Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gracia Harrison might always be known as the first singer to yodel on The Voice.

But she makes it clear she has higher aspirations before the show ends.

For instance, being able to make a career out of music.

The 18-year-old from the small town of Virden, Ill., says she was working two jobs pre-Voice, one at a retail store and one at a fitness center.

“I’m grateful to have two jobs,” she says. “I know jobs are hard to find in this economy. But it would definitely be nice to work on music.”

The yodeling on her audition song of “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” was an attempt to set her apart.

“I could sing a normal song, but I think that would make me just like everyone else,” she said.

Did her strategy work?

It was hard to tell because Adam and Blake spun their chairs around before she even got a chance to yodel. And no more than she started yodeling, Cee Lo joined them.

Adam called her “by far the best country voice we’ve heard on the show,” and Cee Lo called her an “absolute original.”

But the country singer went with the country coach, landing on Team Blake.

What the show didn’t show: Gracia told her hometown newspaper “Cowboy Sweetheart” is a song she’s been singing and yodeling since she was 13. It’s also symbolic of the type of music she’d like to perform. “Country has become basically pop/rock with a twang,” she told the paper. “I want to bring back real country music.” In her Voice blogs, we learn that she auditioned for Season 2, didn’t make it, but “didn’t let that deter me.” Since her parents divorced when she was 15, “life has been a little tough … I’m grateful that I’ve learned early on that you have to work hard to get what you want.” For instance, she says she had to sell her favorite pair of designer jeans for gas money so her boyfriend could drive her to the open auditions. Her Voice bio tells us former Idol contestant Kellie Pickler is her major musical inspiration, because of her story and her music. To hear more Gracia, head to her YouTube page.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs on The Voice on the battle rounds begin.