Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Livia Faith, 17, of Stanton, Kentucky, put her own stamp on an old classic, “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” prompting chair turns from Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys. Despite a pre-audition preference for Blake, Livia decided to join Team Alicia.

Her background: Livia says she started singing when she started talking. “I was 3 years old when I got my first karaoke machine,” she recalls. “And I was pumped about it.” She says she’s been singing at her community’s Corn Festival since she was about 9. And Livia says she knew she wanted to be a singer as soon as she started performing. Problem is, there aren’t too many opportunities for singers in her small town. Oh, and Livia has a ukulele named Henry.

What the show didn’t show:

* According to her bio on The Voice website, Livia had to overcome medical obstacles at a young age when she was diagnosed with a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which often left her fatigued and in pain.

* Prior to The Voice, she said her biggest performance came the week she turned 15. She competed in the singing competition at a International Model and Talent Association event in New York and won Junior Singer of the Year.

* She told Voice Views: “It’s always been a dream of mine to audition for The Voice. I kept telling my mom and my sisters I wanted to wait until I was at least in my 20s and knew that my voice was mature, that I’d be more confident and in my prime.”

* Her sister short-circuited those plans. “We were snowed in here in Kentucky for four days,” Livia recalled. “I guess my sister got a little cabin fever. She got on the computer and just registered me to go to a cattle call audition in Nashville. I was downstairs, she was upstairs and sent me a text, ‘Guess who just registered you for The Voice.’ So I did it on a whim. I didn’t expect anything of it.”

* Livia said she considered playing Henry for her blind audition, but was afraid she’d mess up on the ukulele and it would throw off her vocal. “And the (Voice) band is great, so I felt honored to have them as the only instruments on stage.”

On picking Team Alicia: “I really surprised myself with that one. I really went in thinking, ‘If Blake Shelton turns his chair, I’m going with Blake Shelton.’ After we talked and I heard everything they had to say … Alicia just really showed this passion to have me on her team. Then she thanked me. My heart just melted. By the time she finished, my heart just went straight to her. It was like there was this light over Alicia Keys head. Like, ‘I have to pick Alicia.'”

On social media:
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Twitter: @LiviaFaithMusic
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