Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Monique Abbadie, 20, Miami, Fla., auditioned with Shakira’s “Loca,” but the first judge to turn around was a surprise — Blake Shelton. Before Monique finished singing, all four coaches were facing her. Everyone agreed Monique and Shakira would be the perfect match, and that’s who Monique selected as her coach.

Monique Abbadie of Team Shakira on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Knockout Round: She sang “Power of Love” and lost to Karina Iglesias, who performed “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

Her background: Monique is a former child star. At age 6 or 7, she says she became part of a Spanish TV show on which she sang, danced and did comedy routines. And she remained part of the show for about six years. When the show ended, Monique says her parents encouraged her to begin preparing for “a more realistic life.” That included going to college and working for her dad in his exporting business where, according to the clip Voice viewers saw, she sometimes operates a forklift. Of course, Monique would prefer a career in entertainment.

On picking Shakira: “Always from the beginning, ever since I knew that Shakira was going to be a coach, I was inclined more towards her because of the fact that I am a fan of hers. I’ve been a fan since I was a very little girl. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would go with her.”

What the show didn’t show: Monique says she’s not solely a Latin artist. “I can also sing in other genres and I plan to expose that to everybody later on in the show,” she said in a conference call with the media. “I really plan to show a completely different side, also sticking to my Spanish roots but showing the world that I also can be a diverse artist and that other people also identify themselves with me, not just the Latin community.” Her YouTube channel backs that up, and in videos embedded below you can hear Monique covering Beyonce and Jessie J.

Quote: “I was so nervous,” she said of her audition, where she took a risk by singing a song by the coach she most wanted to turn. “I was hoping for the best. She (Shakira) could have loved it or not really loved it at all. I’m just happy she liked it.”

On iTunes: Her audition song, “Loca”

Keeping up with Monique:
Twitter: @Moniquesongbird
Facebook
YouTube channel

Mamma Knows Best (Jessie J. cover)

“1 + 1” (Beyonce cover)