Cassadee Pope had a “really good” experience on The Voice — apart from one “weird” moment with producers behind the scenes.
The 33-year-old, who won season 3 of the NBC singing competition in 2012, reflected on her time as a member of coach Blake Shelton’s team during the Monday, August 7, episode of the “Hold My Hair?” podcast. “They treat their artists so well,” Pope gushed of the production, adding that her prior experience as the lead singer of Hey Monday might have been the reason she didn’t “crumble” on the TV show.
Throughout the competition, Pope relied on those around her for support. “Someone was always there to have a pep talk and it always helped,” she said of PAs and other staffers who almost seemed “trained to be counselors.”
Unlike other singing competitions — which Pope has heard can be “really brutal” for performers — the Voice team prioritizes the artists over outside drama. “It’s a reality singing competition show, but it’s not a reality show. … They don’t want to make a spectacle out of everybody,” she said.
There was one moment, however, where Pope was caught off guard by producers. “They got me on an extra vulnerable, sleep deprived day and they got me to talk about my relationship with my dad, which I wish I hadn’t done … but it was such a vulnerable time for me that I just let it out,” she recalled, noting that even coach Christina Aguilera had “related” to her story.
Pope explained on the podcast that when she was on The Voice, she hadn’t spoken to her father in a year. “I didn’t go into why … and this wasn’t the best thing [the show] did,” she continued. “They got in touch with [my dad] and the way that they brought it to me was kind of hilarious. They were like, ‘We found your father.’ And I was like, ‘I didn’t lose my father.’ I have his number.”
Pope claimed that producers approached her with the idea to have an on-camera reunion with her dad — but she shut them down. “I genuinely felt like they saw me open up, they saw America react so strongly to me opening up about my story that they were like, ‘We know this will help her,’” she said. “They were, like, trying to help me do better in the competition, which I appreciated.”
Performing on TV was an “intense, overwhelming experience” overall, but Pope is still grateful for the bond she formed with Shelton, 47. She exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2021 that she and Shelton keep in touch “a little bit here and there.”
“He’s a busy guy,” she said. “But … you know, he’s been super supportive, he had me premiere my album [Stages] at an album release party a couple years ago at Ole Red downtown [in Nashville] and he let me use his venue for that. … I’m sure I’ll run into him at some point.”
Shelton was an original coach on the series, making his debut in 2011. While several artists have spun their red chairs around — from Nick Jonas to Kelly Clarkson — Shelton remained a constant presence until season 23.
