Born and raised in Marietta, GA, Pip’s earliest musical aspirations were fostered by his older sister. Growing up in a large musical family Pip learned to play various instruments, mainly piano, sang lead in local shows, and performed throughout the Marietta area.
In 2011, Pip was chosen as 1 of 5 select performers from Atlanta’s 11alive “The Voice” VIP Early Auditions Contest (Pip was selected during a blind audition by co-host Chesley McNeil). Pip moved forward into national auditions and was picked as 1 of 120 contestants to fly out to Studio City, California for the blind auditions of NBC’s reality show “The Voice”.
Pip competed for “Team Adam” on season 2 of The Voice, retaining his status on the team by winning the “Battle Rounds” against Nathan Parrett, singing Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”. On April 23, 2012, he performed Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” for the quarter-finals, but was eliminated by Levine at the end of the show. Despite being eliminated he reappeared on the season 2 finale performing on stage with Jermaine Paul, Jamar Rogers, and James Massone.
After the released of his EP, No Formalities, Pip has been playing shows and sharing his new tunes on both the east and west coasts. Pip will be performing at Eddie’s Attic, Tuesday June 25, as part of the BMI Songwriter Series. We caught up with Pip to ask him a few questions before the hometown show. Check it out!
What has been your most memorable gig?
The first show of my EP. It was an amazing one because it was on my 21st birthday and it was the first time I performed all of my original music with a full band with all the lights and an amazing crowd. It was such an amazing show and is definitely the highlight so far in my performance career.
So you were on Season 2 of The Voice, how was that experience?
I think it made me focus more on music and on being an artist and what direction I wanted to go with music. Working with the judges and everyone on the show just kind of opened my mind up to different things and aspects of the industry and mostly taught me to be true to yourself and let your personality come through in your music and everything you do.
When you’re playing a show how do you connect with your crowd and get them involved?
I like to speak to the audience and get them involved and dancing. I try to make it a personal experience and not just me standing up on stage and singing.
What makes you most excited about playing a hometown show?
I think just the fact that I’m not home very much and to be able to perform for the city that has given me so much support during The Voice. I love Atlanta, it’s my home and it’s always nice to be back. I’ve heard people play at Eddie’s Attic and it’s going to be really exciting to actually play there.
If you could play at any venue with any artist or band, where would it be and with whom?
Madison Square Garden with Justin Timberlake.
Have you had any crazy fan encounters so far?
There’s been fan fiction online that gets a little intense. Overall, they are super sweet and very nice. I try to stay as friendly with everybody as possible.
What are the top three artists or bands that inspire you most musically?
Justin Timberlake, Sam Sparro, and Bernhoft.
What are three songs you’ve been listening to lately?
I’ve been listening to “Can’t Stop” by OneRepublic, the new Robin Thicke song, and this girl named Lorde has a song called “Bravado” and I’m obsessed with that as well.
You recently released your EP, what are your plans for the rest of the year?
For the rest of the year we are going to build up more shows and I think one of our main goals is figuring out what the plans are for the next album. We are getting into writing that right now. I just really want more music for people and to be able to get out there and perform more and look for collaboration opportunities.
Catch Pip, along with Jon Jonsson and Shannon Labrie, at Eddie’s Attic TOMORROW, June 25! Tickets below!
