Olympia singer shares journey from open mic nights to this season of ‘The Voice’
Before Tyler Kae Powell, 22, was a member of Team Adam on this season of “The Voice,” she was a North Thurston High School student with a love for all things music. An Olympia native, she cites her grandfather’s guitar playing and the city’s welcoming nature as reasons for her current success.
Powell was featured on “The Voice” on Monday, Feb. 17. She sang a cover of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, which got the attention of judges Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini. Levine blocked Ballerini, landing Powell on Team Adam.
The next episode of “The Voice” airs at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, on NBC. You can watch Powell’s blind audition on Youtube.
Growing up in Olympia
Powell said she grew up in Olympia, not leaving until college, when she moved to Oregon. She said she graduated from North Thurston High School in Lacey, where she was heavily involved in music programs.
Neither of her parents are very musically inclined, but her grandfather is. Known as the “big man with a small guitar,” he would put on Elvis-inspired performances for family.
“I loved watching him perform, and I feel like seeing his love for music also got me into it, and he’s been nothing but encouraging and wants me to pursue my dreams and music,” Powell said. “That’s been really amazing, and being able to bond with him on that is really cool too.”
Powell’s mom, Deana, said when Powell was little she was involved in dance, plays and musical theater, then was involved in band and choir in schools, and she would participate in the talent show every year. In high school she was part of a worship group at church and was often on the stage.
When she was old enough, she started singing at different spots around Olympia. She performed with a band at Boston Harbor Marina’s Friday Night music series and at a bar downtown.
“Being in Olympia, it’s such a creative city and such an open and welcoming city, and I feel like that kind of provided me with a great place to start my music, or to even try at all to sing,” Powell said.
In college in Oregon, she led a worship team and got involved in a choir that would travel for shows. Deana said during Powell’s last semester of college she attended a program in Nashville that gave her a look inside the music industry.
Powell now lives in Nashville to pursue music full time while working as a barista.
Her mom said it was a big deal when Powell moved to Oregon because the family doesn’t travel. When Powell said she wanted to move to Nashville, it was an even bigger shock.
Overcoming anxiety
“I have always wanted to be a singer since I can remember, and I grew up watching shows like ‘The Voice,’ and looking up to different artists there and especially the coaches,” Powell said.
She said she’s been encouraged by family and friends to audition, but her lack of self confidence has held her back.
“But when the opportunity came around last year, I kind of had a moment of, ‘Well, I would rather try and fail than not try at all and just never know,’” she said.
Powell said she thinks “The Voice” and the relationships she’s made on the cast have given her confidence in her singing abilities.
“I’ve been really pressing into singing and music, getting out my feelings that way, but also just listening to the ones I love around me and being close with them, and that’s what’s definitely been helping me navigate it,” she said. “And it’s definitely a shock, for sure, but a good shock.”
Outside of music, Powell shared her love for collecting taxidermy animals. She said she loves making weird little outfits to put them in. She has a little duck she got from a shop in Nashville she dresses up as a cowboy. She always tries to look for ethical taxidermy.
“It’s just a weird thing that I took to for some reason, and I’m still collecting. I’m still doing it,” she said.
Powell also loves to do anything crafty, like painting, make jewelry for her friends and junk journaling. She also likes trying new foods, but she misses some of Olympia’s offerings. She said she thinks about Eastside Big Tom every day.
Powell said her time on the show so far has been surreal and crazy in a good way.
She said she’s excited to be on Team Adam this season, but she still loves to perform at open mic nights when she visits home. You might one day catch her singing at Rhythms Coffee.
“I never really thought I’d be able to do anything like this. I just didn’t really believe in myself,” she said. “And a lot of people have been so encouraging, and the feedback has been so kind and loving.”
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