Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Keisha Renee has toured with Adam Lambert and Nicki Minaj. (NBC Photo)

Keisha Renee has already been on those stages, albeit as a background singer.

Now she’s trying to transition to the spotlight as a country artist.

She took an impressive first step on Tuesday’s episode of The Voice, turning all four coaches’ chairs with her cover of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and earning a spot on Team Blake Shelton.

During a Wednesday conference call with the media, the 30-year-old from Inglewood, Calif., talked about her career as a background singer, which has included stints with Adam Lambert, Jill Scott, JoJo and, for about four years, with Nicki Minaj.

Keisha calls working with Adam Lambert “one of my favorite times of my touring career. I love Adam Lambert so much. He’s such a sweet person.”

During her bio package for The Voice, Keisha explained how she went through a lifestyle change after being diagnosed with diabetes and giving birth to her daughter following a high-risk pregnancy.

Prior to that, her weight ballooned to as much as 350 pounds, she told The Voice.

“I’m very grateful to him (Adam),” she says. “He gave me a chance. This industry is very image-driven. I’ve been trying to be a solo artist for a long time, but I didn’t look the part.

“And he didn’t care about that. He’s like, ‘I want you to sing background for me. You have a voice and I want to showcase that.'”

While touring with Adam, he’d also relinquish the spotlight and give her “little solos here and there.”

“That is so selfless and so humble of him,” Keisha said, adding that she considers Adam “a lifelong friend” and noted that he also once took a chance on a singing show — back on Season 8 of American Idol.

Keisha said she started singing background for Nicki Minaj when she was around 21 or 22 and called that job “a dream come true.”

“I traveled the world with her,” said Keisha, who was part of Nicki’s Pink Print Tour. “She exposed me to audiences I never thought I’d sing for. I’ve been to place I never thought I’d see.”

But as great as the chance to perform for Nicki’s fans was, Keisha pointed to a bonus that came with working for one of music’s female superstars.

“Working for someone who is a female in a male-dominated industry I have gotten the best knowledge ever,” she said. “I will not be pushed over. It’s tough (the music industry). I’ve seen it first-hand, and it hasn’t discouraged me.

“I feel like going for a genre (country) that is not something someone would typically do with my type of voice — I feel like I’m fearless,” Keisha added. “And I worked for a fearless person who created no limits for herself.”

See also
iTunes rankings from Season 13 Night 1
iTunes rankings from Season 13 Night 2
Season 13 playlist including originals from Red Marlow, Maharasyi and Keisha Renee
A warning about The Voice Season 13

dream come true