'He stood by my side and that means the world to me'

Wakeman's young star Emily Keener is off NBC's "The Voice," she has been able to look back on fond memories, albeit a little sad. Keener, who made it to the top 12, told the Reflector one of her favorite parts of the show, was working with her coach — singer, songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams.When asked during her last episode with "The Voice" how she would describe the coach-artist relationship she had with Pharrell, it was clear Keener has a deep respect for her coach."Pharell, you've been such a guiding force in my life since the moment I came on the show and I feel like all of your decisions have been about showcasing me as an artist, just as who I am, and that means so much to me," Keener said.Even while on her way to the airport after leaving the nationally broadcast vocal competition, her opinion stayed the same."My favorite part of being on 'The Voice' I think was just the relationship I was able to cultivate with Pharrell, specifically," Keener said."He just amazed me in so many ways. Every time I went into rehearsal with him, every time I had a conversation with him, I was struck by how genuine and kind he is. And I just have a very deep appreciation for all the love and support that he gave me on the show. He stood by my side and that means the world to me. I mean, what other 17-year-old gets to say that? He was just a great friend and a great guiding force in my life the whole time I was on the show," she said.Fans were able to see a few of the duo's rehearsal sessions and hear some of the tips Williams gave the budding star."The best piece of advice (I received from Pharrell) I think was when he told me to keep doing exactly what I'm doing. And by that, he meant to not feel pressured or swayed by all of the others stuff that was going on around me at the time," Keener said."I believe he said that to me right after my knock-out performance, which was a very crazy night for me. To go up against Shalyah was very intimidating and the fact that he picked me over her just so both of us could continue on the show, that was really awesome and then surprising."So he (Pharrell) just really wanted to prove a point with me I think, that you know, he cared about who I am as an artist and because of that, he showed me that he wanted me to care about who I am as an artist and to not compromise just because of ... all of the craziness that goes on around the artist. So that's the most important thing he showed me," Keener added.One of the last camera shots the world sees of Keener on "The Voice" showed just how much she appreciated her coach as she pointed at Williams and made a heart with her hands over her chest.When it came down to her final seconds with the show, Keener had a special moment with her coach she will remember."It wasn't so much what he said to me, as just the way he looked at me," she said."He looked me right in the eye. ... When he looks you in the eye, it's almost like you can hear what he's saying to you without him even having to speak. The amount of love and support that he's given me throughout this journey has been stunning. And I'm just grateful for the time that we had together. I'm so grateful."And I'm sad to go, but I'm also really proud of the work that I did on the show with Pharrell and I'm glad that I was able to do the things that I wanted to do week after week," Keener added."I never compromised on my musical tastes and I never made a decision based on other people. It was always about the music and what I felt would touch people truly. It wasn't about popularity for me. So not moving forward on the show, it's not disheartening at all. It's only exciting because now I get to go home and do the things that I want to do."Pharrell Williams listens as Wakeman's Emily Keener performs for her blind audition for "The Voice." Keener picked Williams to be her coach for the show and came to know him as a "genuine and kind" person she "deeply appreciated."Keener