Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Jean Kelley, 29, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with the Kelly Clarkson hit “Already Gone.” Despite a solid performance from the word go, it wasn’t until she hit a high glory note late in the audition that Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani turned their chairs at almost the same instant. Blake called her “a for real” singer. Gwen praised her range and her style. Jean decided to join Team Gwen.

Her background: Jean says her dad was obsessed with bluegrass music and her mom loved Elvis and 1950s and ’60s pop, so she grew up with varied musical influences. Her mom always encouraged her to sing and told Jean she’d be famous one day. But the summer before Jean entered middle school, her mom died of a heart ailment on a family vacation. Jean went to school for music business, but said she eventually decided to pursue her own dream of making music. She moved to Atlanta and joined a band. “It was amazing, but I just wanted to try a hand at something on my own,” she says.

What the show didn’t show: In a 2011 interview, Jean says she starting singing at age 3 when she stood up in a shopping cart and belted out “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” “blissfully unaware of myself.” She wouldn’t take the stage for another nine years, but has been performing ever since. And while she apparently hasn’t released music, you can check out several originals on her YouTube channel (two are also embedded below). She’s also known for her sense of humor; head here to check out the parody of “Blurred Lines” that she stars in, sings in and directed. Not too long ago, she was playing the Carson Daly role as host and emcee of a competition back in Atlanta called “Sing for Your Life.” In her Voice interview, she says she’s self-employed, working in marketing and singing radio jingles. “It’s extremely entertaining,” she says of the latter. “I’ve had to sing, rap; you name it, I’ve done it. It’s been a hoot.” As for deciding to join Gwen’s team, Jean says she grew up on the music of No Doubt. “”My sister and I went through our angsty phase, and that (music) was perfect for us.” Oh, and on Facebook, Jean classifies her music as pop/rock/soul.

On iTunes: Just her audition song.

Keeping up with Jean:
Twitter: @JeanKelleyMusic
Facebook
YouTube

“People” (original)

“Too Close” / “Somebody I Used to Know” mashup

“Dare You to Run” (original)