Idol Chatter & Voice Views

In the spring, a former background singer trying to make it into the spotlight won Season 2 of The Voice.

Now Amanda Brown is trying to follow in Jermaine Paul’s footsteps.

Amanda tells The Voice that singing background has been an amazing experience, allowing her to tour with the likes of Adele.

“I’ve been working really hard at becoming a solo artist,” the 27-year-old from the Bronx told The Voice. “It hasn’t worked out thus far. I need a coach to turn around for me so I can learn and grow and expand my knowledge musically.

“I’m moving on to a new phase in my life. Hopefully, that stage doesn’t necessarily include background singing and includes me being at the forefront,” she added.

Her first phase in music came in church. She says she grew up listening to gospel music.

“But when I heard Radiohead for the the first time, I was like, ‘What is this? This is good.’ At that point, I decided to go full force into experiencing music.”

For her audition, Amanda sang “Valerie.” And it looked like she might walk away without a coach.

But Cee Lo turned around late into her song, then complimented her on “a great job, especially at the end.”

The other coaches seemed to agree, saying they might have turned around as well if the finishing flourish had come early in her audition.

What the show didn’t show: According to her website bio, Amanda also sang backup for Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson, Lenny Kravitz and, yes, Alicia Keys, the same singer Jermaine Paul backed before winning Season 2. Now Amanda is working on a debut album, according to that bio. She released a single called “Dreamer” in 2011; you can hear a good chunk of that song below. If you want to hear more Amanda, head to her YouTube channel. Amanda’s exposure to something other than gospel music didn’t come until her early teens, according to her Voice bio. She now classifies her music as alternative/pop. Part of Cee Lo’s comments that didn’t make the show cut: “You look familiar. I thought it was from a fantasy or something.” Oh, that Cee Lo.

Update: Another background singer making a strong run at the title, she auditioned with “Valerie” and got Cee Lo to spin his chair. In the battle round, she drew a tough match-up with Trevin Hunte. He was declared Cee Lo’s winner after they performed “Vision of Love,” but she was saved by Adam Levine. She won another tough match with Michelle Brooks-Thompson in the knockout round by performing “Paris Ooh La La.” Then she turned in the best performance in the live playoff round with her rendition of “Dream On” and was voted into the Top 12 by fans. “Dream On” was still among iTunes top 150 singles a week after the performance, but Amanda’s version of “Spectrum” from Top 12 night failed to crack the top 200.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs throughout the finals on The Voice.

Amanda Brown sings “Dreamer”