Idol Chatter & Voice Views

DaNica Shirey and a good luck charm, Charles, her daughter’s sock monkey.

In that time, she’s been called everything from a “snake charmer” to “a perfect singer” to a potential winner by the show’s coaches.

Tonight brings a new challenge — singing live on national TV.

DaNica is now one of the Top 20 on The Voice. This week’s live playoffs will whittle the field to 12 finalists.

That means DaNica is competing against her four Team Pharrell Williams teammates — Sugar Joans, Jean Kelley, Elyjuh Rene and Luke Wade — for three spots in the finals.

Two of those spots will be decided by fan voting. Then Pharrell will get to save one of the remaining three singers during a special Wednesday night results show.

Members of Team Adam and Team Blake sang Monday night; members of Team Pharrell and Team Gwen get their turn tonight.

“I’m excited and feel so blessed that I made it (to the live playoffs),” DaNica said. “I’m a little scared because it’s live. There’s no chance of mistake; everything will be shown as is. It’s a true test of my capabilities. I think it will be a good challenge for me.”

And don’t be too surprised if DaNica pulls a change of pace, if not in the live playoffs, then sometime soon.

She’s advanced this far in the competition singing Jessie J’s “Big White Room,” Beyonce’s “Halo” and Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You.” But she says she’d like to show fans she’s a little more versatile than that.

“I would like the chance to prove to everyone that I don’t just do a bunch of runs and I don’t just belt all the time,” she says. “I want to show everyone that I have a softer, nice, pretty side to my voice as well — that I’m capable of doing a little bit more of what they’ve seen so far.”

Meanwhile, DaNica says she’s been working to master social media so she can rally support now that the fate of contestants shifts from coaches to the fans who are voting at home.

Friends and family have been helping. Her ex’s mom, for instance, made “Vote for DaNica” magnets featuring the show’s logo and a photo of the 25-year-old singer.

But she couldn’t give them all away. One was snagged by DaNica’s 4-year-old daughter Aslynn.

“She carries it around all day,” DaNica said. “Nobody can have it. It’s hers. When she’s not carrying it around, it’s stuck to her closet door.

“She’s so excited. And she’s singing so much. I think she’s been really inspired by everybody.”

Especially, it seems, Taylor John Williams of Team Gwen, whose songs are among Aslynn’s favorites.

“He has three names. She’s 4. And she remembers all of them. It’s so funny,” DaNica says.

The Voice live playoffs air Monday and Tuesday from 8 to 10 p.m. The results show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. Check back for live blogs all three nights.

Meanwhile, you can find my live playoff predictions here for Team Gwen, Team Blake, Team Adam and Team Pharrell.

Plus, head here to check out how the Top 20 rank in terms of social media support.