The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder’s heady, lovable concoction of societal meta-commentary comedy recently wrapped its second season. The first season centres on a woman who wants to “rehearse” parenting a child. The second season focuses on flight safety; specifically, forms of communication in the cockpit.
And then there is the show within the show, Wings of Voice, in which commercial airline pilots judge aspiring singers American Idol-style. The winner gets to perform the 2000s’ Evanescence mega-hit “Bring Me to Life” on the season two finale of The Rehearsal.
I had the opportunity to briefly catch up with winner of Wings of Voice, Isabella Henao, via email.
Congratulations on The Rehearsal and Wings of Voice! Your performance is excellent. I’m sure this is all a whirlwind. Prior to this victory, did you ever consider trying out for a singing competition?
I auditioned when I was 12 years old for America’s Got Talent but I didn’t past the producer round. As I got older, I considered auditioning for The Voice, but I never got around to it especially since I began studying musical theatre. I just chose to double down on refining my voice and skills to have the most flexible voice I can. Ironically, since every show I auditioned for in Utah didn’t cast me, I had so much free time that I decided to audition for Wings of Voice.
I think it can take people time to come around to what Nathan Fielder is doing with The Rehearsal and his style of “docu-comedy.” Does this kind of comedy resonate with you?
Yes! I honestly love this type of awkward humour. I think Nathan does such a good job of getting people to say some crazy stuff without forcing them to. Since I was such an awkward and nerdy person in high school, it really resonates with me. I see a lot of my teen self in Nathan. Especially this season, I really [identified with] the comparisons he made about trying to do something serious but always being seen as a clown. I don’t think people really understood what he was trying to say, but as someone who was has always struggled to be taken seriously and am always being overlooked, I really connected with that.
You mentioned in your recent Reddit AMA that your favourite style of music to sing is “mostly musical theatre and jazz”. Could you see yourself releasing a jazz version of “Bring Me to Life”?
Yes, and I’ve been playing around with the idea in my free time. It would be fun to do something like that with Post Modern Jukebox.
Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence, posted on Instagram about the show and your performance. She was very complimentary. Did you know the song before The Rehearsal? Is alternative rock a genre you’d like to perform more in the future?
I love alt rock! Actually, the music I’ve been working on on the side is alternative tock. I never saw my voice being a good fit for that genre until I started messing around with some songs in that style. My story with “Bring Me to Life” actually begins around 2012. My family have always been gamers, so we had a Wii [with] Rock Band, and a family friend lent us their Wii drum kit. The only song I would play was “Bring Me to Life.” My family grew so sick of hearing it all day. Then I became obsessed with ProZD’s “Goofy sings ‘Evanescence’s Bring Me to Life’,” which came out in 2014.
The Rehearsal is a unique starting point for a career! What do the next few months and years look like for you?
I want to transition into releasing my own music and starting a career! I love to perform and sing. Ideally I’d love to do everything: acting, singing, performing, theatre, etc. I can’t see myself doing just one. The next few months, I’ll be working hard on getting an album out, and within the next few years, hopefully performing at concerts and playing my own music! I think that’s what I’d love to be doing.
