By Kelsey Gledhill
We all need a voice—whether it’s our own or that of another—to lift us up, to comfort our hearts, and to bring us together. Through her incredible music and inspiring personal journey, Stephanie Rice is that voice for many LGBTQ millennials. Her singing chops aren’t that bad either. In May 2017, she finished in the top 11 of The Voice Season 12 and has since gone on to further her career as a professional singer-songwriter and musician.
Rice’s first foray into music began at the early age of five when she was asked if she’d like to learn how to play the piano. She immediately responded with an enthusiastic “yes!,” and by age eight, she had written her first song. “I was a songwriter before I knew what songwriting was, it was always in me, and throughout my childhood and teenage years, it really became the way that I could express myself,” Rice says. The rocker grew up in a hyper-fundamentalist household where her every word and belief was highly scrutinized. She’d often write in secrecy because she could not express herself publicly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YM2m7GIU30
When Rice came out to her parents at age 18, she was hit with a pretty heavy ultimatum: go to counseling and be straight or don’t come home. She refused to continue living a lie, and consequently, her parents packed up her belongings, took her to the community college she was attending at the time, and dropped her off in the parking lot. “That was the dissolution of our relationship,” Rice shares. “It’s been a decade later and there’s been no reconciliation.”
From ages five to 18, music was an essential part of Rice’s life. However, after her parents kicked her out, it became less of a form of expression, and more of a form of survival. She channeled her pain through songs and started performing publicly at open mics. She recalls, “It was terrifying, but I felt that, if I didn’t sing, the pain would stay inside of me forever. It was the lowest I’d ever been.”
Eventually, Rice crossed paths with fellow musician and drummer Corey Chierighino who helped co-found their band, Colonial Blue. When Rice decided to try out for The Voice, Chierighino was beyond supportive. “Corey was incredibly supportive of me,” she says. “I like to say we did a name change, not a personnel change…we still work together and go out on the road.”
Rice’s Voice run was actually years in the making—four years prior to appearing on the show, she tried out only to be rejected during the first round of auditions. “What most people don’t know is that there are several rounds before you even make it to the judges in their chairs! I stood in line and waited for my go, but to no avail,” she recalls. When she returned four years later, she decided to dance with the one that brought her, and stuck with her original song choice, “Hold On” by Alabama Shakes. “Four years ago, I was looking for hope,” Rice shares. “Four years later, I was able to offer hope that transformed me as a singer, performer, and person.”
“It was terrifying, but I felt that, if I didn’t sing, the pain would stay inside of me forever.” -Stephanie Rice
Photo by Cindy Pruitt.
Although she was nervous to bare her soul and feelings to the world, she wanted to go out on stage and be triumphant, share her story, and have at least one chair turn be a symbol of hope. She ended up turning two chairs: one from country music star Blake Shelton and one from renowned pop-rocker Gwen Stefani, who she eventually chose as her coach.
Fans reactions to Rice’s personal story were positive—some, quite unexpected. “I really thought my hometown [Texarkana] wasn’t going to be as supportive as they were, but they overwhelmed me with love and acceptance,” Rice says. Texarkana rallied around their hometown singer and even declared June 16 as Stephanie Rice Day.
After her departure from The Voice, Rice hit the ground running, touring with her band and recording and releasing her first single, “Let Me Go,” in July 2017. Her current project, she says, is one that requires patience. “I’m working on my debut record since being on The Voice. It’s more than just recording a record…it’s about being specific with building my team of the right people I want to record and produce with, the studio I want to record in, and the songs I want to sing. Usually, my personality is ‘let’s get this done,’ but with this, I’m exercising patience and taking my time. It’ll be my heart and soul and I’m excited to share it with fans.”
Although Rice and her fiance, Janeth, now happily call Los Angeles home, they still frequently spend time in Houston—not only is it Rice’s adopted home, but it’s where her fiance hails from, where her bandmate Corey resides, and somewhere she loves rehearsing and booking gigs when her schedule allows. Her next trip to the Bayou City will be to perform at the University of Houston’s Red Dinner III on Saturday, May 19. The annual gala benefits UH students who have been financially affected as a result of their sexual or gender identity. “I’m honored to be a part of the event as it raises emergency funds for LGBTQ students who find themselves in similar situations like I was once in,” Rice explains. “This is close to my heart because I wouldn’t have been able to finish my degree if UH had not accepted my appeal to be an independent student to qualify for financial aid.”
Rice knows she’s not the only one who has gone through traumatic experiences, which is why she makes it a point to use her voice and platform as an artist to share her journey whenever possible. “It’s important that I share my story to let others know that they’re not alone,” Rice says. “Music saved my life…it’s my motivation and goal to share the power of music with everyone.”
To learn more about Stephanie Rice and her journey, visit stephaniericemusic.com or follow Stephanie Rice Music on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
