Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Blind audition: Courtnie Ramirez, 17, of Bryan, Texas, tackled Jessie J’s “Mamma Knows Best.” Despite an exuberant performance, Courtnie was well into her version before Miley Cyrus and then Alicia Keys turned around. Miley complimented Courtnie on her range, swag and rocker vibe. Alicia called Courtnie’s voice “immediate personality.” Courtnie said she’d like to do R&B/soul music, but opted to join Team Miley.

Her background: She took the stage for the first in church at age 5. After that, Courtnie says she started entering contests and talent shows. There are limited opportunities to perform in the small Texas town where she lives. But she has done an internship with a Christian group called Emerging Sound to work on her song-writing skills and learn to play piano and guitar.

What the show didn’t show:
* She told her hometown newspaper, The Eagle, that Christian music artists Lauren Daigle and Jennie Lee Riddle are among her musical inspirations.
* In 2015, Courtnie attended a conference called Immerse in Nashville where she placed among the top three vocalists, according to a TV interview you can watch here.
* In the same interview, Courtnie said she hopes to become a Christian artist. “That is my one true goal. I feel like God is calling me to do music,” she said at the time. You can watch her first TV performance, a cover of “Love Came Down,” here.
* Through her Emerging Sound internship, she got to co-write a song called “Fight for Your Dreams” with Jennie Lee. You can check out that and another original, “Love is Priceless,” on the Emerging Sound YouTube channel.
* If you prefer pop covers, Courtnie has several of those on her own YouTube channel. I’ve embedded two below.
* During the first weekend in October, she performed at the 13th annual Buddy Walk hosted by The Down Syndrome Association of Brazos Valley.
* Courtnie also recently sang the national anthem during a Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas celebration in downtown Bryan.
* Courtnie told her hometown newspaper she started to doubt herself when no one had turned around midway through her performance. It just made her sing harder, she said. She described the experience as “very nerve-wracking, but then, also exciting all at the same time.”
* During a conference call with the media the day after her audition aired, Courtnie explained her decision to join Team Miley. “So when I first met her, I just saw like the joy and her energy and she was just very enthusiastic and like so excited to be on the show. And I think that’s what really drew me to her team. Like just the personality, you can just see it when she smiles.”

Keeping up with Courtnie:
Twitter: @CourtnieRamirez
Facebook
YouTube

'Treasure' indeed

Laci Kaye Booth, Top 5 on American Idol Season 17, dropped her debut album Aug. 6. Her debut single, the ridiculously addictive "Treasure," heads to country radio in mid-September.