straight.  I totally get it.  I want to be as multi-faceted as possible and I want to have as many layers as I possibly can.  I want to surprise people, too.  I want to be able to grab that mic and just go on the stage.

“The Voice” will serve as your introduction to most of the world, but many are already familiar with some of your songwriting.  You wrote two songs that Lauren Alaina put on her CD (“Dirt Road Prayer” and “Growing Her Wings”).

I was just blessed to have the people at her label and also her fall in love with those songs.  There’s a song on there called “Dirt Road Prayer” and I heard that she and her parents, especially her mom, just fell in love with that song.

The funny thing about “Dirt Road Prayer” is that sometimes you’re writing songs with people in mind and sometimes you’re writing songs for yourself.  I wrote that song for no other reason than to just get some things that were on my heart out there.  I never thought in a million years that song would be recorded by anyone else, let alone somebody with as much momentum and success as Lauren.

I think it was a big lesson for me in songwriting.  Write what you feel, write what is real.

You’ve served as the Music Correspondent for Nashville Lifestyles magazine.  Are you still doing that and, if so, will you now be reporting on yourself?

(Laughs) That’s a little bit on hiatus right now.  I guess it’s on suspension for the moment.  I’m a big blogger.  I guess it’s an extension of my creativity and of my writing.  I started adding video blogs to my blog.  In 2010 I did a 365 day video blog where I would do a video every day for a year and then I wrote a little bit about it.

It was more than anything, like I said, an extension of my creativity and helped me practice the discipline of writing a little something every day beyond writing a song.  From that Stacie Standifer, who is editor of Nashville Lifestyles, kinda of happened upon it and was like, “Oh, my gosh!  I love your style and I love the way you present these everyday events in these videos.  Would you mind coming and doing some stuff for us?”  And I was like, “Absolutely!  I would love to!” because I love that magazine and I love Nashville.  It’s another way for me to be involved in Music City.

It’s only been a few days since we found out you’re on “The Voice,” but you’re now probably getting tons of attention (including this interview).  Are you enjoying the ride?

I’m a big dreamer, but I’m also 27-years-old.  I’ve been a songwriter in the business end of things long enough to understand the ebb and flow of it all and how everything comes and goes and everything has its time.

I know that this is so special so I’m soaking up every second of it and not taking any of it for granted and really soaking up all of the relationships.  All of the other artists that are on the show – I could sit here and talk with you for hours and hours about how much I love all these other people that I’m getting to spend time with.

But I also know that it’s a TV show.  And it’s gonna help me change who I am a little bit.  It’s gonna help me figure out who I am and then it’s gonna send me out into the world again at a certain point.  At that point it prepares me with all of these tools to go make more music and to make better music and to better reach the people who want to hear my music.

I didn’t get into music because I wanted to sing, as much as I wanted to say something.  I wanted to write.  This is another vehicle for me to be heard and to get my songs out there.  And it the process really stretch myself and really find my voice.  I’m not lying when I’m saying I still have a lot of doubts as to whether I can cut it as a singer.  And this show, just the blind audition process alone, made me feel like a brand new person.  That’s priceless to me.

Where do you hope this journey on “The Voice” takes you?

I think on a personal level, I just want to see how much I can stretch myself.  You said, “What are you gonna do if they if they take the piano away from you?”  I hope that happens!  I hope things come out of this show that stretch me and makes me do things I would never had the opportunity to do otherwise.  I really want to be heard.  I really want to reach people and let people become invested in my music.

Beyond that I want to introduce to people this idea of a girl sitting at a piano and singing songs about middle America and do it in an educated, sophisticated and charming way.  That’s the kind of music that I like.

I remember when the Dixie Chicks first came out and they presented country music, to me, in my eyes, in such a unique way that hadn’t been done before.  I remember looking at them playing those instruments that maybe girls really hadn’t played in country music so much.  I remember thinking, “Oh!  Maybe I can do this!”  And at that point in my life I had never even sung in front of anybody.  I was just a piano player.

I hope that maybe just by me sitting up at that piano on “The Voice” in my blind audition, some girls are like, “I can do that!” or “I want to learn to play the piano!’ or “I can see her doing this on the CMA Awards.”  If I can start to plant that idea in some people’s heads, then what a win – no matter what happens on the show.

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To keep up with Nicolle, like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter.

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1. Blake Shelton Interview On The Voice
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3. EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Dia & Meg Frampton of Meg & Dia

You can purchase Red on iTunes, as well as visit Dia’s blog to read her thoughts about the songs on the album.

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1. Blair Garner Releases Album “Beyond The Hits”
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“The Broken Ones” will be featured on her upcoming album Red, set to be released on December 6th. Dia will be joining Blake Shelton, her coach on The Voice, on his upcoming tour that kicks off in January.

You can purchase the “The Broken Ones” right now on iTunes, as well as the official music video here. While you’re there, be sure to pre-order Red!

We were able to catch up with Dia and her sister Meg last month – click here to read the exclusive interview.

Check out Dia performing her current single from her living room:

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