Feature Interview: Cassadee Pope

What a difference a win makes. Cassadee Pop took the crown on the third season of The Voice, the first female to do so. Now the Florida native has a debut solo album out, Frame by Frame, on Taylor Swift’s label, Big Machine. A former pop-rock singer with the band Hey Monday, she transitioned to country on The Voice after being mentored by Nashville star Blake Shelton. Cassadee, 24, tells Hello! Canada about her musical shift and how life has changed since her big win.

Did Blake push you to sing country? Not at all. I’d sung country as a kid and have always loved it. I had not intention of going country when I went on the show. But Blake encouraged me not to think about what genre I was doing and to just be me and country is what came out.

How have things changed for you since The Voice? I’m busier than I’ve ever been. I’ve got a song on the radio (“Wasting All These Tears”). Basically I have a career now, where before I was struggling even to pay rent.

What did you learn from working on your album with legendary producer Dann Huff? He taught me that it’s really important to have a dynamic vocal range, otherwise you’re going to have a hard time touring, having to sing these crazy ranges every night and possibly losing your voice. That was a great lesson.

What advice do you have for aspiring singers? Keep yourself open to new things—that’s what I did on The Voice. I just decided to go whichever way the wind took me and see what happens. That turned out to be the best thing to do because look where I am now. So, be open-minded and don’t forget to have a good time!

Hello! Canada magazine October 2013