Season 17 VOICE Winner Jake Hoot Shares His Experience On The Show | BEST OF Today's Nashville

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Jake Hoot joined "Today's Nashville" as the Season 17 winner of The Voice, sharing his unique journey from being a single father in Cookeville, Tennessee, to standing on national television. Before entering the competition, Jake was an executive sales representative for radio and had previously auditioned for American Idol years ago with little success; he viewed that experience as a "cattle call" process where contestants were quickly dismissed after singing briefly. His path changed when his daughter saw him performing songs she called "bath tunes" while taking her bath, leading social media managers to invite him to The Voice despite his initial skepticism about the legitimacy of such offers. The audition process itself was a terrifying experience for Jake due to his lack of confidence and inability to determine the correct musical key without visual cues or instruments during his blind performance. He described walking onto the stage in complete silence, hearing only his own boots clomping up the steps while Carson Daly spoke with him backstage. Although he initially felt like an imposter wondering how he had "snuck" into that moment, Kelly Clarkson eventually turned her chair after what felt like twenty minutes of agonizing ninety seconds. Following this breakthrough, Jake underwent a rigorous series of auditions in Nashville before traveling to California for the live rounds, where he quickly formed deep bonds with fellow contestants who supported one another rather than viewing each other as rivals. Jake's victory came on December 19th after an intense period that began in March 2019 and included several months of touring across different cities until everything paused due to the pandemic starting in early 2020. He admitted he never expected to win, recalling how he genuinely congratulated second-place finisher Ricky Duran on stage before his own name was called, causing him to momentarily lose track of reality amidst falling confetti and seeing his family backstage. Despite winning a major prize package including sponsorship deals and touring contracts with two record labels, Jake initially struggled with imposter syndrome after leaving the show, fearing he would never be booked for gigs again; however, this fear proved unfounded as opportunities exploded around him almost immediately. Ultimately, Jake's story highlights how his background in radio sales and early experiences playing open mics at Tennessee Tech laid the foundation for his musical career even before The Voice launched it into the mainstream spotlight. Although he returned to work temporarily after the show ended due to doubts about his future prospects, those reservations were quickly replaced by a whirlwind of professional success that included extensive touring and industry recognition within just over two months post-elimination. His experience serves as an inspiring example for aspiring artists who may lack confidence or traditional training, demonstrating that persistence through difficult moments like the silent audition room can lead to life-changing opportunities in the music business.

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Jake, season 17, winner of The Voice. Welcome to today's Nashville. I'm so honored to have you today. >> Thank you for having me. I'm excited. >> So, I have to hear about what it was like from the beginning to the end of The Voice. >> Yeah, um you know, I think it was very high intensity. Um up to that point I had just played a couple gigs, you know, here and there, open mics and little wineries and bar gigs and stuff like that. And then going from that to national TV >> What even made you think about auditioning? >> So, at the time, um I had I'd actually auditioned for American Idol years before. I call it the cattle call audition cuz they just bring you in like groups of six. You step forward and sing like 15 seconds and they usher you out. So, I was like, I am never doing a singing show. That is just it's not me. Um and at the time I was I was a single dad. And so, I was playing songs to my daughter and I I called it bath tunes cuz she'd be taking a bath and I'd sing to her and this and that. And they saw it on social media and reached out and said, "Hey, we would love to invite you out for an audition." >> The Voice? >> The Voice did, yeah. And I I had the same reaction. I I emailed them back and said, "How do I know this isn't a scam?" And they said, "We don't know how to prove it other than here's an here's an address in Nashville." And so, I came down and auditioned and >> Now, where were you living? >> I was living in Cookeville, Tennessee. >> Okay. >> Yes, ma'am. I went to Tennessee Tech out there, played football. And then I actually got into the radio business. I was an executive, which is fancy for sales rep. But I was selling radio out there. And this just kind of blew all that wide open. >> Well, before we get to The Voice, so I'm going to bring you back a little bit. I read that you started singing at open mic during college. >> Yes. Yes. >> How'd that happen? >> Um a lot of fellow players and friends kind of like dragging me there, I think is what it was. Uh I I always lack confidence, so I taught myself to play guitar. I played in churches that Dad started growing up. Um but to stand in front of people and play, I was like, "There's just no way." And finally I got up there and really got a a love for it. I mean, it was just feeling the crowd's energy and all that kind of stuff. It It became like, "Man, I got to do this at some point." And so, um yeah, I mean, we I think we had open mics twice a semester and I would always go out It was at the Backdoor Playhouse at Tennessee Tech University. And uh yeah, did that for a few years and absolutely loved it. And had no no idea that where I'd be sitting now started then. It's just a crazy journey. >> What was it like to go on stage for the very first time? >> Terrifying. I I It was completely silent. And the song I I had picked to sing for my blind audition, um didn't have any kind of musical interest, so I had no way of finding what my key was. And you just get a little snare and then you start singing. And so, the entire time I'm standing behind these doors, I'm sitting here thinking, "I don't know what key I'm I'm supposed to start this song singing. I don't have a reference point." And uh Carson was out there Carson Daly was talking to me and I'm sitting here trying to go, "I need to remember the key." So, I walk up there and luckily I I found the key before it got too far into the song. But um you know, I tell people it's just a silent room. There's probably hundreds of people in there. And all I could hear were my boots clomping up the steps. And um it was I >> What was going through your mind? >> Uh I don't know that I'm supposed to be doing this. Like, I was just like, "I don't know, [laughter] you know, I don't know how I how I snuck in here, but here we are." And um I I tell people you only play 90 seconds of a song during your blind audition. And it felt like 20 minutes. And Kelly kind of Kelly turned at the very end. Um and she's the only one who turned, but for that 90 seconds, yeah, I was just like, "Oh, man, this is taking so long. What's going on?" But, it ended up working out really well. >> Jake, before Kelly turned her chair, what was it like when you got the call to come and audition to The Voice? You got there, then what happened? What did What were the behind the scenes like? >> Um, so you they had me prepare two songs. Um, and then you go you go into this room or whatever in a studio in Nashville. People lined up down the hallway. You go in and you sing to one producer. That's the first audition. Um, and luckily he was a very kind producer because the first song I played I thought I nailed it, and I had rearranged Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire, and I was like, man, this is a cool version. And he just sat there and he said, "Well, if I'm making a decision off that, it's a no." And I was like, man, you know? Then he said, "Play something else and show me what you what you can do." And so I uh I usually play Take It Easy from The Eagles at a G, and I was like, I've got one shot at this thing, and so I bumped it up a whole step and played it, and he goes, "That's what I want to hear." And so, once you make it through that, you you do I think two or three more auditions before you finally go out to California um to kind of go through all the different things or whatever, and then you finally do the blind audition. So, I don't know how many thousands of people auditioned for the beginning. Once you get to California, there's about 250, somewhere around there. And then they narrow it down to 48. So, it's just rapid fire, and you you know, you're making friends with everybody, and then the next day half of those people are gone, and you're just trying to readjust and you know, refigure out who your people are and all that kind of stuff, but it really was a wonderful time. I tell people it's a singing competition, but it never felt like a competition. It was just like all of us were one big family, encouraging each other, supporting each other, and we still all, you know, talk and hang out when we can today. So, it's been really special. >> So, you went to California. And then you get there. Did you Do you get to meet everybody that's, you know, on the stage? And do you get to meet Kelly and beforehand or >> No. >> Okay. >> No, no, no, no. So, we um we got to meet like we all had vocal coaches. Um and we had we got to meet certain producers. And obviously, you know, you got sound and lighting and everything else going on. So, you get to meet the band and you get to meet the sound guys. But you don't really get to meet the coach until after they turn that chair. And then we ins- we immediately once we got done with the blind audition, I remember I went back stage and did an interview. And then walked out and got in a van and went to the airport. So, it's like rapid fire. And then they bring you back out a few weeks later to start doing the other things. But um it's just so high high-paced, you know, fast-paced, high-tempo things that you're just like, "What's going on?" You know, I think they do that to keep you thinking that way of like can't figure it out. But um but Kelly's a sweetheart. She's been a great friend over the years. So, very excited or very honored to have gotten to work with her. >> So, she turned her chair. And how many weeks after that were you uh audition- or not auditioning, where you were still playing and competing? >> Mhm. >> How many weeks did it take before you were the finalist? >> The finalist. Uh well, let's see. That was in March of 2019 and I won December 19th. So, it's like once you you you kind of come and go, you do certain segments at a time, and then you go home. And then when you come back for the lives, you're there until you get eliminated or until you make it to the end. And so, I think I went out sometime in October and stayed through the end of December. So, it was quite the wild ride. >> Did you think you were going to win? >> Oh, no. Absolutely not. I I still don't know how it happened. I'm I'm sitting here going really? Like I don't know. But, um I remember standing there with uh Ricky Duran, who was the the guy who came in second. And on the video, you can see me like nudge him and say something. And I said, "Man, you got this, dude. I'm so happy for you." And then they called my name, and I was just like what? Like Ricky is an incredible singer, songwriter, musician. Um and I for sure thought he was going to take it home. And so, to have them call my name, I just kind of lost it and blacked out at that point. So, I remember seeing my girl, and I remember seeing the confetti coming down, but that's about all I remember that moment. >> And you were single at this time, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> So, at that moment, what was going through your mind? >> You know, I tell people I uh my wife is the most confident person I know. She's very confident. Um and she has helped me a lot with my confidence. I lacked so much confidence that when I came off the show, I was convinced that nobody would ever book me to play a show. And so, I went right back to work at the radio station. And uh worked there for about 2 months. And when I say worked there 2 months, I was gone like 6 days a week, and they still let me keep a job there before I finally said, "Hey, I I just can't do this. Like there's no way Like it's not fair to the other employees at the radio station me being gone as much as I was." Um but I had no idea what was what was going to happen. And it just kind of all exploded. You come off a show like that, and we had a year and a half worth of touring already booked. Sponsorship deals, all these different things. Two labels two major labels we were talking to. >> Were you in Nashville at the time? >> I was, yes, ma'am. So, Lebanon Cookeville is about an hour outside of Nashville. Um and so, I had gotten a condo downtown Nashville, like here we go. Let's go all in. And then March of 2020 happened, and everything came to a screeching halt. And so, um but for those those few months, it was on airplanes and buses all the different things all over the place for a while and then everybody came to a halt. So it was it was a wild year. >> [music]