Her audition: Lilli Passero, 26, of Los Angeles, Calif., auditioned with “A Love of My Own” by Carla Thomas, calling the selection “a little risky” because of its old-fashioned vibe. Still, her performance prompted chair turns from Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys. Alicia praised Lilli’s vintage sound, then serenaded singer. And so Lilli became a member of Team Alicia.
Her background: She’s an actress and singer, but has worked at a restaurant in Studio City for the last three and a half years to pay the bills. Lilli says she grew up in a musical household, listening to the greats like Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. She says “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” was her favorite film, so she’d get up on her the lunch tables in pre-school and sing “A Kiss on the Hand” (“Diamond Are a Girl’s Best Friend”).
What the show didn’t show:
* In 2014, Lilli launched a Kickstarter project to fund an album called “The Sparrow.” However, she failed to hit her fund-raising goal. At the time, Lilli said she was trying to create a different sound after immersing herself in the classic music of the 1960s and 1970s.
* While the album wasn’t released, a music video was filmed for a song called “I Keep Seeing.” I’ve embedded it below. She calls that one of her biggest musical accomplishments. “I had never done much writing before, so that song is truly my baby. A lot went into it and watching an idea blossom into a piece of art is a blessing to witness let alone to be a part of.”
* As it turns out, that was the only completed track for the planned album. After the video was finished, Lilli said other things came up that pulled her away from the project. She calls the other songs “works in progress waiting to be tended to.”
* Lilli has “I Keep Seeing” and a cover of “Smokin’ Room,” available on her Soundcloud page.
* She describes herself as a “childish old soul” on Facebook and lists Gladys Knight, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Stevie Wonder and Amy Winehouse among her musical influences.
* She’s also done some acting and plays support roles in three films set for release in 2017 — “In Between Days,” “Strange Nature” and “The Divide.” * Her acting credits date back to 2007 when she played a teenage daughter in the action comedy “Totally Baked.”
* She said she particularly enjoyed playing a character named Sheri in the indie film “In Between Days.” Says Lilli: “She was the kinda girl I wanted to be growing up. She’s a hardcore surfer who’s confident and completely not defined by typical feminine standards. She knows about cars and isn’t afraid to be better at ‘boy things’ than the boys. She’s an awesome role model for anyone.” Lilli says she hasn’t yet been given a release date for the film.
* After being serenaded by her coach, Lilli says she “absolutely had to pick Alicia.” “Initially, I had gone into this experience with eyes for Alicia only,” Lilli told Voice Views. “However, the more I watched past seasons and considered the other coaches, the more I realized how much each of them had to offer. And of course, in the moment, seeing them right in front of you, is a completely different experience. Gwen gave a great pitch and I was about to pick her when Alicia said, ‘Wait, wait, wait … can I do one more thing?’ And, of course, you know the rest.”
Keeping up with Lilli:
Twitter: @lillipassero
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (cover)
“I Keep Seeing” (original from The Sparrow project)
'Treasure' indeed
Laci Kaye Booth, Top 5 on American Idol Season 17, dropped her debut album Aug. 6. Her debut single, the ridiculously addictive "Treasure," heads to country radio in mid-September.
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