Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Enid Ortiz, 25, of Tampa, Fla., auditioned with “All I Ask” by Adele. She headed into the final moments of the performance without a chair turn, then belted out a great prolonged note. At the very last second, Blake Shelton turned his chair, giving Enid a spot on the show.

Her background: She’s a medical assistant who works in a pediatric office and calls the job very fulfilling. She also plays with band called Ragged Old Souls. She describes them as a reggae, rock, funk and blues fusion group. “It’s a very funky group of people,” she says, “and I’m so grateful for performing with them. But I feel like I ready for that opportunit on a larger scale.” Music has always been a place of comfort for Enid, who grew up with vitiligo, a skin condition that results in patches of skin losing their pigment. “So I was made fun of a lot. People used to call me a cow … I turned to just being in my room, writing music.” She told The Voice coaches: “I grew up feeling worthless and like no one wanted to hear a two-toned girl sing.” She’s overcome that feeling now, with the help of her fiance, who she’s been with for more than three years.

What the show didn’t show:

* According to her Facebook bio, Enid was 5 when she fell in love with the song “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees and, hence, discovered her love for singing.

* Enid seldom performed for anyone but family until moving to Tampa, Fla., for her sophomore year in high school and getting involved in the musical theater program there.

* By the time she was a senior, she was more confident as a performer and sang Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” at the senior class sendoff.

* She also won a local radio station’s singing contest, earning a chance to perform with Clean Bandit at the band’s 2015 concert in St. Petersburg, Fla.

* She’s now a vocalist with a reggae/rock band called Ragged Old Souls; the band performs in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas of Florida.

* She’s known as “Soul Shaker” in Ragged Old Souls circles. The band released a five-track EP called “Adrift” to Bandcamp in 2015; you can check out one of the five songs — “The Curl” — below.

* Also available on Bandcamp is a five-track live EP from a WMNF 88.5 Music Showcase in September of 2015.

* During a conference call with the media, Enid told Voice Views she had pretty much given up hope that a chair would turn as her performance wound down to an end and none of the coaches were facing her. “Then, when I saw a chair turn at literally the last breath of air possible, for me it was just a fresh breath of air … I will never forget tat feeling. It’s like coming back to life, almost.”

* Enid says she loves to perform the reggae-influenced music she sings with Ragged Old Souls, but adds that her solo music would tend to be more of a singer-songwriter feel with soul and R&B influences.

Keeping up with Enid:
Twitter: @enidortizmusic
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

“Wasted” (with Ragged Old Souls)

“The Curl” (with Ragged Old Souls)