Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Anna Catherine DeHart is one of the talented country artists Voice fans will meet in Season 13.

Her latest, 2015’s “Waiting on the Sun to Rise” is the best and most important.

As a member of the youth growth at Shady Acres Church of Christ in Missouri, Anna Catherine used to do volunteer work at Children’s Home Inc. in neighboring Arkansas and got to meet some of the foster children there.

Inspired by that experience and a short film called “ReMoved” about the plight of children in the foster home system, Anna Catherine wrote “Waiting on the Sun to Rise” with friend Kristina Kidd.

“It has been said that before we can dry someone else’s tears, we too must weep,” Anna Catherine writes in the description for the music video that accompanied her song. “That’s what I did when I first watched the video story ‘ReMoved’ and I became more fully aware of the life situations that many of our children are facing.”

Then she recorded the song, filmed the video and pledged all proceeds from the project to Children’s Home Inc.

It isn’t the first time the 22-year-old Belmont University graduate has used music to support a good cause.

According to her bio, Anna Catherine and her former band, Dirtroad Express, made their debut in 2011 at a Kenny Rogers Children’s Center telethon. The band later opened for country star David Nail at a benefit show to support flood victims. Head to her website and you can view photos of other telethon’s in which she’s been involved.

That bio also indicates that Anna Catherine, from Sikeston, Miss., has been performing since age 12 when she was part of a Livewires youth talent group in her home state.

She went on to win the American Idol Experience at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios and took top prize in the Heartland Idol Youth Division at the 2010 Southeastern Missouri District Fair.

Her time with Dirtroad Express followed shortly thereafter. She released two songs with the band — “Denim and Pearls” and “Losing the Game,” both of which were released in 2012 and are still available on iTunes.

Dirtroad Express later disbanded. In addition to “Waiting on the Sun to Rise,” Anna Catherine has released three other singles — “Love Without Warning” (2014), “Rhinestone Lover” (2014) and an especially impressive duet with Jordan Copeland called “See You Tonight” (2015).

Next stop: The Voice. She’s among the talented artists who have announced that they auditioned for Season 13.

In terms of musical influences, Anna Catherine points to Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Lady Antebellum on her Facebook page.

She’s seen Carrie in concert at least nine times. And she writes on Instagram that she still cries when she hears Carrie sing “Jesus Take the Wheel.”

Below are Anna Catherine’s social links, followed by her latest singles.

Update: The Voice opted to montage Anna Catherine’s blind audition. She turned two chairs (Blake Shelton and Adam Levine) with a performance of “I Could Use a Love Song” by Maren Morris. During a conference call with the media, Anna Catherine said getting feedback from the show’s two veterans was “awesome.” But she also credited Miley Cyrus with offering good advice on battling nerves on stage. As for opting to join Team Blake, Anna Catherine said Adam made the choice difficult. “But Blake knows the heart of country music, and that’s what pulled me in with him.”

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The Voice has done it again, rounding up an impressive array of talent for Season 13. Keep checking back for more profiles of the contestants we’ll meet when the blind auditions begin Sept. 25 on NBC. And for complete coverage of The Voice once Season 13 begins.