The talented trio Girl Named Tom, sibling folk band and winners of the 21 season of the popular singing show “The Voice”, performed an inspiring show at the Bloomington Center of Performing Arts on July 19. As their first show to kick off their “Get a Little Lost Tour” was a success, they ventured off to finish their tour on August 18, they found time in their busy schedule to answer some questions through email. 

THIRTEEN: What led your sibling bonded band to be pursued into a serious career?

BEKAH: Growing up, we were very close as siblings and though we always LOVED music, we never considered doing music as anything more than a hobby. We did not grow up singing together as a trio, until our cousin asked us to sing a song for his wedding in 2018. We had a lot of fun arranging our own version of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" and got the bug for singing together! I graduated high school in 2019, then we started the band and never looked back! 

THIRTEEN: How would you describe your life/career before the voice?

CALEB: Before The Voice, we were a band with big dreams and zero inhibitions. We recorded music in our little band house that we rented from some kind friends of ours who could give us a deal, we drove around in our parents' minivan and used equipment gifted to us by our family and community, we sang in living rooms, backyards, bars, churches, nursing homes, schools... We miss those days sometimes and you can hear that nostalgia all over our first two singles.

THIRTEEN: Whose idea was it to audition for The Voice?

JOSHUA: There were rumblings in our first year from our fans that there was a trio on the show, and I would say that was the initial spark. Up until then, we didn't think it was possible for a group to go on the show! Our voice teacher from our high school years sent us an email on the last day of virtual auditions pleading with us to give it a shot! Well, Bekah brought it to the brothers and the brothers reluctantly agreed (even though the process was SO easy because of COVID), and the rest is history!

THIRTEEN: You guys performed many times on The Voice, is there a certain performance that sticks out to you guys whether it was the actual performance, song, audience reaction, or coach reactions?

BEKAH: Dust in The Wind was one of my favorite moments on The Voice. That was during the live shows, when the crowd was going crazy!! So crazy that we actually asked the crowd to please be quiet, so that we could hear ourselves. They were very respectful to our request, you could hear a pin drop! My nerves were racing more than ever, Caleb started the guitar intro, and from then on I felt like I was floating. THE most surreal feeling! Hearing John Legend say that he loved our "haunting" performance gave me chills because that's exactly what we were going for!  

THIRTEEN: What actions did it take to transition from the voice to starting your own path?

CALEB: Oh it is still a daily journey to separate from The Voice. From our perspective, the TV show was simply a "5-hour energy" boost to our career. We had a small but mighty career that was blossoming years before the show. We are so grateful that, as that 5-hour energy drink has died off, our new fans have stayed with us... they know we aren't simply a "Voice Act" but an exciting young band of artists that is bringing fresh and familiar harmony to the music world.

THIRTEEN: What has been your guys most memorable opportunity in your career?

BEKAH: Most memorable opportunity of the career... I loved performing with Pentatonix during their Christmas Tour. We opened the show each night for a 22-date arena tour! They are such an amazing singing group, I've looked up to them for years and years, and to be invited to sing with them on stage during their show was such a thrill and humbling to say the least. They say don't meet your heroes, but since meeting PTX, my respect for them has only grown and they continue to inspire me. 

JOSHUA: This moment may have a bit of recency bias, but we just performed on the riverfront in Nashville for its huge July 4th celebration (we've been told it broke records for attendance this year at ~300,000 people!!). It was so humbling to have so many friends come and support us & the show was such a blast! We had more instrumentalists on stage than we normally do for shows as well & it's always more fun when more people are making music together!

CALEB: A moment that will (hopefully) always be sharpied into my memory was singing a song we'd just written at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. That show was full of bold, last-second decisions by our band, and singing "Stay The Night" after writing just days before at a venue as iconic as The Troubadour is something I'm still proud of.

THIRTEEN: Your singles “Get a Little Lost” and “What A View” are lovely and vibrant. On the topic of writing your own songs, how does the process go for you guys? Is it planned sessions or spontaneous? How does it feel to produce your own music you worked on?

JOSHUA: Each song has a story of its own. Oftentimes, we will write ideas on our own and then if we think we have a good one for Girl Named Tom, we'll bring it to each other and see how far we can get! Many of our songs have been written this way. However, the past couple years we've been spending a lot of time in co-writing sessions with artists in Nashville and LA. These sessions have stretched us in many ways as artists, and we're falling more and more in love with the process of how an idea becomes a song. Girl Named Tom as a project is focused on bringing harmony to the world, so we always begin writing sessions asking the universe what ideas need to be shared to the world in this climate. This helps take pressure off of the ins and outs of songwriting and brings more focus to what we want to say as we draw from our experiences.

THIRTEEN: What is your favorite part of performing? Is it the rehearsals, getting ready, interacting with the crowd, all of it, or something else? 

BEKAH: My favorite part of performing is hitting the stage and singing right to the fans. I love to see as many faces as I can in the crowd! 

JOSHUA: I would say the moments when you can hear a pin drop. We love singing songs that are slow, that are beautiful, and hopefully speak right into people's souls. I get such a high from moments when we finish a song and there is a powerful pause before people begin to applaud. That makes me feel like I'm part of a moment that is really special to many people.
CALEB: My favorite part of performing is the unexpected moments that inevitably pop into the room, then disappear again without a trace. Live music is so special because of the unexpected. A long-forgotten story that one of us thinks up on the spot and shares, a certain lyric that hits me in a new way as we sing it, or maybe a loud reaction by an audience member that mirrors what the whole room is feeling at that moment. Moments like these are impossible to replicate or plan for.

THIRTEEN: How has experiencing tour life been on this current tour?

BEKAH: This tour has been awesome so far. We're traveling in a bus with an 8-person crew. It's fun to sing new songs on stage, make memories with the band, and explore more of this beautiful country! It's safe to say we "get a little lost" wherever we go! 

THIRTEEN: Are there any big plans ahead with more music or performances after this tour is finished?

CALEB: We are planning a massive Christmas tour this year - we are so so so excited for it. It hasn't been announced yet but y'all be ready!

THIRTEEN: If you could give one message to your fans, what would it be?

JOSHUA: We can't thank you enough for your support. We are only able to do what we love because of you, and we really, really do love it. We hope to continue bringing songs that speak to your heart and giving performances that you'll never forget for as long as we possibly can! So much love!