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Mt. Blue’s Darby Sabin giving The Voice another try

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Darby Sabin of Wilton is going to give The Voice another try this weekend in Philadelphia.
Darby Sabin, 16, of Wilton is going to give The Voice another try this weekend in Philadelphia.

WILTON – Darby Sabin isn’t about to give up.

The Mt. Blue High School student flew to Chicago with her dad, Paul Sabin last weekend to audition for a chance to appear on the nationally-televised singing competition show, The Voice, but didn’t make the call back list.

“Rather than pouting about not making it,” Sabin said she has taken “what I’ve learned in the audition and am applying my new knowledge to another audition in Philadelphia.” The next chance to audition for The Voice is scheduled for Feb. 20 in the City of Brotherly Love. The show, which features blind auditions followed by several rounds of singing performances, will be premiering its 10th season on Feb. 29 with returning celebrity singers Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.

In her junior year at Mt. Blue, Sabin, 16, of Wilton, went to an audition held Saturday afternoon at the Navy Pier facility in Chicago. Thousands attended the audition, each seeking a chance to appear on the show. It would take Sabin a wait of a few long hours to get her chance to sing for the show’s producers.

After practicing her audition song, Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys, over and over again on Saturday morning in her hotel room, Sabin and her dad arrived at the audition’s venue.

After standing in line for a half an hour, Sabin’s group moved into a gigantic room with speakers loudly playing examples of the types of singing games seen on the show.

The Sabins waited in the big room for more than two hours, along “with thousands of other people with dreams similar to mine,” Sabin said. “After a long few hours of people around us yelling and screaming to be noticed in the time-passing games and events,” and having two bottles of water and one banana, reciting four prayers, added with “plenty of laughter and daddy hugs, the rows ahead of me started moving and then mine,” she said.

Sabin was put into a group of 10 auditioning singers and led up a set of stairs to a hallway. While waiting in the hallway she listened to her pitch pipe phone app for the A note she would need to start her song, Girl on Fire.

Then, Sabin said, “the 10 of us entered the room, where a producer from the show was sitting, ready to judge us. I was the fourth person to sing. The first three people threw my pitch off, and I started my song on an A sharp, so the high notes in the song were way too high for my voice to project loudly.

“The sound of my song was inconsistent and consistency is exactly what the judge was looking for,” she noted. “None of the other nine people from my room got invited to the call back auditions. But, I learned exactly what I have to do to get through in Philadelphia, and I am more than determined to succeed,” she added.

For the upcoming audition Sabin’s made a list of what she will need to do in order to succeed. It includes buying a portable pitch pipe, practicing her song “every single day and nitpick every little detail in my voice and song,” and “to be more expressive and show even more personality in my performance.” Last, but not least, is “to never give up.”

“That’s what my passion is all about. Falling down, picking myself back up, trying harder, learning something new with every experience, and always having faith in myself. I am beyond excited,” she said.

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14 Comments

  1. Good luck…I read there was another person from Maine going for it to, a Sharon buck…I hope to see u both on the voice!!! Love the show….and..NEVER give up on your dreams!!!!

  2. WOW…..just goes to show what a positive influence a supportive father is.
    Keep at it, Darby, and never doubt your talent or skills, regardless of what “they” tell you.

  3. Darby,
    I don’t know you but am following your story with fingers crossed. You have an excellent attitude that will get you where you want to go!
    Best wishes to you.

  4. It’s nice to hear about those who don’t pout and cry when they don’t make it, but keep on trying until they do. Best of luck to you! Keep that beautiful smile.

  5. Love seeing the important factor of a father fully engaged in supporting the dreams of his child. Here’s to safe travels, soft landings, applying lessons, and going for goals even after setbacks!

  6. Congratulations! Very few people (especially young adults) would have considered this experience to be a total failure; but you chose to look at this situation as a chance to learn. Extract the positive and throw the negative away is a skill that will lead you to a great life! Good luck to you on your next audition.

  7. Don’t give this show your time. Work hard, take some voice lessons, start playing local gigs and learn your craft. If it’s truly your passion, figure out what you need to do to study with someone who you’ll really learn from and work hard to get there. This show, like America’s Got Talent or the Idol, are not really about picking the best musicians, they’re about making money for the producers and advertisers.

  8. I just want to thank you all for the support and love you’ve given me and my father. It’s nice to know that all of his dedication and hard work is noticed by all of you ❤️

    And to “Anonymous Fan”, thank you for your input. However, I’ve already done all of the things you’ve listed. I’ve played gigs as far as Hawaii, have taken lessons for more years thank I can count, and my craft is pretty good. The thing about growing up in Farmington, is that there is only so much you can do until you are ready to find yourself in larger places. I’m giving this show my time because it’s a good experience. To make it would mean being coached by some of the greatest names in music including Christina Aguileria who I believe would be a valuable person to study with and learn from. I truly appreciate your concern, but I’ve already gone above and beyond your suggestions, plus I think it would be awesome to be on a television show that many of the people I love in my life like to watch. Also, it is free to audition, so that is a huge factor as to why I am willing to give it a couple of shots. I don’t pay anything, and if you make it to the studio auditions in Los Angeles, the producers pay for your trip out there. Whatever their intentions are, it will be a learning experience for me and that’s all it needs to be. You only live once, therefore I’m going to take the chance and do it rather than regretting not doing it.

    Some of the most popular musicians have come from singing shows such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, etc. While all of these people were on American Idol, they still gained their fame from a television singing competition and there’s no reason that this can’t happen for me. If it’s not meant to be then it won’t be, but it is still worth a chance.
    Thank you,
    Darby Sabin

  9. Articulate young woman, Darby. What you’re doing takes a lot of guts. Wishing you the best of luck in Philly. And you’re raising a fearless daughter there, Paul. Good on you.

  10. Darby,

    I don’t know you but am so encouraged by your persistence and desire to achieve your dream. I did know a lady who lived in Wilton during the time I took dance lessons from Mary Vanderhoff who played the piano for her on occasion. I remember her with such a beautiful smile and full of music!

    My prayers go with you and your father as you head to your next audition.

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