'The Voice's Jordan Rainer says Atoka show will be 'a blast'

Nov. 3—Jordan Rainer couldn't wait to get back to Oklahoma when she spoke to the News-Capital by phone this week.

Rainer was on the road between Nashville, Tennessee and Atoka, Oklahoma during the conversation. Where exactly was she?

"I'm somewhere between Memphis and Little Rock," she said.

Rainer, a contestant on NBC's "The Voice" had a couple of reasons to look forward to coming home to Atoka this weekend.

She's set to perform a free outdoor show on The Green, behind Reba's Place in Atoka on Saturday, Nov. 4. Her show is set at 7 p.m., with two other artists opening for her.

With Pittsburg County native Reba McEntire serving as her coach on "The Voice" musical competition, playing on The Green Space behind Reba's Place makes Rainer even more enthusiastic about her Atoka homecoming.

The show, presented by Visit Atoka and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is set to begin at 6 p.m., with Shayne Porter opening the show.

He's followed at 6:30 p.m. by another contestant on "The Voice," Kristen Brown, who is on Gwen Stefani's team, before Rainer's 7 p.m. show.

While the show is free, Rainer is hosting a VIP meet and greet at The Vault from 5-6 p.m., with tickets for that costing $100.

After the show on The Green concludes, Rainer and the other artists are expected to go to Reba's Place.

Rainer's looking forward to it all. She considers her success so far on "The Voice" a great experience and said her Atoka show will be "a blast."

"Yeah man, it's a pretty cool experience," she said.

Rainer said her family moved around a lot when she was a kid. She attended school at one point in Georgia and graduated high school in Coalgate, Oklahoma.

She learned several instruments while growing up, she said.

"I started on drums, believe it or not," said Rainer. She then picked up piano, guitar and even the saxophone, which she played in the marching band during some of her school days.

So might her fans expect to see her play saxophone on "The Voice" as the show continues?

Well, maybe not the saxophone, said Rainer, but she may have a few surprises in store.

"I've got a few tricks I'm going to pull out," she said.

Rainer's next scheduled appearance on "The Voice" is early next week.

"We are headed to the Knockout Rounds which are going to be this Monday and Tuesday," she said, referring to the show's Nov. 6-7 telecasts on NBC.

Porter, the opening artist at the Saturday night performance at The Green, is Rainer's duet partner on their recording of "You Made a Rock," which charted on the Texas Radio Music Charts — so she's looking forward to performing with him again.

Rainer's song "Straight Shot" shot to #11 on The Texas Music Charts, so she already has some chart action under her belt.

Her current music success didn't come easy.

"In my early 20s, I wound up homeless, jobless and carless," she said.

Rainer said after she went on social media about her lack of employment prospects, she heard from a friend.

"My best friend owned a Daylight Donuts," she said. When her friend offered her a job, she said she wound up washing dishes at the donut shop.

Rainer had a plan, though.

"I put every penny I made into a jar," she said. When she had $1,000 saved up, she headed to Nashville to pursue her longtime musical dream.

"I landed a job at Target and started out and here we are," she said, summarizing her musical journey.

Rainer said she started as a songwriter. She said a physical disorder had affected her voice, so she didn't even consider becoming a performing artist in those early days in Nashville.

However, she ultimately got the issue taken care of — and discovered she had a singing voice, after all.

Still, it's not easy making it in Nashville. Although some artists cut some of her songs, Rainer said she had doors shut in her face and heard "no" a lot.

She then got a break from an unexpected place — an invitation to audition for "The Voice."

"I've been working as an artist for four or five years," she said, with a total of 10 years in the music business. She figures someone saw her work on social media, which led to "The Voice" invitation.

She recalls catching a flight to Los Angeles for the Blind Auditions on "The Voice," seeing all the palm trees as her plane approached the city.

"This was my first time in LA," she said.

Rainer said she had already decided to perform "Fancy" on the show before she learned Reba McEntire was one of the judges.

"Fancy" had been a major hit for McEntire, with her recording a cover of the original hit by Bobbie Gentry, of "Ode to Billie Joe" fame.

Although all of the judges — John Legend, Naill Horan, Stefani and McEntire — turned around during Sparks' Blind Audition on "The Voice" and vied to become her coach on the program, Sparks chose to become part of Team Reba.

How did Rainer come to wear her trademark black outfits?

"I had a fellow in my life in my early 20s," she said. "He wasn't nice to me."

Rainer said one day she looked him in the face and said "You have no right." She felt empowered by the moment, which led to her becoming free of the situation.

Rainer now wears black in support of women who may be facing similar issues and to remember how she learned to stand on her own.

She invited everyone to come hear her Saturday performance in Atoka.

"It's going to be great to be back in Atoka and give my home crowd the show of a lifetime," said Rainer.

With the Atoka show being one reason Rainer's anxious to return to Oklahoma, another reason is to see her family and experience some Southeastern Oklahoma cuisine.

"My mamma's cooking some beans and cornbread," she said.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.