Rhode Islands Mary McAvoy Shines on Season 26 of NBC’s The Voice

Mary McAvoy. Photo by Mariah Lavache.

With her LA blue hat, patchwork baggy jeans and tinted sunglasses, Mary McAvoy is the vision of cool, yet it’s her sparkly chain necklace sitting around her neck that catches my attention the most. The chunky, silver bling was gifted to her mere moments after being chosen to join team Snoop Dogg on The Voice by Snoop Dogg himself.  

“Never ever in my life did I think Snoop Dogg would be putting a chain necklace around my neck on live TV. This is my most prized possession now. The sentimental value is just priceless,” says McAvoy.

The Walpole raised but Rhode Island located singer-songwriter competed on season 26 of NBC’s hit talent discovery show The Voice last year. Despite being eliminated during the knockouts round, McAvoy’s experience on the show has changed her life drastically. 

McAvoy’s big moment came as no surprise as her love for music started right from the womb. Despite being shy growing up, pursuing music was always a secret dream of hers. Joining her colleges acapella group and taking voice lessons at a studio in Boston gave her even more experience and by the time she was in her 20’s, McAvoy was taking her music journey seriously. 

Like many musicians, McAvoy had to find profitable jobs while working her way up to stardom. Back in her 20’s, McAvoy made her money working countless jobs including working as a special education teachers assistant and being a wedding singer. To this day McAvoy still fills in for her old wedding band from time to time. 

“I worked corporate jobs for a good portion of being in the wedding band. I would work 40 hours a week then on the weekends perform with the wedding band. It was a lot, but I was in my 20’s and did what I had to do,” says McAvoy.

 Considering herself a Rhode Islander since her move here four years ago, McAvoy has found the Providence music scene welcoming and supportive. A regular performer at prominent venues around the smallest state, McAvoy would post videos of her performances and song writing process to her social media accounts. While checking some of her Instagram message requests one day, she read a message from someone claiming to be a casting director for The Voice. The person had seen some of her videos and was interested in setting up a few calls to see if McAvoy had what they were looking for for their upcoming season. 

 “It’s honestly kind of a cool story. They reached out to me on my birthday. The message was in a separate Instagram dm folder that I don’t check but thankfully I checked that day. I couldn’t believe it. I seriously thought it was fake, or someone was catfishing but after emailing back and forth I realized it was legit,” says McAvoy.

 Before she knew it, she was flying out to Los Angeles for her blind audition. McAvoy had no idea if she’d get chosen, recalling the blind audition process as being the most stressful and wild experience ever. Being surrounded by some of the best singers she’d ever heard didn’t help calm her nerves, nor did the cameras being feet away from her face at almost all times. 

 “Nothing prepares you for being on television, especially when you only have 35-45 seconds to prove you should be there,” says McAvoy. “It feels like the Olympics of singing.”

 Snoop Dogg ended up choosing McAvoy to join his team, where he began acting as her coach throughout her time on the show. McAvoy recalls him being a big softy who would shed tears every time competitors were sent home. Despite going into the auditions giving little thought to who would pick her, instead hoping she’d just get picked, she always considered Snoop Dogg to be the “coolest person ever” which made him acting as her mentor a dream. 

 “He’s very down to earth which is hard to imagine for someone who’s been famous for so long and he cared a lot about us. He just made the experience so much fun and shared so much of his expertise with us,” says McAvoy.

 Being on a show that millions of people watch every week has its downsides, and McAvoy learned fast that she should never look at the comments. While many praised her singing abilities and stage presence, others weren’t so kind, frequently leaving nasty comments and messages on McAvoys social media and even sending her emails. Despite this, the support from Rhode Island’s music community, her family, and The Voice viewers with positive feedback, McAvoy moved on from letting the comments get to her. She also credits her years performing with helping her develop the thick skin she needed to not drown in the sea of internet trolls. 

 Snoop Dogg has stayed in touch with McAvoy, recently inviting her to his album release party in LA while she was there doing a show. Since the season ended, McAvoy has flown back and forth between Rhode Island and California for collaborations with fellow The Voice contestants and even quit her corporate job to focus on music full time, finally having the confidence to do so. McAvoy also has plans to spend some time at Snoop Doggs studio, Death Row Records, in LA this summer to write and record some material. 

 “Honestly, I think this whole journey gave me the extra confidence boost that I needed and told me that I’m good at this. This is what I always wanted to do with my life, and this gave me a push to pursue it [music] a little harder after the show finished,” says McAvoy. 

 To keep up with McAvoy’s music journey check out her Instagram @itsmarymac or go to her website marymcavoymusic.com.