Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kamaria Ousley hasn’t gotten a lot of screen time during American Idol Season 12.

But she might have made a memorable impression last week as one of The Swagettes.

Sporting yellow-rimmed spectacles and wearing shiny red pants, Kamaria helped Candice Glover, Denise Jackson and Melinda Ademi belt out “Hit Em Up Style.”

It turned out to be one of the best — if not the best — performance among the ladies on the dreaded group night in Hollywood.

Unlike many Idol contestants, Kamaria told KTVU in Oakland that she didn’t grow up watching American Idol.

She was enrolled in the Berklee College of Music at the time and said she was focused on her studies.

Now 29 and living in Oakland, Kamaria works as a background singer and vocal coach.

At one point, she performed as Ms. K and the 2:30 Kids and described her original music as a fusion of modern music with funk, jazz, R&B and soul. You can head here to listen to some of that music.

In her Road to Hollywood video, she told Idol that her musical influences include Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Anita Baker and Michael Jackson.

What makes her unique?

“There’s no one like me,” she says. “There’s no one named Kamaria that I know of that looks like me, that sings like me, that has my gift.”

Here are three videos of Kamaria singing, beginning with that performance by the Swagettes.

“Hit Em Up Style” with the Swagettes

“A Long Walk”

“Great is Thy Faithfulness”