Biff Gore is many things: he’s a proud father of six, a church man, a Denver resident and a soul singer with an amazing set of lungs.
Those impressive pipes recently earned him a spot on NBC’s hit reality TV show “The Voice.”
Gore belted his way through the blind auditions, landing a spot on R&B artist Usher’s team only to be stolen away by country singer Blake Shelton during the next round of the competition. His journey ended on the reality show shortly after that, so he did not go on to the live shows.
However, his journey with music continues.
Fresh off his experience on "The Voice," Gore joined CPR arts editor Chloe Veltman in the CPR studio to talk about his time on the show and how he balances his many passions in life.
CPR: You’re used to performing in a live environment such as on stage with your band or in the church. How did you have to tailor your performance, knowing there were viewers at home, which you couldn’t see, watching?
Biff Gore: That’s the part where I wish someone had gotten into my head. Sunday mornings is one thing. Friday night, Saturday night, when you’re performing in front of a live audience, it’s different. It’s usually people who like you, people know you. But when you’re talking about America, it gets to you. The nerves come in, and you start going, “OK, do I have what it takes to make a chair turn around? Do I have what it takes to endure people in America to be interested in me?” You have to put that in your right brain and then, in your left brain, you have to figure out how to make this all come together.
CPR: In “The Voice,” much of the competition unfolds as a series of dramatic battles, kind of like sing-offs, in which you perform a song both with another vocalist while at the same time trying to out-sing them. How would you describe the tension inherent in making musical harmony with someone who’s essentially an adversary?
Biff Gore: Here’s the thing. I went to T.J. Wilkens – he’s a phenomenal musician – and I said, “T.J., there’s X amount of steals. So, we can’t see ourselves as competing against one another." We’re competing for a spot. Our goal in going in was one of us is going to win and one of us is going to be stolen. The one thing they can’t showcase on this show is the relationships that are built behind the scenes. Even though I’m not on the show anymore, I’m a fan of all my fans still on the show. So I get to watch it with joy every week.
CPR: At a certain point in the competition, you were voted off. Tell us what that was like and how you handled that.
Biff Gore: I wanted to win because I’m a fighter and competitor. But when Blake Shelton didn’t choose me, this gigantic weight of expectation just fell off of me. I was disappointed, don’t get me wrong. But I felt like I made it this far. And who knows how much farther I’m going to make it in my personal career. Then, when I watched the show with myself exiting, it was very hard for me. I cried. And I experienced a whole lot of love on Twitter, and I realized I had made an impact on people.
Listen online to hear Gore share the vocal tips he learned from his coaches on "The Voice."
