Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Clara Hong, 22, of Atlanta, Ga., auditioned with “Chuck E’s in Love.” Within a couple of notes, Adam Levine spins his chair. And he’s quickly followed by Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams as Clara continues to deliver a solid performance. Pharrell calls her tone “silk;” Gwen calls her voice alluring. But Adam writes her a poem, a Voice first. Clara joins Team Adam.

Her background: Clara was born in South Korea; her parents moved to the U.S. when she was 8. She couldn’t speak English at the time, which made it difficult to fit in. Music was her escape and helped her learn the language. Two years into college, Clara said she found herself “really unhappy” and decided she wanted to leave school and pursue music. “Now I’m much happier.” She works as a banquet server to help pay her bills, but says she wants to prove to her parents that she can make it in music. The Voice, she hopes, will serve as a step in that direction.

What the show didn’t show: On her website, Clara writes that she’s trying to figure out what it means to be a 22-year-old singer/songwriter who isn’t sure where she’ll be or what she’ll be doing a year from now. But at present, she’s working on a debut EP of songs “I wrote during a chapter of my life that is very much past and done with. I’m so ready to put them out into the world so my brain and I can move on and write about experiences and changes we’re going through now.” She adds: “I hope my songs help you feel when you are numb. I hope they make you whole when you are empty. These are my biggest hopes.” Though she expressed a pre-performance preference for joining Team Pharrell, she says she sensed a “great energy” from Adam that made her choose his team. Oh, and if you’d like to see those poems Adam and Pharrell recited while trying to coerce her to join their teams — they’re on Clara’s website.

Update: She was eliminated from the show when she lost a battle round match to Rebekah Samarin. They sang “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,”

On iTunes: Just her Voice audition song, “Chuck E’s in Love.” But follow the music link on her website and you’ll find two fine originals available for download, “Older and Bitter” and “100 Ray,” which were recorded at The Cottage in Atlanta, Ga., last October.

Keeping up with Clara:
Twitter: @iamclarahong
Facebook
YouTube
Website

“Diamonds for Stone”

“Older and Bitter”