“I’m a mixture of blues and rock with a shot of Southern Comfort.” – Beverly McClellan
The openly lesbian, bald rocker who made it all the way to the finals of NBC’s The Voice calls herself a Janis Joplin-Melissa Etheridge-Etta James hybrid.
That’s quite a statement, but the Florida native proved with her recent run on the reality hit that she’s got the vocal chops to make such a bold claim.
Excerpts from Beverly’s interview with TV Line this week …
On her reaction to success on The Voice: “Where the hell did the rock and roll go? Epic moments were made: We need those again. I have no fear.”
“I’m a bit of a rebel, a kid that never grew up. I feel like I’m finally, for once in my life, where I need to be, showing the right people, even if it’s not something I planned on doing: Come out here and get famous.”
“I thought, “S***, I have just as much chance as anyone else.” Am I blown away that I came this far? Yeah. But I don’t want to slow the train down.”
“I can lay down at night and think, ‘Wow. I did everything in a way that I can live with myself.’ And the children are our future: How can we show them a different way if we don’t continue it with every step we take?”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and be a bit of a rebel, but break the right rules. There are the ones that need to be broken. I’ve never not lived out loud, and I’ve known my sexuality since a young age – kindergarten, really.”
On her blind audition: “Honey, I didn’t go out there set for them to not turn around: I went out there with the Sword of Troy. I was singing so hard my veins were popping out of my head, and I could see the spit slinging from my mouth.”
“And just in that split instant I saw Christina and Adam turn around, and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s on now.’ [Laughs.] Of course I had to go with Christina: Why freaking not? She sings her face off. She’s an icon.”
On the battle round with Justin Grennan: “We sat and we practiced. And it was royally wonderful. So at the end of the day it was just a matter if they wanted shrimp or chicken, because they’re both awesome.”
America needs to watch out, ’cause they’re not even ready for what’s coming to them: Beverly McClellan, Vicci Martinez, Emily Valentine, Tyler Robinson, Kelsey Rey, and so many other folks from The Voice. And the list goes on.
On what’s next: “Everything! America needs to watch out, ’cause they’re not even ready for what’s coming to them: Beverly McClellan, Vicci Martinez, Emily Valentine, Tyler Robinson, Kelsey Rey, and so many other folks from The Voice.”