Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Briana Cuoco, 24, of Los Angeles, sang a rather unique version of Lady Gaga’s “You and I.” As soon as she hit the big chorus, her voice soared and Christina Aguilera turned her chair. Cee Lo Green followed suit at the last instant. Christina complimented her on her “power and raw talent.”

Background: Briana works as a personal assistant to her sister Kaley, who stars as Penny on “The Big Bang Theory.” Briana told The Voice she’s been singing since she was 7 or 8 and has entertainment career aspirations of her own. Kaley says she’s “obsessed” with The Voice and had been encouraging her sister to get on the show, adding that Briana has always put herself on the “back burner” for everyone else.

On choosing Christina: “I grew up (listening) to her. As a vocalist, the amount that I can learn from her — her power, her soul, her control — there’s so much I can just soak up from her. And on top of that, she’s also a woman. And being a woman performer in this business is much different from being a man. If I soak up any of that power and confidence from her, that would be amazing.”

What the show didn’t show: According to her Facebook bio, Briana performed in many stage productions and in commercials as a young girl. She later found work as a professional dancer behind the likes of Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Snoop Dogg and Big Time Rush. She has guest starred on TV shows, including “The Newsroom” and “Big Bang Theory.” Just last year she released a 5-track EP called “Bluebird” on iTunes. Of her sister’s success, she says: “I think people expect a little bit more because of that, which is a great thing, because it keeps me driven. But it can be a little harder sometimes when people are a little extra critical.” As for the music she prefers, she said she likes singing “some old school stuff and soul and blues.”

Quote: “I certainly didn’t think my (blind) audition was the best performance of my life singing, so I hope the audience can see growth and see that my voice gets stronger and (how) I can perform a song and tell a story in a song.”

On iTunes: The aforementioned EP, as Bluebird, plus her audition song from The Voice.

Keeping up with Briana: On Twitter — @bricuoco — Facebook — YouTube

For profiles of other Season 5 contestants, go here.

Briana Cuoco, “October” (from her 2012 EP)

Briana Cuoco, “Dock of the Bay”