Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Chevel Shepherd, 16, of Farmington, N.M., auditioned with “If I Die Young” by The Band Perry. Kelly Clarkson, determined to land a country artist, turned early in the performance, followed by Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson. Though she and Blake have the same birthday, Chevel decided to join Team Kelly.

Her background: Chevel stands just 4-foot-10 but compares herself to dynamite because she’s small and powerful. As for her name, it stems partly from her dad’s love of cars, but also because he thought it sounded like a “rock star name,” Chevel says. She adds that she started singing around age 2 – mostly Carrie Underwood songs – and now performs at weddings and church and school events.

On joining Team Kelly: “She gave me advice like that I was in my head a lot and I do agree with her. And I feel like since she’s so versatile — since she’s not all country but she does work with some country artists — that it could kind of make me different and take me on a different path.”

What the show didn’t show:

* She attends Farmington High School, just turned 16 on June 18 and, judging from her personal Facebook page, also goes by the nickname Chevy.

* She has just two covers on her YouTube channel, both from two years ago — “Heaven Was Needing a Hero” and “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield.

* In a charming Facebook chat with fans, she said her favorite genre is country music, especially songs that tell a story and have “a lot of heart. You can put a lot of feeling into country music.” But she adds that she sings other genres as well.

* Chevel says she started singing when she was just 2. Her older sister and mother also sing. The first two songs Chevel learned were “Fly Away” by Tim McGraw and “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood.

* She sang at rodeos growing up.

* Chevel says her favorite artist is Carrie Underwood. She says she loves the fact that Carrie’s a good role model. Oh, and her favorite song is Carrie’s “Cupid’s Got a Shotgun.” “It’s so fun to sing,” she proclaims.

* Being a Carrie fan, she admits she wanted to be on American Idol when she was young. “But when The Voice came on, I watched it all the time. It’s so intriguing because they listen to your voice and don’t base it on your look. The show’s just completely different from America’s Got Talent and American Idol and I really love that.”

* As for her look, Chevel says her hair turned curly when she was 12 and still is. And she stopped growing at 4-foot-10. “So I’m going to be 4-foot-10 forever and ever. But I love being short,” she adds quickly. “Short people are pretty cool.”

* That did require one adjustment. Her dad bought a gutted 1972 Chevy Chevelle that was supposed to be her first car. “But he had to get rid of it because I couldn’t see over the steering wheel or reach the pedals,” Chevel said. In a conference call with the media, Chevel said he’s hoping to acquire a more complete Chevelle that can be adjusted to fit her small size.

Her social media links:
Instagram
Twitter: @officialchevel
Facebook
YouTube