Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Ashley Dubose, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., sang Rihanna’s “Diamonds” for her audition. Her unique sound, crystal clear delivery and big voice prompted all four coaches to turn their chairs. Adam Levine complimented her on having a “voice that cut like a razor through this entire place.”

Background: Ashley calls music her childhood dream and remembers her mother making her sing in front of family and friends. Now Ashley is a single mom, raising and 3-year old, working as a computer programmer/analyst and trying to find time to pursue music in what spare time is left over. “I definitely feel like I am spreading myself thin,” she tells The Voice. “That’s why this opportunity is so huge. I have to have a breakthrough.”

On choosing Adam: “I kind of had my mind set on Adam going into the audition process. I really admire him as an artist. He’s at his prime right now, and he’s so versatile. I like to experiment and do different styles … so I felt like Adam was the team to go with in order to achieve that.”

What the show didn’t show: On her website, Ashley says the genre that fits her best is neo-soul, but she adds that she considers her writing and singing style to be very eclectic. On Facebook, she says she grew up listening to Top 40 radio and her influences include Rihanna, Beyonce, Lauren Hill and Erykah Badu. “The ’90s R&B scene really shaped who I am as an artist,” she said in a conference call interview the day after her audition aired. She credits a strong support system that includes her family for allowing her to finish college even though she found out she was pregnant when she was a sophomore. In May 2012, Ashley released an album called “Something More;” last year, she released an acoustic version of the same album. Both are available via her Facebook page.

Quote: “It wasn’t hard to finish the song (after the chairs turned), but from that point I was on autopilot. I just saw spinning motions from the chair. I don’t know who turned first, second, third, fourth.”

On iTunes: Her audition song. She’s also a featured artist on some tracks for hip-hop artists Fly Henderson and Mike Dreams.

Keeping up with Ashley: Twitter — @ashleydubose — Facebook — YouTube — Website

For profiles of other Season 5 contestants, go here.

Ashley Dubose, “Somethin’ More” (title track from 2012 album)

Ashley Dubose, “I Want a Love” featuring Mike Dreams