Lowell’s LVNDR finds ‘new fire,’ making the most of her striking run on NBC’s ‘The Voice’

The singer and guitarist who has impressed judges on NBC’s ‘The Voice’ has big plans for the future — regardless of how far she might go in the televised competition. The Local Spins profile.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Two other Michigan singers — Alison Albrecht of Novi and Angelina Nazarian of Ann Arbor — also advanced to the Battle Rounds on ‘The Voice’ and competed Monday. Albrecht, a University of Michigan grad, won the battle and will continue to the next round. The Battle Round segments continue on NBC at 8 p.m. today (Oct. 24). Scroll down for LVNDR videos.

Not even 20 minutes into our interview, Lindsay Garcia is recognized by a stranger on the street.

The 27-year-old songwriter from Lowell has gained national attention as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.” The official video of her blind audition under the name LVNDR has garnered over a half-million views on YouTube.

“I was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. I felt my soul leave my body. I just went on autopilot. It was so surreal,” Garcia says.

“They put the good parts on TV but after the song I could hardly get a sentence out. I was rambling, I stuttered a lot. But it’s just like, who’s even ready for a moment like that?”

Taking the stage as LVNDR, Garcia performed an arrestingly beautiful cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” transforming the hip-hop radio hit into a slow, dancey ballad.

The show featuring four celebrity vocal coaches — John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire — has these judges listen to blind auditions with their backs turned, and if they like what they hear, they can buzz their chairs around. Two of the four turned their chairs for LVNDR: Horan and Legend.

Garcia selected Horan as her coach. She has now moved on to the “Battle Rounds,” which continue at 8 p.m. tonight (Oct. 24) on NBC. The winner of “The Voice” earns a grand prize of $1 million.

When we meet at a bustling coffee shop on Grand Rapids’ East side, it’s not hard to spot Garcia in the crowd. I find her standing at the counter with a sleek to-go cup in hand, dressed in black from head to toe. She’s also wearing giant moon boots. It’s a stark contrast from the bright backdrop of white brick walls.

During the filming process, Garcia spent three months in Los Angeles working with a team of industry professionals, ranging from vocal coaches, producers and stylists.

One vocal coach had her sing while jogging on a treadmill. Wardrobe was also memorable. Garcia has a vivid flashback of wearing pleated, high-rise balloon pants on one such occasion. She was sequestered to the hotel with her fellow contestants. There was a lot of lounging by the pool. And hallway mini-golf.

We take our coffee outside and follow the sidewalk a short distance to the farmers market, which is where she’s recognized by one of the vendors. I ask if that happens often. It’s more common in Lowell, she says. But there has been a noticeable buzz.

Garcia, who was home-schooled, has performed in various West Michigan venues — including Turnstiles, Midtown, Ada’s Garage Bar and Lowell’s Sound Check — and she won WOTV’s “Idol” contest in 2019. She’s also produced videos at Grand Rapids’ Dogtown Studio.

But the appearance on “The Voice” has expanded those gig opportunities.

“Ever since the audition aired, I’ve been getting a lot of good requests for venues that never really would have considered me before. I went from having like, 500 followers on Instagram to now over 8,000. So that’s pretty crazy,” Garcia says.

“It’s given me a new fire in me to pursue music harder than ever. So I’ve got some really cool things in the works.”

VIDEO: LVNDR, “Creep” (Radiohead Cover)
Dogtown Studio in Grand Rapids (with special guest Olivia Vargas)

VIDEO: LVNDR, “Stuck On You” (Original Song)

VIDEO: LVNDR, “Hotline Bling” on “The Voice”

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