Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Larriah Jackson, 15, of Sacramento, Calif., auditioned with “I’ll Be There” by Mariah Carey. Gwen turned early in the performance and wound up being the only coach to do so in spite of a really nice ending by Larriah. Gwen called her voice “rich and warm and dreamy” and loved the fact that she landed a young female artist. Larriah automatically became a member of Team Gwen.

Here’s more about Larriah.

* She’s just 15 and a student at Saint Francis High School in Sacramento, according to her web bio.

* That said, she’s been performing since age 3 and appeared in her first musical, “Cinderella,” back in 2010, when she would have been about 5 years old.

* She’s a recent recipient of a Germination Grant from the Black Artists Fund of Sacramento.

* In her grant bio, Larriah writes that she’s recorded two of her own songs and has been featured on two other songs by young African American artists.

* One of those songs is a debut single called “Talk,” released in May as LarriahJ. You can check out the accompanying music video below.

* Larriah says she’s also opened for Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, Angie Stone and “many more.” She was the opening act at Sapp’s Praise Fest in 2015.

* She’s also continued her involvement in musical theater, performing in “Hairspray” and, more recently, “North Star,” both productions at American River College.

Larriah on social media:
Website
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