Back from reality

Although Whitney Myer’s reality TV show stint was short, it’s given her a lot of perspective on her career as a recording artist and performer. Yes, being on NBC’s singing competition, The Voice, has garnered her a lot of attention—locally and nationally—but more than anything, it has helped her to figure out what direction she’s headed in.

“It made me realize that perception is everything,” says Myer. “I was doing the same thing that I’m doing now before The Voice but now everybody’s like, ‘Wow, you’re amazing!’”

All four judges, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton, approved of her blind audition, but then she was eliminated from the competition during an early battle round.

“I didn’t do it necessarily to win,” she says. “I did it because I wanted to let the nation—and especially my hometown—know that I’m here, and I’m doing things. I’m following my dreams. I can’t do it without their support.”

The thing she says she came to realize from her time on the show is that it’s the community around her that will help her to accomplish her dreams. The support Myer received locally was overwhelming, and she is hoping that people realize that it’s them who have the power—not The Voice—to help make her a star.

“I really want to sell out again,” says Myer in reference to the band’s upcoming show at Cargo in CommRow on May 19. “It would show the public that we can do it without The Voice. I can have the same power if they help support the career.”

Her father, Scott Myer, and uncle, Fred Myer—twin brothers—and bassist Gia Torcaso, back Myer in the Whitney Myer Band. Auditioning for The Voice and performing without her band on the show took Myer out of her comfort zone. She has been playing with her father and uncle since she was 14. During the show, she was on her own in Los Angeles, fielding interviews and meeting people.

“I’m so glad that I did it because I learned a lot about myself as an individual,” Myer says. “I’m really glad that it ended when it did, as painful as it was to my ego. I’m glad that it ended that way because I don’t want to be pigeonholed as a reality TV show star.”

While being on The Voice gave Myer a lot of publicity, she also saw a lot of things behind the scenes that viewers didn’t get to see.

“At the end of the day, they’re making a television show,” says Myer. “It’s not really even about music.”

She says she had originally wanted to be on Cee Lo’s team until she heard what he had to say—apparently a lot of the conversation in front of the judges was edited out—and so decided being on another team would benefit her more.

“It’s exciting when you’re on it but when you get off of it you’re like, ‘How much longevity does that really have?’” says Myer. “I feel it was perfect timing for me and where I want to go in my career.”

Ultimately, Myer wants to be a recording and touring artist. She already devotes most of her time to her music and would like to get on a national tour with someone from a similar genre.

The upcoming show at Cargo is a sort of homecoming for her. This will be the band’s first Reno show after The Voice, and they won’t be playing local shows as frequently. They’ve invited professionals from the industry and have some surprises in store for the audience. Myer didn’t want to reveal everything but did say that she is working with a local designer and one of her outfits will be made out of a World War II parachute.

Myer is grateful for all the support she has received locally.

“If you believed in me on [The Voice], come to our shows and show support that way,” Myer says. “We have such a cool community here. We all help each other out, and I don’t know that that happens everywhere. I think Reno is a special place.”