Beat Frequency, the Vancouver musical duo competing on NBC’s “The Voice,” was eliminated from the competition Tuesday after battling with Laura Vivas, a solo artist.
Group members Shawn Lewis and Natasha Neuschwander, who have been married for more than eight years, said being on the show was a great learning experience.
“It was inspiring to be around the caliber of performers we were around,” Lewis said. “To have people who’ve been around for decades speak into our act, that’s a huge opportunity.”
The biggest lesson, though, was to just stay true to their own creative ideas, he added.
“It enforced that we really need to be ourselves,” Lewis said. “I feel like we learned we really are cut out for that sort of stage.”
In a wrap-up video interview on the show’s website, the pair said they were impressed with Vivas’ performance.
“It sucks having to battle your friends,” Neuschwander said.
Lewis said he thinks solo acts have an unfair advantage in “The Voice” and other reality shows that pit singers against one another.
“It doesn’t feel like duos have any kind of a chance in this,” he said. “I’d love to see a duo go through.”
Neuschwander, 29, started singing as a student at Battle Ground High School, where she was also a cheerleader. After graduating, she started performing at local bars with Lewis.
Lewis, 35, was in a Christian alternative rock band called Hyper Static Union after graduating from Camas High School. He also leads worship services four times a week at Living Hope Church in Vancouver.
The couple, who describe themselves as “a cheerleader with a rocker,” have one album called “Love is All I Need” on iTunes and plan to continue performing and recording, they said. They formed the duo about a year and a half ago.
The two have also unsuccessfully auditioned for “American Idol,” and survived a few producer’s round cuts for “America’s Got Talent,” but they’re probably done with TV for a while, Lewis said.
“If there was a duo show, we’d consider doing it,” Lewis said. “But we’ve been involved with two TV shows in the past 12 months, and they’ve sapped our creativity a bit. We’re really more excited about the studio at this point.”
The couple have set up recording equipment in their living room and are working on their second album.
“We’ve been waking up every day coming up with new songs, new beats,” he said.
The pre-taped show took about six months of their time, and they haven’t been able to schedule many gigs during the airing.
“It takes a good chunk of time, and we had to keep secrets from our friends for about six months as to the outcome,” Lewis said. “We also couldn’t really accept anything when our future on the show was in question. Obviously we’re open to booking now, but there’s nothing on the schedule yet.”
The duo had a message for fans on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/beatfrequencymusic.
“This battle round has tested our marriage, tested our musicianship, and tested our commitment to performing. We’re obviously hugely disappointed in the results, but we absolutely have no regrets about our performance on and off stage. Hats off to the crew and everyone involved in production for letting us be ourselves. Natasha and I have had our struggles in developing our act, but this process has helped us solidify what we do. We sing with passion and intensity, we dance, we flirt, we party on stage, and we encourage couples to enjoy life together,” it read.
Vivas, who will advance to the next round of “The Voice,” said she hopes Beat Frequency continues to perform and do well.
“You’re going to make some great music together,” she told them.
