Wendy Moten | Soulful Survivor: Triumphant Journey on The Voice

At New Balance, we believe if you run, you're a runner, however you choose to do it. Because when you're not worried about doing things the right way, you're free to discover your way. And that's what running is all about. Run your way@newbalance.com running.

You're tuning into Candy Crush Music Season with me, DJ Divine Sweet. We've had a request from Tiffy to drop the new Thundercat track Upside Down Delicious. But you can do more than just listen. Go to candycrushupsidedown.com to swipe and pop the music video from November 3rd to December 7th. Selected players level 36 + terms apply. See in game optional in game purchases.

Are you ready to change your habits, sculpt your destiny, and light up your path to greatness? Welcome to the epicenter of transformation. This is Myc Unplugged. We'll help you identify your because so you can create a routine that's not just productive, but powerful. You'll embrace the art of evolution, adapt strategies to stay ahead of the game, and take a step toward the extraordinary. So let's unleash your potential now. Here's more.

Mick.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Mick Unplugged where we highlight your because that reason that fills the true you. And today we have a remarkable vocalist who's captivated audiences across many genres for over 30 years. From her early days in Memphis to her unforgettable performances on the Voice, she has continually inspired many with her powerful voice, her. Her determination and her resiliency. Please welcome the incredible, the Captivating My diva, Ms. Wendy Moten. Wendy, how are you doing today?

All right. How are you, Meg?

I am wonderful, Wendy. And I'm so excited that you and I get to spend some time together.

Yes. Thank you. And what an amazing introduction. I want to get to know me more, too. What is she? I want to know our story.

It is all true. And let's talk about Wendy's story. Right, because your journey and music spans three decades, even though you must have started when you were like one year old.

Exactly. You're right.

What has been the most significant moment in your career so far?

The most significant moment would probably be the one I just had by choosing to go after something like the Voice at my age, at my stage of my career. And that was frightening. But I knew it was the only thing I had to play catch up, you know, because I was a recording artist in the 90s. Then it became background singer to the stars, all in the 2000s. So I spent 25 years trying to figure out a way to get back out front. So the only way to get back out front when Covid shut everything down, that was my window. Because everybody was afraid. Nobody knew if we would ever be in a setting where we all could be together again. I said, since everybody's afraid in the music business, it's my chance to get out there, and if the Voice takes me, then that's the path I'm going to take, and then I'll know to continue that journey. Otherwise, if they had said no, I would have to come up with another solution.

There you go. And I've heard you talk many times about how the Voice challenged you, right, and it gave you growth. And one of the things that I always tell people is you should be growing every day. I don't care how young you are, how old you are, how successful you are. We all have to grow or it goes away. What did you learn about Wendy on the Voice?

Well, I knew that I was already swimming upstream. I'm a middle aged black woman from Memphis, so I'm dealing with gender, race, age. I have nothing to lose. I might as well just go for it. And once they said, yes, we want you on the show, of course, you know, I had to have a conversation with myself, and it was like, self, leave your ego at home and you're just going to pay attention to the challenge of the week. So I went on the Voice for three reasons. I wanted to see if I was still competitive, if it still mattered. I wanted to be an advocate for people over 50, 60, 70, 80 years old that remind people that we have value and we have dreams and passion. And if you have the courage, pick it up and actually go after it. If you have the passion to, there's somebody to tell you no. And for the style of singing that I want to do, very classic singing, I wanted to see if there was an audience because the music industry would tell you that there's no value in it today. But I went on there, that show to find out for myself, week after week, being under a microscope and realized they're wrong. And there are a lot of people out there that would dig what I have to offer. And so I went to get the noise out of my head about my path. So here we are. I'm with you. I made it to you.

You've already been here. One of the amazing things, and staying on the Voice for just one more moment, hearing you and a point that you made about music today, if a song came out like before, 2003. I probably don't know it or listen to it because it all sounds the same except your new stuff and we're going to go there. But on the Voice, ain't no way Jolene and I have nothing. Wendy, when I tell you I had to sit down on my floor.

Oh, wow.

When you hit not even the notes, but just your control and how you make every song personal. How do you do that?

I've been, you know, every morning before I walk into a meeting, before I hit record, on the podcast, before I lead a team, I start with one scoop AG1. Because leadership starts with energy, clarity and consistency. And that's exactly what AG1 gives me. A simple foundational habit that keeps me one scoop ahead of the chaos. It's not another supplement sitting on the shelf. It's a microhabit that sets the tone for my day. Inside that one scoop, superfoods, B vitamins, antioxidants, probiotics, and functional mushrooms that support your energy, focus and overall wellness. Especially in seasons like this. Travel, long days and short nights. AG1 keeps me grounded. I don't chase health anymore.

I lead it.

If you've been looking for something to help you stay consistent, stay fueled, and stay ready, AG1 is that move. I use it. You should too. Head to drinkag1.com Mick to get a free welcome kit with an AG1 flavor sampler and and a bottle of vitamin D3 plus K2 when you first subscribe. That's drinkag1.com Mick because great leaders don't just prepare for the day, they prepare.

Their body for it.

Every drop of Jack Daniels is mellowed through sugar maple charcoal, giving Jack its smooth taste. That's what makes Jack Jack.

Please drink responsibly. Jack Daniels and old number seven are registered trademarks. Tennessee Whiskey, 40% alcohol by volume.

Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee Blessed to.

Be around the most iconic artists in music history my whole career. So I learned from them. You know, my first all star band had Billy Preston and I'm older than Billy Preston was at that time. I thought he was old. I'm like, no, no. I just got started. I've been around legends my whole life. I did the work. So they made me feel like I belong with them and I belong to in this music game. And so my goal, like you said, has always been to learn and to grow with every experience. I still do that to this day about learning to grow and doing the voice. I just took everything that I had grown and learned because I knew I had something Higher that I wanted. I wanted to continue the race. So I need a fuel to continue the race. Just being in that show helped help me get that rocket fuel that I tell the young people about, you know, because a lot of them were very devastated when they get sent home from shows like that. So I explained to them, listen, this is a gas station. This is where you fuel up. And then you take the fuel and you go to. You need gas again, it'll be some other experience. I said, but for me, I need that rocket fuel because I'm at the end of the race.

You're not at the end, though, but.

You know what I mean. You know, I have a long way to go. I do feel like I'm just getting started. I love that sensation.

Yes. It's amazing. And let's talk about now. Yes. Don't give up. So, you know, I don't have a music background like you, obviously, but I love music. Right. Born and raised on music. When that song starts, the. The five second intro, I hear Memphis, I hear stacks, I hear Sam and Dave, I hear Isaac. All in that five seconds, I hear Memphis and I know where this song is about to go. Yes. And then Wendy's voice comes in strong. And then you hear the words. And Wendy, I just sat back like this and just smiled because you take me places on that song. Talk about don't give up and the inspiration behind it and its importance to you.

Well, don't give up was actually written about 2009 with David Santos and myself, and I think we both were touring musicians and maybe we wrote it to encourage ourselves to keep staying in the music game, but it wasn't ready to be released. I don't think I lived enough to make that song. You know, I like being the messenger when I sing, and I like to get self out of the way. This is the first song that's ever been a personal testimony. So when it was time to. When I knew it was time to release it, I had something to talk about. I stayed in the music business way beyond time. And then the voice was already a miracle. And then falling on the voice and getting back up. Did you know I fell on the voice? So I fell, broke both my arms, was on the set the next day. And I never cried that whole time to, like after surgery. But I did the last three weeks of the Voice with two broken arms and my pain level stayed at three. So that song, don't give up, it meant a lot more to me because I was living it, literally. And then I had you Know millions of people, 6 to 8 million people who saw me live that out, too. So that song holds true. They can see if they need evidence. I was the evidence for myself and for them. So I hope it inspires them. It inspires me. It took me a couple of months when I first started singing the song not to weep. That's how close it was. And as I've been going, I can get the chance to sing this song without, you know, crying because it's so true to my heart. And so part of, like, what I'm going through right now. And I finally got to that point where I didn't. And the tears are gratitude. It's not sadness. But I would get emotional, and I'm like, I'd be glad when I get to the point where I can sing this song without putting me all in it so I can, like, get the words out, you know, you can't cry through every word. Yeah, it took a minute, a couple of months, I would just tear up.

But, you know, I'm gonna have to hear you sing that song live. And I'm not saying right now, but you. You know where I'm going with this, right? Studio song, live performance, song, two different things. So touch me studio. I can only imagine what Wendy's going to do to me live.

Well, that's the new thing about my approach to singing now. Is that what you hear, what you don't give up, that's what it's going to sound like live. Because my approach is always live singing. I know studio has a kind of sterile thing and structure to it that you should have, but that's not how I sing. So I like being out as free melodically as I want to be. Ad Libby, as I want to be. And what you hear is what you're going to hear live.

I'm ready. So, Wendy, you've successfully performed across multiple genres, which, honestly, you're a unique one of one, because not many people can do that successfully. Right? Some people can try, and some people say they do, but they're not Wendy Mohd.

And I'm just going to say that.

That came from me and me only, but I said it right.

Okay, thank you.

How do you approach adapting your style to different types of music?

Well, you know, it was problematic in the 90s when I was signed to EMI during that Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey E era. I was EMI's Whitney Houston. So pop R B was the only way to go if you were a black female. Okay, well, that lived, you know, until 1998. And hip hop, rap took over, you know, so I was forced to stay in one lane, which you have to do when you're with a major label. I get it. But it was problematic for me because there were so many different things I wanted to sing after that deal was over. And I've, you know, gained so much more experience through the years. I finally found peace with knowing I'm one of those artists that like to sing in numerous genres. So I have to create my own universe for that because it's not accepted in the conventional ways. So my musical career has just always been unconventional anyway. And on that unconventional parallel to the record business, all I see is green pastures and, you know, whatever. However, I want to create it. Mountainous beauty. Whereas on the conventional side, yeah, we want to. We want to be on that side sometimes. But do we? Because it's like really fast, it's quick, it's overnight, and you forgotten right away. So I've made peace with. I have a career on the unconventional side. And with that freedom, I can sing whatever I want. And I love singing three or four different genres. I do it in my show. I'll go from Aretha Franklin to Tammy Wynette to Paul Simon because I want to sing the songs that should never be forgotten. And of course, we can add new songs. All right, okay. But then there's some songs that just shouldn't be forgotten. And I found ways to bring my own spin to it and my own interpretation. I've always wanted to be that type of great storyteller as a singer, and that is just telling the story, getting out of the way and making sure that the audience. Not making sure, but just hoping that the audience goes along with you. I've always wanted to be that type of singer, and that's what our favorite artists do to us. We go listen to the same song over and over because it taps into something. And so I finally found how I do that.

It's amazing. You know, we hear a lot of stories about touring and being on the road. And for someone who's been in this business for close to three decades. Right when you started at 1 years old.

Yes.

Has touring affected you? Has touring changed? Like, what are some things that people, the average person like me. What do we not know about being on the road and what that means for you from a health standpoint, stamina standpoint, missing family, friends, craziness that you see on the road? Like, what is that like?

Well, they consider someone like me a road dog. Means we stay on the road constantly. I would have to say, people who are touring musicians are typically people who love being alone, you know, because you're going to spend a lot of long time together and then you have this other family that you're living with and they're a little bit like you too. They want to do great work. You know, I've been blessed to be on great tours where it's like a well oiled machine. So you get paid on time, you get top dollar, you got the best hotels, you get the best tour, you know, situation. So there's like that tier that I've been on that you worked hard for, you did the work to reach that level. So with that you require and expect a certain quality of life. And then you got the people who just starting out, you may be in your car, you may have to sleep in there, you may have to be in a van. I was making sure that that was not going to be my journey. So I had to do things to make sure, make better choices, be prepared. Mainly work ethic, you know, my work ethic. Nobody can talk about that personality. I'm a good person. That's choices, all those are choices. And I made sure that those, you know, somebody had to say something negative about me. No one would believe them because I worked hard to make sure that people would think that no, she didn't do that, she didn' say that on purpose. So. But my work ethic allowed me to cross genres and keep working because I was versatile. But with that I also gained more knowledge and added some of those things to my arsenal so I could have a lot more longevity, which, you know, I'm enjoying right now. I mean, I'm a miracle. I am a freaking miracle. My music came out in the 90s. You weren't even born yet.

Yes, I was. Yes, I was. So Wendy, what do you want people to know about you? Where can we follow you? What's the next three years of Wendy look like?

Well, I have to tell you, you know, please follow me. Wendy Moten, M O T E N on all these social media formats, we have to do that. We need the numbers, we need that, we need the engagement. I try to, you know, keep it kind of personal, you know, personalized my music, you know, you're a music lover. Please, you know, not only just me, but just support independent music because we're here by ourselves and the machines are humongous, the music machines that keep things going. It doesn't discourage us. But because of globalization, somebody like me, some independent, we have so much more freedom. So depending on how much time you want to invest in it. We can make something happen. They say all you need for artists, you just need a thousand fans. I'm shooting for, like, 10,000 steady fans. I can have a long career till I'm, like, 95 years old. You know, we'll just be old together, drinking a glass of wine and singing old classics.

I'm gonna be right there with you. So for all the listeners and followers of Make Unplugged, make sure you are following Wendy. We are making sure she exceeds 10,000 so we can sip on some wine with her. I'm not into wine. I'm over bourbon.

Look, we can drink water. We can drink, you know, bourbon. I'm a Maker's mark person, you know, I just didn't want to go that far. I didn't want to, you know, we just became friends. I didn't want to go, like, hardcore.

We're family now.

We're family.

Well, again, all platforms at Wendy Moten, mother. And do me a favor, everyone, that's. That's listening and watching, definitely support. Make sure you're downloading and listening to all of her new music. Go look at the voice. I promise you, if you go watch some of Wendy's episodes, oh, my God, like, you will be transformed and transpired, because that's what she did to me And Wendy. Don't give up. I promise you, it means more to a lot more people than you think. I'm telling you that personally, like the words to that song through some time. So I appreciate you putting that song together because that song is deep, and I love every word, every beat, and every melody of that song.

Thank you. Well, you know, when you listen again, listen to the second verse one more time. And that's what I'm living through right now. It's deep.

Okay.

If anybody, it should encourage them, too. I will. It's true story.

And so everyone that's listening or watching, I'm gonna have a link to that song here. And we're all gonna listen to the second verse again. We might have a second verse listening party.

You can invite me. I'll be there.

Okay, you better.

Okay. I'm serious.

All right.

For all the listeners to make Unplugged, remember your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.

Thanks for listening to Mick Unplugged. We hope this episode helps you take the next step toward the extraordinary and launches a revolution in your life. Don't forget to rate and review the podcast and be sure to check us out on YouTube at MC Unplugged. Remember, stay empowered, stay inspired, and stay unplugged.