Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Sabrina Dias, 26, of East Orange, N.J., auditioned with a Portuguese rendition of “The Girl from Ipanema” — “Garota De Ipanema” by Antônio Carlos Jobim. John Legend was the only coach to turn. He said he liked the edge Sabrina brought to the performance.

Here’s more about Sabrina:

* When she was 8, she begged her parents for drum lessons. “My mom wasn’t too fond of it as she said, “Boys play drums, not girls,” so she suggested piano lessons instead,” Sabrina told Voice Views. “We made a deal: I would learn piano for a year and if I still wanted to do drums after that, she promised to put me in drum lessons.”

* Sabrina said she started piano lessons “but I was too in love with drumming so I would go home and put my keyboard settings on drum (voice) and create dope beats all day. My mom got so tired of hearing me play drums on the piano that she gave up. She finally put me in drum lessons and that was the beginning of my musical journey.”

* Her drumming skills helped her earn a spot at the Arts High School in Newark N.J. She studied classical music and Jazz.

* She got to play at International Jazz Day in New York City. “Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Sheila E. and so many others got to hear me play at their reception,” she recalls. “I was nicknamed Sheila E. at Arts and played everywhere with our jazz band.”

* Sabrina’s mother was worship leader at church, so Sabrina also grew up playing drums in her band. By age 12, she was the church’s main drummer.

* Sabrina said watching her mom sing and lead worship “inspired me to break out of my drumming shell and pursue singing.” She started vocal lessons at 16. And since she found it difficult to sing without playing an instrument, she picked up guitar as well.

* She also got to travel to Africa to perform with the church’s worship band and says she quickly realized she wanted to be a singer.

* Sabrina went to college, receiving a degree in music and a master’s in education. She’s been teaching private music lessons for 10 years and working as a music teacher at Rafael Hernandez School in Newark, N.J. for three years.

* Prior to auditioning for The Voice, Sabrina was also performing with the salsa band at New Jersey City University.

* Sabrina said her musical inspirations are diverse and include Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, Maluma, J Balvin, and Frank Sinatra. “I also take inspiration from Brazilian artists such as Anitta, Ivete Sangalo, Marília Mendonça, Tom Jobim, João Gilberto, Eliane Elias, and MC Kevinho,” she told Voice Views.

* Sabrina hasn’t released music yet, but says she just wrote her first song and would describe herself as a pop artist. “I like to bring a lot of energy to the stage and connect with my audience. I like to perform in a very personal way where people can relate to me and my music.”

* According to her Voice bio, Sabrina lives with her fiancée Kamilla and Kamilla’s daughter, whom she considers her own. “As a gay person who was not able to accept myself and express my sexuality for many years due to my religious background, I was finally able to break free! I’m a sucker for love songs. Whether it’s upbeat or melo, heartbreak or giving you the moon and the stars lol I like to do it all.”

Sabrina on social media:
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