LITTLE VOICE: Brittany O’Grady on Bess’ Journey to Musical Validation, Finding Creative Partners in Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson

After spending three years playing singer Simone on Fox’s STAR, Brittany O’Grady wasn’t specifically seeking out another musical series for her next project.

“I was just excited to explore different characters,” she says. But then LITTLE VOICE “kind of fell in my lap—and I was pretty excited.”

In the Apple TV+ series, O’Grady plays Bess, an aspiring singer-songwriter, who is struggling to find the confidence to sing her own music and break into the industry, while navigating life in New York City.

And while both shows were music-heavy, “the process was a lot different this time, because it was a different style of music,” O’Grady explains. “[Co-creator] Sara [Bareilles’] music, I resonate with it on a soul level; her lyrics are just something that you can relate to. And STAR was very performative, very fun. There was that camaraderie with all the women, and I loved that. This one was kind of a more individual journey.”

To get guidance along the way, O’Grady leaned on Bareilles and co-creator Jessie Nelson.

“Creating this character and and collaborating with Sara was such an exciting experience,” O’Grady gushes. “She was very honest with me, and gave me a lot of courage and guidance with her music. That was something that I’m really grateful for, because I don’t think anybody has to do that. And she was very sweet and very encouraging. I really felt like I learned so much from her; it was so valuable.”

“Jessie and I, we are just like two peas in a pod,” she continues. “We get each other on a spiritual level that is just out of this world. I never thought that I would find that in a work environment. And she’s a sensitive, amazing human being. I feel like we just understand each other and identify with each other so much. And we have the same birthday, which was really exciting, too.”

A little more adrift right now is Bess, who is trying to carry the weight of her world on her shoulders. “I think her biggest challenge would be validation,” O’Grady explains. “Finding validation in her music and how it will impact people—whether it exists outside of her own scope. I think she copes in different ways: She has her family dynamic, she has her [potential] romance that’s not working very well, and she has her job that stresses her out. So I think it’s just finding the validation to feel like she can do what’s in her heart.”

LITTLE VOICE, Fridays, Apple TV+

RELATED:

• LITTLE VOICE: Listen to the Music From Season 1
• LITTLE VOICE Co-Creator on ‘Writing a Love Letter to the Music of New York City’
• LITTLE VOICE: Love and Music Collide in the Season 1 Trailer
• LITTLE VOICE: Watch First Teaser for the Sara Bareilles-Produced Series
• LITTLE VOICE: Apple TV+ Sets July Launch for Sara Bareilles-Produced Series

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.