Another finalist has left The Voice season 11. Darby Walker went head to head against Aaron Gibson for the Instance Save. But once again, the Twitter voters chose Aaron, which meant Darby was eliminated.
BuddyTV participated in a conference call with Darby, where she discussed her connection with coach Miley Cyrus and her plans for the future. Also, did Miley’s polarizing personality hurt Darby’s chances? And does she think the Twitter Instant Save format influenced the outcome? Read on for all the details.
How Close Were Darby and Miley?
When putting together each performance, it wasn’t just Darby or just Miley making the decisions. “Everything that Miley and I did was completely collaborative,” Darby said. “It was her texting me song choices, saying, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ Or, ‘Hey, just listen to this.’ And me texting her, saying, ‘What do you think about this?'”
That collaborative experience extended beyond the music. “Style was the same way. I am someone who very much knows who I am. The nice thing about Miley is that I really got the freedom to go all out and be 10,000% of what I wanted to be, and I don’t know if I would’ve gotten to do that had I been with another coach.”
The duo was willing to take risks, even though they knew it could hurt their chances. “We both knew that some of the songs I sang were calculated risks. We weren’t sure how people would take them. We weren’t sure how people would take me wearing a flower dress with flowers in my hair doing my thing. But at the same time, it was more important to us to put out good art and art that means something.”
Did Miley’s Polarizing Personality Hurt Darby’s Chances?
Two of Miley’s artists were in the Bottom 2 this time around, including Aaron, who landed there for the second time in a row. Darby has a theory on why Miley’s team has been in danger.
“Miley is someone who I have the utmost respect for, and I love her with all my heart,” she said. “But at the end of the day, she’s a figure that either people love [or] some people don’t love. [Miley] believes it’s a reflection of what people feel towards her and that it’s not fair that we were both in the Bottom 2. And I can agree with that. They completely projected their feelings of her towards me, which is something I kind of expected going into it.”
Did the Instant Save Format Influence the Outcome?
Aside from Miley’s polarizing personality, Darby believes another factor that hurt her chances was the Instant Save format because of where she and Aaron are from, since only East Coast viewers can see the Instant Save performances before voting. While both Darby and Aaron are from Georgia, Darby moved to California at a young age.
“I think it did influence the outcome completely,” she explained. “I’m from Georgia as well, but I never fully got the same exposure. … Because Aaron was from Georgia, he got first dibs on everything.”
When it comes to geography in the United States, politics also plays a role, according to Darby.
“I think the mindsets are different between the East Coast and West Coast, if that makes sense. And I’m not trying to make this political by any means, but I was up there singing about things that maybe more conservative people didn’t want to hear about. I was up there doing things that maybe they weren’t ready to hear or ready to watch. And I think their opinions towards Miley, and me being considered the mini-Miley, could’ve influenced their judgment and influence their votes.”
Despite this, Darby was “completely surprised” to be eliminated. But she still has a positive attitude about the outcome, saying, “The universe works in interesting ways, and I have complete faith that everything is the way it’s supposed to be, and I’m really excited for the future.”
Darby’s Plans for the Future Include a Horror Movie
Speaking of the future, Darby plans on continuing her music career post-The Voice. “Keep expecting music with a lot of messages very much in line with what you guys [heard on The Voice], with more of a Darby twist on it.”
When asked how this experience of being on The Voice has affected her music, she replied, “I feel like my Voice experience really allowed me to explore the music that I’ve always wanted to sing and perform, and I really got to get out of the whole indie box. … So I really think I’ll be taking a lot of those kinds of sounds and putting them in my music.”
But music’s not the only project on the horizon for Darby. She’s got a horror movie coming out in February. “This is something I filmed before The Voice,” she said. “This was produced by the same man who produced Halloween and Michael Myers, so I am super excited. … I think it’s going to be cool.” Unfortunately, she can’t give away a lot of details on the film just yet, but “everyone should stay tuned and watch.”
Were you disappointed with the results? Should Darby have stayed? And do you agree with her that Miley’s polarizing personality and the Instant Save format hurt her chances?
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
