Judith Hill: What She Learnt From MJ

The Voice Premieres: Is Michael Jackson Protégé Judith Hill The One To Beat?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by MJ WAS A CUTIE PIESource: Radar Online

Season four of The Voice premiered on NBC Tuesday night with new mentors Usher and a feisty Shakira joining returning champs Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, and while several performances wowed the judges, one contestant in particular stood out.

Judith Hill—who was hand-picked by Michael Jackson to perform on his “This Is It” tour—floored the panel by performing (former mentor) Christina Aguilera’s smash hit, “What A Girl Wants.”

The moment Hill started singing, Blake and Adam IMMEDIATELY turned their chairs around; Shakira waited until thirty seconds into the performance, while Blake punched in at one minute and five seconds.

“You are the first person that’s ever come on this show and done a Christina song as well as Christina Aguilera,” Adam gushed after her performance. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m running for President right now,” Adam said, referring to how much he wanted Hill on his team.

However, Usher was ready with this clever comeback: “But I’m looking for the first lady, because he woulda never made it without her.”

While all four mentors gave Hill the hard-sell for why they should pick his or her team, in the end, she went with Levine, becoming his first team member.

When the show finished, Blake led the pack with three team members, followed by both Usher and Shakira with two members, and Adam with only Hill for now.

Fans of Jackson may also recognize Hill from her moving performance at the King of Pop’s memorial service, when she sang his 1991 hit, “Heal The World.”

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/03/the-voice-new-season-premiere-judith-hill

Judith’s performance gave me goose bumps! I have loved her since I heard her on TII! I wish her all the best and I know she is going to win! CP ♥

Voice’ Frontrunner Judith Hill Talks Michael Jackson Past & Usher’s Memory LapsePosted on March 28, 2013 by MJ WAS A CUTIE PIESource: Yahoo Music Canada (Reality Rocks)

Judith and Orianthi at MJ memorial

When Judith Hill auditioned on “The Voice” Season 4’s premiere this week, she wowed all four coaches and 13 million-plus viewers with her dynamite diva vocals. But this wasn’t the first time that she’d performed for a massive TV audience: Back in 2009, Judith was hired to be Michael Jackson’s duet partner for his This Is It London shows, and when those concerts were cancelled after Michael’s shocking death, she sang “Heal The World” at his Staples Center memorial service, which was viewed by more than a billion people around the world. It was a performance to remember, for sure. But bizarrely, new “Voice” judge Usher, who also performed at the Jackson memorial and actually stood onstage behind Judith that day, didn’t recognize her when she tried out for “The Voice”—not when he spun his chair around, and not even when she said her name.

Speaking to Yahoo! Music’s Reality Rocks, Judith says she and Usher did briefly interact backstage at the memorial—but she doesn’t seem too surprised, or insulted, that Usher doesn’t remember her four years later. “The night before the rehearsal, which was a very sobering rehearsal, kind of teary-eyed, I just kind of passed by him and gave him a respectful head-nod,” she recalls. “And he gave me a head-nod back, but that was really the extent of our communication. So I wasn’t sure if he was going to recognize me when his chair turned. And he didn’t—so that was interesting, you know?”

So, did Judith (who eventually joined Adam Levine’s team, not Usher’s) try to jog Usher’s memory after their reunion on “The Voice”? Says Judith: “No, I didn’t even bring it up; we haven’t had any discussion about Michael or anything like that. I haven’t seen him since the Blind Auditions. There was so much going on, it’s hard to even ask someone to remember you. But I’ll be curious to see if he remembers me, or if he puts the pieces together. And that should be interesting!”

Considering how spectacular Judith’s MJ memorial performance truly was—Usher may not remember it vividly, but many other music fans do—it’s hard to believe that she even needed to go on a show like “The Voice” to advance her career. Judith says she did receive plenty of music-business offers after that fateful day in 2009, but she was wary of moving forward. “It was so overwhelming, with all of these different people from the whole world calling me up, and I just needed time to process that,” she explains. “Michael had just passed, and it was just a really, really intense time. I’m glad I didn’t make any rash decisions or try to capitalize on that moment, that I just really took the time to process it and really figure myself out as well.

“I had all sorts of weirdos coming at me [with possibly shady offers], and I didn’t know who to trust,” Judith admits. “I was kind of overwhelmed. You know, a lot of people may promise you the world or say certain things. I did get into a few different situations, and I learned quickly that these people weren’t right for me or they had other motives that weren’t clean. I learned a lot. It was good to go through that process and realize that I’ve got to be careful.”

And what did Judith, who hasn’t ruled out doing a Michael Jackson cover on “The Voice” if it feels right, learn from her brief time working closely with the one and only King Of Pop? “Oh, my goodness, I learned so much from him,” she raves. “I mean, the fact that he was a perfectionist... I learned, more than anything, to dream big and really have your imagination be big, and to work hard to make that dream possible. Michael had such dreams for the stage, like he was so picky about the particular lighting or how the drums should sound... it really challenged me to figure out what my dreams were, and work really hard. Michael was the hardest-working man in the business, and it was incredible seeing him and working with him.”

Certainly Judith’s experience with Michael should help her on “The Voice”—after all, if she has worked with a legend like MJ, then teaming up with Adam Levine should be a breeze, and if she has already performed on live television for a billion viewers, then nothing about being on “The Voice” should feel intimidating, right? Well, Judith admits that her illustrious professional background will give her some advantage in this competition, but confesses: “I still get nervous. I was jittery at my ‘Voice’ audition! I found myself feeling more nervous at the Blind Auditions than I did with my other [performance] experiences, because this is a singing competition and basically they’re judging you, versus being on a stage where there are no chairs turning. There’s so much pressure to perform well—they’re going to judge you, they’re going to pair you up with someone, they’re going to eliminate you... there’s a lot of that sort of thinking. I’ve never experienced that in my life, so this is really hard for me, and I’ve had a lot of anxiety. The concept of it being a contest has been really hard for me to digest, so I think the most important thing I’ve got to do is find my Zen and my calm and just be who I am, and not worry about people judging me.”

Speaking of judges, will Judith ever give Usher a hard time about his little embarrassing memory lapse (which was sort of similar to the one that previous “Voice” judge Christina Aguilera had in Season 2, when she initially failed to recognize her old “Mickey Mouse Club” castmate Tony Lucca)? Judith laughs, “Oh, yeah, if the time comes, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, it’s me!’” Let’s hope the NBC cameras capture that exchange when and if it happens (that’d be some TV gold), but regardless, it’s certain that Usher will never forget Judith Hill again.

http://ca.music.yahoo.com/blogs/reality-rocks/voice-frontrunner-judith-hill-talk-michael-jackson-past-l

Judith Hill Wins “The Voice” Battle Round Against Karina Iglesias (Updated With Full Performance)Posted on April 15, 2013 by MJ WAS A CUTIE PIESource: The Voice/You Tube NBCTheVoice

Tonight Judith Hill and Karina Iglesias battled it out singing, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” Both of them were very good and Judith was fierce as usual. Adam called it the “battle of the season.” Adam picked Judith and Karina was stolen by Shakira. Congratulations Judith! We’re rooting for you!

See after show interview with Judith and Karina:Source: The Voice/You Tube NBCTheVoice

TTI Singer Auditions On ‘The Voice’(20-3-2013) Judith Hill (28) was one of the blind auditioners of the US version of the reality talent show ‘The Voice’ in season 4. Judith Hill reportedly made a big impression during her blind audition and might already be one of the odds-on favorites.

To Michael Jackson fans she might be better known as the female who was hired as a singer for the This Is It concerts and performed “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” together with Michael—as can be seen in the ‘This Is It’ movie. After Michael’s tragic death, she performed “Heal The World” at his memorial, which was viewed by more than a billion people around the globe.

Judith tells “The Voice” producers that her “phone went crazy” with offers from record labels after her Michael memorial performance at Los Angeles’s Staples Center, but that she thought the timing was wrong and it would be in poor taste to capitalize on his passing. She did release an MJ tribute, “I Will Always Be Missing You,” but it was only available as a free download from her website, and then later as a charity single on iTunes, with all proceeds going to Childhelp U.S. She also kindly provided the song to MJFC and it has since been featured on our frontpage.

Now, however, Judith believes it’s finally her time to shine and that time will come when her audition airs during ‘The Voice’ season 4’s big premiere—which airs next Monday on NBC. In a new season 4 preview clip, her cover of on-hiatus judge Christina Aguilera’s “What A Girl Wants” inspires all four judges (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton as well as newbies Usher and Shakira) to spin their chairs, and then those judges get out of their chairs in a unison standing ovation.

The ultra-competitive Adam Levine even stands on top of his chair in an attempt to persuade Judith to join his team. “You’re the first person who’s come on this show and done a Christina Aguilera song as well as Christina Aguilera,” Adam tells Judith.

Source: MJFC / Reality Rocks

(28-3-2013) Judith Hill, who is known to MJ fans as one of the singers in the ‘This Is It’ movie and for performing ‘Heal The World’ at his memorial service, made a big impression this week on judges and viewers of the US talent show ‘The Voice’. Certainly her experience of working with Michael should help her on the show. In a recent interview she admitted that her illustrious professional background will give her some advantage in this competition, but confesses:

“I still get nervous. I was jittery at my ‘Voice’ audition! I found myself feeling more nervous at the Blind Auditions than I did with my other [performance] experiences, because this is a singing competition and basically they’re judging you, versus being on a stage where there are no chairs turning. There’s so much pressure to perform well—they’re going to judge you, they’re going to pair you up with someone, they’re going to eliminate you... there’s a lot of that sort of thinking. I’ve never experienced that in my life, so this is really hard for me, and I’ve had a lot of anxiety. The concept of it being a contest has been really hard for me to digest, so I think the most important thing I’ve got to do is find my Zen and my calm and just be who I am, and not worry about people judging me.”

And what did Judith learn from her brief time working closely with the one and only King Of Pop?

“Oh, my goodness, I learned so much from him,” she raves. “I mean, the fact that he was a perfectionist... I learned, more than anything, to dream big and really have your imagination be big, and to work hard to make that dream possible. Michael had such dreams for the stage, like he was so picky about the particular lighting or how the drums should sound... it really challenged me to figure out what my dreams were, and work really hard. Michael was the hardest-working man in the business, and it was incredible seeing him and working with him.”

Interestingly ‘The Voice’ judge Usher, who also performed at the Michael Jackson memorial and actually stood onstage behind Judith that day, didn’t seem to recognize her when she tried out for the show. Judith says she and Usher did briefly interact backstage at the memorial—but she doesn’t seem too surprised, or insulted, that Usher doesn’t remember her four years later.

“The night before the rehearsal, which was a very sobering rehearsal, kind of teary-eyed, I just kind of passed by him and gave him a respectful head-nod,” she recalls. “And he gave me a head-nod back, but that was really the extent of our communication. So I wasn’t sure if he was going to recognize me when his chair turned. And he didn’t—so that was interesting, you know?”

So, did Judith try to jog Usher’s memory after their reunion on “The Voice”?

“No, I didn’t even bring it up; we haven’t had any discussion about Michael or anything like that. I haven’t seen him since the Blind Auditions. There was so much going on, it’s hard to even ask someone to remember you. But I’ll be curious to see if he remembers me, or if he puts the pieces together. And that should be interesting!”

Will Judith ever give Usher a hard time about his memory lapse? Judith laughs:

“Oh, yeah, if the time comes, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, it’s me!’”

Considering how spectacular Judith’s MJ memorial performance truly was, it’s hard to believe that she even needed to go on a show like “The Voice” to advance her career. Judith says she did receive plenty of music-business offers after that fateful day in 2009, but she was wary of moving forward.

“It was so overwhelming, with all of these different people from the whole world calling me up, and I just needed time to process that. Michael had just passed, and it was just a really, really intense time. I’m glad I didn’t make any rash decisions or try to capitalize on that moment, that I just really took the time to process it and really figure myself out as well. I had all sorts of weirdos coming at me [with possibly shady offers], and I didn’t know who to trust,” Judith admits. “I was kind of overwhelmed. You know, a lot of people may promise you the world or say certain things. I did get into a few different situations, and I learned quickly that these people weren’t right for me or they had other motives that weren’t clean. I learned a lot. It was good to go through that process and realize that I’ve got to be careful.”

Judith also said that she doesn’t rule out doing a Michael Jackson cover on ‘The Voice’ if it feels right.

Source: MJFC / Reality Rocks