Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Joanna Serenko, 18, of St. Louis, during her blind audition on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

And new coach Nick Jonas was so determined to land Joanna for his team that he interrupted the proceedings to make a second pitch when it was her turn to pick a coach.

It worked. The 18-year-old songstress from St. Louis enters Season 18 of The Voice as a member of Team Nick Jonas.

Here’s what Joanna told Voice Views about her path to The Voice and her blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for The Voice Season 18 and what prompted you to do it? Had you ever tried a show like this in the past?

Joanna: I initially auditioned for The Voice when I got an email from NBC’s The Voice saying that they saw my Sofar Sounds show on their page. A few weeks later, we drove down to Louisville and auditioned. I had been through the open-call style audition once before in sophomore year and the chances were so slim and the waiting was excruciating. So when they invited me, I was so excited to try it out.

Voice Views: Why did you choose “All Your Loving” for your audition song? What’s your performance history with that song (for instance, is it one you’ve played often)?

Joanna: I sang “All My Loving” by the Beatles because I think it does justice for the vocals, a gorgeous jazzy stripped version of it, and just a lot of room to show off some vocabulary. I hadn’t played it often, but I made a video of it once with an accompanist and it turned out well so I said, “Why not?”

Voice Views: Did you have a coaching preference heading into the blind audition? Why did you decide to go with Nick Jonas as your coach?

Joanna: I went into the audition unsure of who I’d pick, mostly between Nick and John. I basically went into it with the idea of choosing whoever I connected with most in the moment. I thought I was going to pick John until the last moment when Nick stood up to fight for me … it would’ve been wrong to leave him hanging. Plus, if he was fighting for me, I knew that he might fight for me again in later rounds. Plus he’s an extremely successful musician and I know I could benefit greatly from his insight.

Voice Views: Can you tell me a little about what that blind audition experience was like? I mean, you were barely two lines into the songs and you already had three coaches facing you and wound up with all four?

Joanna: The blind audition was completely surreal. I keep telling people it felt like a video game or a simulation. Shockingly, I was less nervous at my blind than I was a few days before when rehearsing. I think that since I got my nerves out and got an idea of what it would be like, it helped me to relax on audition day. It also helped my nerves that the coaches turned so quickly. I could just sing my song and not worry about trying to turn chairs.

For more on Joanna — she released a debut single last year — head here.