Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Anatalia Villaranda, 16, of Temecula, Calif., auditioned with Bruno Mars “Runaway Baby.” Her high energy performance prompted chair turns from all four coaches, making Anatalia the second Season 12 singer to accomplish that feat. Anatalia decided to join Team Alicia.

Her background: She stands just 4-foot-9 and says lots of people pick on her because of her size, but adds “good things come in small packages. So, here’s me.” Her mom recalls Anatalia asking to join a talent show at age 10. She sang at the show, and she won. That led to joining a girl group that Anatalia says came “very close” to getting a record deal. The group didn’t get that deal and eventually split. Anatalia says she performs in show choir and all over Temecula.

What the show didn’t show:

* Anatalia also auditioned for Season 15 of American Idol and earned a golden ticket to Hollywood. In fact, she made it all the way to the final judgment before being eliminated. In the Hollywood group round, she performed alongside third-place finisher Dalton Rappatoni.

* The Voice “leaked” her audition prior to the Season 12 premier. By the day of the premiere, it already had more than 700,000 views.

* On her website, she lists her musical influences. They include Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Mary J. Blige and even Carrie Underwood.

* She says listening to Celine Dion as a child inspired her to pursue a career in singing.

* Anatalia was just 11 when she joined that all-girls group — an R&B/pop act called 5LP (short for Five Little Princesses). They participated in a Nickelodeon summer malls tour, according to Anatalia’s bio on The Voice website.

* She also appeared on the Disney Channel show “Shake It Up” and in a “Friends for Change” television commercial.

* During a conference call with the media, Anatalia admitted not advancing on American Idol after making it so far left her “really bummed out.” It also left her determined to push on “no matter what.” And that meant auditioning for The Voice.

* Anatalia also said she went into her audition hoping to land a spot on Team Alicia, not just because of her “soul vibe,” but her “overall aura.” She also said she felt a connection to Alicia during the coaches’ comments portion of the audition. “It really spoke to me. I felt like it was like me and her just having a conversation with nobody else in the room.”

Keeping up with Anatalia:
Twitter: @anatalia_v
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

Performing “Treasure” with Chicken Soup on American Idol group night

Performing at a Boys and Girls Club Idol competition in 2014