In keeping up with the Pace Community, it is important to highlight family members who have achieved extraordinary things. Upper School Director of College Counseling, Mr. Ferrell, currently has a nephew who is competing on The Voice. Let’s all give our support to Max Chambers, learn about his journey to this show, and celebrate him!
Anne: Okay, to start, who is your nephew?
Mr. Ferrell: His name is Max Chambers. He is 14, so he is probably one of the younger contestants on the show; you have to be 13 to be there. He’s my sister’s son. He has been singing since he was probably about two, mostly in church. A couple of summers ago, he sang in a local talent show.
Anne: Is he from Atlanta? How did everything start?
Mr Ferrell: They live in Shreveport, Louisiana. It’s very close to Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana. So they call it the Arklatex. So he’s singing at an Arklatex regional talent show, and this was maybe two years ago. He sang “Who’s Loving You,” and because he won that, he was able to get an audition for The Voice.
Anne: That is so amazing! What happened in the years between now and then?
Mr Ferrell: My sister got online to book tickets for Michael Jackson on Broadway in New York for vacation, and she saw this banner that says, now casting for Little Michael, randomly, as she’s booking these tickets. Max had just sung this Michael Jackson song. So without telling him, she just uploaded the video, and then they called and they wanted him to come audition.
Anne: So did he get the job?
Mr. Ferrell: He goes to audition, gets the job, and then has to move. So he did. He was on MJ on Broadway for a year last year.
Anne: I cannot believe he was so young. How did that lead to The Voice?
Mr. Ferrell: Well, this year, he finally gets to go on The Voice after finishing the tour. The only thing we have seen so far is the blind auditions. Now he is on Michael Buble’s team, and Reba’s chair turned too.
Anne: Was Max confident going in, or what were his expectations?
Mr. Ferrell: It is abnormal that you start on Broadway, right? Like that, his first thing is Broadway. So we spend a lot of time just trying to make him grounded and make sure he knows everything doesn’t always happen like that.
Anne: Did he have a dream coach going into it all?
Mr. Ferrell: I think that even if everyone had turned their chairs, he still would’ve picked Buble. That’s just his style of music.
Anne: And is he out in LA or New York right now?
Mr Ferrell: I think the show films in LA. I don’t know how far it has been filmed; parts of it are obviously filmed, but I don’t know how it all actually works together.
Anne: What has your sister said about the experience?
Mr. Ferrell: I think it’s just weird. We were all on FaceTime talking the night the show aired, and after it ended, I said, Wait a minute, does Max have to go to school tomorrow? And she goes, he sure does.
Anne: That is so funny! I bet that is hard to navigate. If you could pick one song for him to sing, what would you pick?
Mr. Ferrell: Ooh, that’s good. I would say anything, Michael Jackson or younger Michael Jackson. That’s kind of his sweet spot.
Anne: Does he have a voice coach, or did he just grow up singing at his church?
Mr Ferrell: He just grew up singing. Fun fact, I sing too, our family’s all singers, so he’s just grown up around singing.
Anne: Does he have a plan for the future yet?
Mr Ferrell: I think we wondered for a period of time, will singing as a job take the fun away from it? Clearly, that has not happened. I would say he wants to do this. He has not said that to me, but sometimes what you don’t say is more important than what you do say. And I think for him, maybe not saying that, it’s just the fear of like, he doesn’t want to put anything out in the air.
Anne: Okay, and last question. What’s the family dynamic now with this experience?
Mr Ferrell: Because I sing too, we have this little joke. I would always tell him, “Don’t forget, I’m a better singer.” And so when he first went to Broadway, he was like, I guess I’m the better singer now. We have this volley back and forth about that, but he’s probably the better singer.
Anne: That is sweet! Thank you so much for this interview! I know the Pace students will be excited to vote for him when the time comes.
Mr. Ferrell: Thank you! I am excited to share this with Pace and him!
