Sorellé talks about experience on 'The Voice' and what comes next
LEXINGTON — Sorellé has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
Madi, Ana and Bella Heichel, the singing sisters from Lexington, are coming off a fourth-place finish on "The Voice," NBC's popular reality competition.
The live rounds took place May 15, 22 and 23, with Sorellé spending a couple of weeks in Los Angeles. Other than taking some time to sleep off the jet lag, the sisters are back at it.
"There are no breaks in the music industry," Ana said. "This is what we want to do with our lives, and we're going to make sure it happens."
Sorellé started as a duo when Madi was 6 and Ana was 5. Bella joined the group in 2019. Sorellé is the Italian word for sisters.
They became social media darlings when they filmed a cover of "All About That Bass," a hit song by Meghan Trainor. With Trainor's "like" and repost, Sorellé went viral.
In their introduction on "The Voice," the sisters described themselves as social media influencers. They released their first single, "Ghost," more than two years ago.
Madi, 22, and Ana, 20, are Lexington graduates, while Bella, 15, is finishing up her freshman school year online.
Sorellé brought attention to Lexington
They helped put their hometown on the map and took all of north central Ohio on their musical journey over the last two-plus months.
"It was fun, obviously," Madi said. "We were in work mode while we were there."
There was no time for sight-seeing.
"You want to rest up because they are long days," Madi said of spending 12 or 13 hours on set.
Ana added, "It's very draining physically and mentally. You want to present yourself the way you are."
Bella endured especially long days since she often spent several hours doing school work.
"The Voice" started its 23rd season in March with pre-recorded episodes. Madi, Ana and Bella knew they would be in the live rounds but had to keep quiet.
"We spent about a year of our lives on this journey on TV," Ana said.
Encouraged by the success of a singing trio called Girl Named Tom, which won "The Voice" a couple of years ago, Sorellé decided to try out for the competition.
"We felt that a next step was needed," Madi said. "We needed to challenge ourselves and find a new audience. We didn't know how far we would make it. We wanted to get past the blinds (auditions)."
In the blind auditions, the four coaches sit with their backs to the singers. If they are interested in coaching the contestant, they hit a button and turn around in their chairs.
Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton wanted to coach the Heichel sisters.
Sisters chose Chance the Rapper to be their coach
"We wanted to work with one of the two new coaches (Chance or Niall Horan)," Madi said. "They're fresh in the industry right now. Chance is completely self-made."
He challenged Sorellé to harmonize on the first show.
The sisters were sold.
"We knew that we would learn the most from him," Madi said.
Chance encouraged the Heichels.
"Chance taught us to have fun with it. He told us this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Bella said.
As the competition continued and other contestants fell by the wayside, the sisters developed bonds with their fellow singers.
"You're on set with them all day every day," Madi said. "You really make a family on the show because you're all going through the same thing. It's very comforting."
On the live finale, the five finalists held hands as host Carson Daly listed them in order of finish.
Sorellé did not feel let down about not winning. Pop singer Gina Miles, who was on Team Niall, finished first and earned a recording contract.
"You had no idea who was going to win, none of us," Ana said. "We were honored to be in the top five."
Bella added, "Everybody had such beautiful and individual voices. I honestly loved every single one."
Pressed for a favorite, Bella said she would have chosen R&B singer D. Smooth, a member of Team Kelly Clarkson.
Sorellé and the rest of the top five got to show their stuff on the live shows. Each performed a ballad and an up-tempo song.
The sisters chose "A Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga for their ballad and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell for their up-tempo selection.
Heichel girls feed off energy from crowd
The crowd erupted during the latter, when the Heichels sang in front of giant capital letters spelling out Sorellé. Not even Chance knew that was going to be a part of the performance.
"To feel the energy from the people, it was electric," Madi said.
That's a big reason why Sorellé is pursuing a career in music.
"It's hard to explain," Ana said of performing. "An electric feeling goes up and down your body. I've never felt this way about anything else I've done in my life."
In each performance, the sisters wore color-coordinated in outfits from wardrobe. They are going to get to keep the clothes.
"They're shipping them to us now," Madi said.
During one of the live episodes, one of Bella's outfits wasn't ready until the day of the performance, making for a little added stress.
Asked if Sorellé would be performing anywhere locally this summer, Ana said there's "nothing specific."
"We have lots of stuff to schedule," she said. "A ton of people have reached out."
Their immediate plans involved attending the graduation of their brother, Alexander, on Friday night.
In the meantime, the sisters plan to write their own songs, as well as post covers on YouTube and TikTok.
"When you're a vocalist, you want to be able to connect to a song," Ana said of doing original material.
She added one of the main goals is to build a "good team to get started in the music industry."
"Getting a record deal would be amazing," Ana said. "That would be the No. 1 way to promote an artist."
Sorellé influenced by many varied artists
Asked what kind of album the group would make, Madi said she, Ana and Bella have been influenced by many artists, everyone from Queen to Motown.
Ana credits parents David and Candace for exposing them to a wide variety of genres.
Ana added the sisters work "day in and day out" on their famous harmonies. Coach Shelton said more than once that Sorellé sounds like a record when performing live.
Exposure on "The Voice" has expanded Sorellé's social media presence. On Instagram, the sisters have gone from 51,000 followers to 81,400.
They are being recognized in public.
"A lot of people have come up to us in stores," Bella said. "They'll say, 'You don't know me, but I know you.'''
The sisters appreciate that support, which extended beyond north central Ohio. There were billboards around the state. Gov. Mike DeWine even tweeted about Sorellé.
"We just want to say a huge 'thank you.' It has been amazing to see," Ana said.
She has a message for their fans.
"Keep following along on this journey because it's only going up from here," Ana said. "We're only just beginning."
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Twitter: @MarkCau32059251
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Sorellé: Lexington sisters look back on 4th-place finish on 'The Voice'
