The Voice's Meghan Linsey had a career before appearing on the NBC singing competition. She and former fiance Joshua Scott Jones were known together as Steel Magnolia and had a record deal — but it didn't last. Now, Meghan Linsey was voted into The Voice Top 12 on Wednesday night as part of coach Blake Shelton's team, along with Corey Kent White and Hannah Kirby. Team Blake and viewers bid adieu to teammates Sarah Potenza and Brooke Adee.
"It's awesome to be in the [Top 12] and it's what I came here to do, but at the same time it's bittersweet because the other two people — Sarah and Brook — deserve to be in the Top 12 as well," Linsey told reporters after the show on Wednesday. "It's just a blessing to be here and to be voted through by America is just huge to have that support and love."
Linsey earned her votes after showcasing her pipes in a performance of OneRepublic's "Love Runs Out" earlier this week. And she was especially sad to see Potenza go home, since the two became good friends and roommates through The Voice.
"She really, to me, had one of the best, if not the best, voices in the competition," Linsey said. "It makes it really hard. She's my roommate and my best friend here, so it sucks."
Since her Steel Magnolia duo disbanded, Linsey has found that The Voice has been a real confidence booster for her as a singer. "I've been told 'no' many times," she said. "And now I'm at this point where Pharrell [Williams] is standing up during my performances and Blake is telling me I'm a star. Sometimes you live this life for so long that you stop believing in yourself because it's just so hard."
And Linsey isn't singing country on The Voice, but she had been involved in the genre for a long time. She's been performing since she was nine and moved to Nashville to pursue a country music career at age 18. One thing she would love is to see more women in the genre.
"I think it's sad that you don't really hear females on country radio at all," she said. "That's been my struggle for the last three or four years that I haven't had a record deal and I've been out of my duo. I just think country music needs to start embracing females again and letting our voices be heard on the radio."
And if she can pull out a win this season, Linsey just might be the gal to help turn that tide.
Image: Trae Patton/NBC
