Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Jacqui Sandell, 24, of Oakland, N.J., sang Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and got Blake Shelton and Usher to turn around quickly. The other judges never did turn around. Jacqui chose to join Team Blake.

Battle Round: Lost to Savannah Berry when the two performed “Little White Church” by Little Big Town. Jacqui was not stolen.

Her background: Jacqui told The Voice she began singing when she was 9, but it was only a hobby, playing second fiddle to her dancing. You see, she’s a classical ballet dancer. She once performed “Swan Lake” in front of the Russian ambassador. After college, she says she let “dancing go a little bit” and started working on her own music, joining a band and heading off on the Warped Tour. She tried out for The Voice looking for validation that she wasn’t “just some screaming chick in a garage band.”

On picking Blake: “He was the last person that I expected to turn around and, you know, it just made me feel like I had an opportunity to take a real chance with him and try something new. I think that’s what pretty much went through my brain — that I wanted to do something different.” Blake called her voice sneaky and sexy, but Jacqui said what impressed her most was a comment he made about her tattoos.

What the show didn’t show: That post-college band is called My Arcadia and the group has released a pair of EPs, including “Stay” last year. Two songs from that EP are embedded below. And if her interview on The Voice sounded like Jacqui has definite plans of pursuing a solo career after the show … well, that’s not quite the case, Jacqui said in a conference call interview the day after her audition aired. “I know, no matter what, my band members are going to support me and probably be a part of whatever project is next in my career,” she said. Those band members include Mike Costello, Mike Lisa, Chris Ragone and Alex Cahill, according to My Arcadia’s Facebook page, where you can also listen to full-length versions of some of their songs.

Quote: “From tutus to tattoos. That would be my autobiography title,” Jacquie told Carson Daly.

On iTunes: Her audition song, “Dreams,” and a song recorded for the “Bad Girls Club” soundtrack, plus with My Arcadia — a 2012 EP (“Stay”), a 2011 single (“My Pioneer”) and a 2009 EP (“City by the Sea”)

Keeping up with Jacqui
Twitter: @JacquiMYAR
Facebook
My Arcadia Facebook
YouTube channel (My Arcadia)

“Human” (with My Arcadia from the band’s 2012 “Stay”EP)

“Sail On” (with My Arcadia from the band’s 2012 “Stay”EP)