Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Savannah Brister, 17, of Memphis, Tenn., auditioned with “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing” by Stevie Wonder. She got an early chair turn from John Legend and wound up coaxing Kelly to turn as well. Kelly said Savannah was so good, it was disrespectful not to turn around. John called her musical selections “perfection.” Savannah joined Team John

About Savannah …

* Savannah began classical training on the piano at age 7, according to her website bio. That led to writing piano solos, which led to writing lyrics for those solos, which led to her passion for singing. That began around age 13.

* She’s been playing festivals and fairs around Memphis and is also active in church, signing for the youth group and women’s ministry, according to her Voice bio.

* On Facebook, she lists her influences as Etta James, Alicia Keys, Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Sara Bareilles, Adele, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Us The Duo, and Stevie Wonder.

* As for career highlights to date, her website says Savannah has performed at the Lincoln Center and finished second in one of the south’s largest singing competitions.

* The 17-year-old released her debut single — “See Me” — in January 2018. You can check it out below. She followed it up with a second single called “Emerald” in September.

* She describes herself as “passionate about making a difference with my music, and (I) love to smile! It’s infectious!”

* Savannah started home school in high school so she could focus more on her music.

* She told Voice Views that, in part, led to her decision to try The Voice. “I’ve always been passionate about music,” she said. “It truly is like oxygen to me, but achieving a fan base while being home-schooled is very difficult. It felt right to make The Voice my next step. Of course, I never thought I’d actually make it, but here we are.”

* As for her audition song, Savannah said: “Stevie Wonder is one of my favorite artists and practically a genius. To top it off, Tori Kelly covered it like a boss and she’s probably #1 on my ‘favorites’ list! I also am in love with the message to the song. If you watched my audition, you’re aware I love to smile. And this is one of those songs that just makes you happy.”

* Savannah told Voice Views she opted to join Team Legend because “I feel like John and I would gel well together. Between the four coaches, I’m closer to his genre and we’re both pianists, too. I also thought he added a fresh perspective to the game.”

* Oh, and Savannah also has a bird named Nicky who wakes her up every morning with that Andy Griffith song.

On social media:
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Website
Twitter: @savibrister
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