Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Blind audition: Claire Dejean, 17, of Dallas, Texas, performed “Hurt Somebody” by Noah Kahan and Julia Michaels. She got a very quick chair turn from Blake Shelton, and a pretty ending prompted Kelly Clarkson to turn as well. Kelly complimented her soulful singer-songwriter vibe. Claire opted to join Team Kelly.

Her background: Claire told The Voice her mom put her in a musical theater production when she was in third grade and she’s been singing and performing ever since. And now she’s sharing some of her experience by teaching students from kindergarten through fourth grade about music and dance. Claire’s mom praised her worth ethic.

On picking Kelly as her coach: “I was actually very close to choosing Blake but I think the reason that I chose Kelly was because the way that she described me as an artist. I think that she just got me a little bit more than Blake did. And I don’t know, I just felt it in my gut that she was the right coach for me.”

What the show didn’t show:

* Claire identifies herself as “a music girl who loves baby goats” on Twitter. Judging from her Instagram account, she’s apparently done some modeling as well.

* Last year, she earned honorable mention for her performance in “Grease” from the Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards, a program that honors top music theater students from 76 schools in the greater Dallas area. Claire’s performance was for Highland Park High School.

* According to her bio on The Voice website, Claire has done a series of fundraising concerts for childhood cancer research and teen suicide prevention. “Those causes are really special to me because I’ve had so many people in my life, like friends or people who influenced my music career, that have suffered with cancer, anxiety and depression, and I’ve had friends who have committed suicide at a very young age,” she told Voice Views.

* Claire hasn’t released music but calls herself “an avid songwriter. You can check out a mix of covers and originals on her Soundcloud page.

* As for her genre of music, Claire says this: “I really like to take influences from all the different kinds of music I like, which is such a wide range. But I would probably generally describe myself very singer-songwriter, folksy but with a pop influence, too.”

* The blind auditions were filmed in June, meaning Claire has already gotten a chance to work with Kelly. Her impression: “She’s just such a genuine person and she really brings out the best in her artists, I think. She made me a lot more confident in myself, and just kind of pushed me into doing things that I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise.”

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