Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Briar Jonnee, 20, of Shuqualak, Ms., performed Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and turned in an emotional performance that prompted Pharrell Williams and Blake Shelton to turn their chairs. Pharrell said he liked the control she showed and vowed to help her get over her case of nerves on stage. Briar joined Team Pharrell.

Her background: She’s from a town of less than 1,000 that doesn’t even have a grocery store. She started singing in church at age 6; her mom was choir director. When she was young, she wanted to be a singer. “But coming from a small town, I didn’t think that was a dream I could reach.” She says her school didn’t even have a music program. In 10th grade, she applied to the Mississippi School for the Arts and made it. She then attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she was a broadcast journalism major because she wants a backup plan, just in case a singing career doesn’t work out.

What the show didn’t show: Her mother is director of Ivy Grove Missionary Baptist Church and told the Hattiesburg American that Briar started singing and playing piano at age 4 and might have taken a month of piano lessons before realizing she could learn by ear. She attended Noxubee County High School before transferring to the school for the arts, which also produced former American Idol finalist Jasmine Murray. At age 14, Briar sang the national anthem before a Memphis Grizzlies game; she’s also performed at other sporting and civic events. She had to take time off from college to participate on The Voice, but said that wasn’t a difficult decision because “it’s The Voice.” As for her style of music, Briar says she grew up listening to R&B, gospel and hip-hop. “It’s kind of weird,” she says in her Voice video, “the style of music I could see myself creating is electronic music.” Oh, and her mother said she decided to use Briar Jonnee as her stage name in homage to her grandmother, whose name was Jonnee. Briar’s real last name is Blakley.

On picking Pharrell: “Being on Team Pharrell is one of the highlights of my musical career. I come from a small town, so for me to be able to say I worked with Pharrell, that’s huge.”

On iTunes: Just her audition song.

Update: She was matched against Caitlin Caporale in the battle round. They sang “Falling” by Alicia Keys. Pharrell declared Caitlin the winner; Briar was eliminated from the show.

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Twitter: @BriarJonnee

“Explosions” (Ellie Goulding cover)

“Too Much” (Sampha cover)