Miller appears on ‘ The Voice’
■ The Siloam Springs native was selected to join Gwen Stefani's team for Season 19.
Tori Miller of Siloam Springs has come a long way since she started singing at the Dogwood Festival at age 10.
On Monday, the now 26-yearold appeared in the blind auditions phase on NBC’s “The Voice,” where she was chosen to join Gwen Stefani’s team for Season 19 by singing Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All.”
During the blind auditions, coaches Stefani, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton each had the opportunity to select 10 voices for their team. Miller will now move on to the battle rounds, the next phase of the competition.
After the blind auditions, coaches will guide their teams as they compete in the battle rounds, knockouts and finally the live performance shows, according to the show website. Musicians are eliminated during each phase of the competition and in the end, one will be named “The Voice” and will receive the grand prize of a recording contract, the site states. “The Voice” airs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays and 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Performing on the show was a full-circle moment for Miller, she
said. Miller comes from a musical family and grew up singing bluegrass and country music, from artists such as Whitley and Alison Krauss, at local festivals and family gatherings. “When You Say Nothing At All,” really represents who Miller is as an artist and she is grateful that she got to share it on the show, she said.
Musician coaches choose singers solely on their voices during the blind auditions, according to the show website. Thanks to rotating chairs, the coaches can hear the artists perform but don’t see them. If a coach is impressed by the artist’s voice, they will push a button to select the artist, at which point the coach’s chair swivels around so the coach can see the artist they have selected.
Miller said she has always respected Stefani’s versatility and her ability to take on new challenges and new genres while staying true to herself.
“The moment (Stefani) turned around, I think I was beaming with joy,” Miller said. “It was this slow motion moment. Gwen was my number one pick. I knew that teams were filling up but I was hopeful. … I feel grateful she heard something in my voice that made her want me. She was rhinestoned out so my rodeo queen heart was bursting.”
Miller grew up with two loves — music and rodeo, according to her biography. Her mother Susan Miller of Siloam Springs was a singer and raised her on bluegrass, which inspired Tori to start performing at a young age.
After high school, Miller was accepted to Liberty University’s ministry team and spent the next four years traveling the U.S. and Canada as a touring musician.
Miller earned her first rodeo title as Siloam Springs Rodeo Princess in June of 1999, according to a 2016 interview. After graduation from Liberty University, Miller went back to rodeo and in July 2014 she won first runnerup in the June 2014 Siloam Springs Rodeo Queen contest. In July of the same year, she went on to win the title of Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale, which qualified her for the Miss Rodeo Arkansas competition, which she won in 2016.
Miller now lives in Phoenix, Ariz., where she focuses on her songwriting career, but she came back home to watch the show with her family in Arkansas, she said.
Miller said she is thankful for the support she has received from her hometown.
“From my journey from a little girl singing at the Dogwood Festival to becoming Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks, I have always hailed Siloam Springs as my hometown and the support has been overwhelming,” Miller said.
From my journey from a little girl singing at the Dogwood Festival to becoming Miss Rodeo of the Ozarks, I have always hailed Siloam Springs as my hometown and the support has been overwhelming.”
Tori Miller