Not everyone can be sure they will receive a warm reception when returning to their hometown. Danielle Mozeleski can be counted as one of the lucky ones.
“The Voice” contestant, known as Dani Moz, made a short stop home to Bethlehem last week. The majority of her time was spent visiting area schools and talking to students about her time on the show. She also gave a few performances.
“It’s great to be back and be able to talk with all of these students,” said Mozeleski on Wednesday, April 9. “It’s hard to describe what it’s like to be here.”
Mozeleski had made it through the competition to the final “battle round,” which was set to air on Monday, April 14, on NBC, just after The Spotlight has gone to press. All of the previous battle rounds were pre-taped. If Mozeleski were to win her final battle, she would then move on to the Top 12, with those performances airing live.
Producers of “The Voice” originally found Mozeleski through her YouTube channel and asked her to audition. She said her first audition was in New York City in 2012, with a majority of the battle rounds filmed last year. She became a member of Team Shakira after the pop singer selected her as one of the group she would mentor as part of the show.
Mozeleski spent one of her first days home visiting Glenmont and Slingerlands elementary schools. She said many of the students did not know who she was, and seemed uninterested until she decided to sing “Let It Go” from the newest Disney movie “Frozen.”
“They got all excited and thought I was the girl from ‘Frozen,’” she said. “Then they all wanted to take pictures with me.”
She made visits the next day at both the middle and high schools, spending time with Patrick Pisanello’s and Jason Dashew’s music classes and James Yeara’s British Literature class. All three had been Mozeleski’s teachers, with Yeara even producing an old grade book to tease her with.
“She was always a great student, and it’s amazing to see her 10 years later,” said Yeara. “I still remember when she performed in ‘Kiss Me Kate.’”
The older students were a bit more involved, asking Mozeleski about her time in high school and college, if she gets nervous performing and how she felt about the judges.
Mozeleski said even the most seasoned performers get nervous before going onstage, but once she starts performing, it’s like she “blacks out.” She also said Adam Levin is the hardest critic on the show, while Sheldon Blake is a “goof.”
Another student asked how they pick the songs they will sing. Mozeleski said their coach has the ultimate decision, but they get to pick their top songs they would like to sing from a master list of 500 songs. They aren’t allowed to sing any song they want because the producers have to get copyright permission.
“One of the hardest parts is trying to pick a song,” she said.
Shakira was the only judge to “turn around” for Mozeleski. She said that made it easier because then she didn’t have to pick the judge herself, although if that were the case, she might have chosen Usher because she likes to sing R&B. Now, she likes being on Team Shakria because she gets so involved, wanting to know everything from how they’ll style their hair to what clothes they’ll wear.
Mozeleski said she was upset her blind audition was cut. The critiques are also cut for time.
One student asked if the auditions are really blind, because the judges seem to know a lot about the performer after they turn their chairs around. Mozeleski said she noticed the producers slip the judges a card with some basic information on it to help them be able to talk with the performer.
“I’m ruining the TV magic for you guys,” she said. “Sorry.”
Each talk ended with a performance. Mozeleski sang two songs she performed on the show, “I Need Your Love” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Golding, and “Perfect” by Pink. She also sang “Let it Go” from Frozen after being asked.
“It’s good to know that plays well with the high school crowd too,” she said. “I guess I need to finally see the movie.”