Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Megan Ruger, 26, of Twin Lakes, Wis., sang Pink’s “Just Like a Pill” for her audition, hoping the judges would hear “the sassy, fierce, crazy me.” She delivered a fine rendition of the song, complete with a couple of prolonged glory notes. But it wasn’t until the last second that Usher and Blake Shelton turned their chairs, prompting something of a happy dance from Megan. Blake praised the power in her voice.

Her background: About six years ago, Megan moved from Wisconsin to Nashville to further her career in music. She says she was singing Faith Hill and Patsy Cline at shows, but would also throw in some ’80s rock so she would stand out and be different. “I’m definitely a rocker at heart,” she told The Voice, saying she performs everything from Joan Jett to Lady Gaga. But after six years, she says she feels stuck in Nashville, at a crossroads as she tries to stand out from the crowd.

What the show didn’t show: Megan started performing at state fairs and in talent shows when she was 7. By 16, she was opening for the likes of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rascal Flatts. She previously auditioned for American Idol and made it as far as Hollywood. She also tried out for Season 5 of The Voice. For Season 6, she went to an open call audition in Atlanta and performed “Never Been the Same” by Three Dog Night to initially impress producers. She followed that with songs from Pink and Grace Potter. “So I gave them some ’70s rock that I love, plus some current rock and a little bit of pop with Pink. I’m hoping to definitely bring ’80s rock back into the world today. Like Joan Jett meets Pink.”

On choosing Blake: “It just came down to him being in Nashville and relating to me as an artist. I just think that he’s a very genuine person and that he really is behind the artists that he works with, and my gut feeling just went with Blake. I think he’ll let me be who I am, and that’s why I picked him too.”

On iTunes: Just her audition song. But you can check out some Megan Ruger tunes on ReverbNation and SoundCloud, including two fine originals “Had It Comin'” and “Good Times Better.”

Update: She defeated Ria Eaton in the battle round; they sang “My Happy Ending.”

Keeping up with Megan:
Twitter: @MeganRuger
Facebook
YouTube

Editor’s Note: For links to profiles of all the Season 6 artists on The Voice, go here. And check back for live blogging during every episode of Season 6.

“Good Time Better” (original song)

“Sweet Child of Mine” (cover)

“Something To Talk About” (cover)