Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Kelli Douglas, 31, of Dallas, Texas, auditioned with “Danny’s Song” by Loggins and Messina. Her nerves showed early in the performance, but Kelli performed well enough to entice Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton to turn their chairs. Blake calls her voice “haunting,” Gwen called her “so cute” and Adam said he could discern her talent through the case of nerves and was eager to help her improve. Kelli joined Team Adam.

Her background: Kelli is a single mom with an outgoing 6-year-old son whose personality, she admits, “is the opposite of me.” Kelli says she always had a “quiet obsession” with music, but suffered from stage fright. She describes herself as a “late bloomer” in terms of music. What does that mean? Well, she went to college, majored in corporate communications and started teaching middle school after graduating. She used music in the classroom to help her students. After six years in that job, she resigned to pursue music, saying she just didn’t feel fulfilled in her former job.

What the show didn’t show: According to her website bio, Kelli began recording music in Dallas about six years ago and spent a few years performing with the Ice House Band, which played at weddings, corporate events and nightclubs. She also wrote jingles for local businesses, co-wrote the songs for a children’s musical called “PIG” and sang background for some artists in the Dallas area. Even though it’s more of a folksy song, she felt fortunate to audition with “Danny’s Song.” “You know, some songs just really give you a feeling. I love the song … and it was just interesting because I was able to bring a different sound to it. It’s a country song really, and I’m not a country singer.” That said, she admits she suffered from a severe case of nerves when she hit the stage. “The first few notes were strange,” she says with a laugh in her Voice interview video. “Then I sang through my nerves and got three chairs.” Why Adam? Well, for one thing, they have two favorite artists in common — Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill. For another, he turned first, even though it was during the “nervous” part of her performance.

Update: Kelli was eliminated from The Voice when she lost a battle round match against Damien Lawson. They performed Otis Redding’s “Knock on Wood.”

On iTunes: Just her audition song, though you can check out a Kelli song called “Addicted” on Soundcloud.

Keeping up with Kelli:
Twitter: @iamkellidouglas
Facebook
YouTube
Website

“Addicted”

“At Last” (with Ice House Band)

With the Ice House Band