Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Pia Renee from The Voice Season 20

Here’s more about Pia.

* She’s from Chicago and says in her web bio that she discovered her talent for music at age 6.

* Because of a “turbulent adolescence,” she adds that she didn’t start pursuing music as a career until she was in her 20s.

* She was 24 and using the name Pia “Zpia” Easley when she auditioned for American Idol in 2008 (Season 7) and earned a unanimous golden ticket to Hollywood.

* The notoriously difficult to please Simon Cowell seemed most impressed, calling Pia “interesting,” “confident” and “stylish.”

* She went on to tour the nation and world as a background singer and bass guitar player with Ethiopian World Music, Ethiopian singer-songwriter Teddy Afro, Reggae Star and with a local reggae band Dub Dis.

* Pia also released a pair of EPs, “In Training” and “Enmity” (2011), writing the music for both.

* Her most recent release was an EP called “The Return,” which dropped in July 2017 and followed a five-year absence from the stage, according to an article on YouKnowIGotSoul.com. Check out “Freedom Song” from that project below.

* Pia has also been the voice behind a pair of WalMart commercials, including one that aired during the 2020 Super Bowl, and appeared in a COVIC commercial released by The United Way.

* And she appeared in a non-speaking role in a couple of episodes of the hit FOX series Empire, appearing as the bass player for character Jamal Lyon.

* Pia wrote on Linked In that she planned to release her first reggae album in the summer of 2020. It hasn’t landed yet, likely because of her involvement with The Voice.

Editor’s note: Season 20 of The Voice is scheduled to kick off Monday, March 1 on NBC.

Pia on social media:
Website
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Twitter
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