Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Rachel Messer, 19, of Fort Gay, W.Va., auditioned with “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart.” The song not only allowed her to show off strong country vocals, but her yodeling skills as well. Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson turned, with Blake complimenting Rachel’s love of traditional country music. Rachel opted to join Team Blake.

Her background: Rachel says she lives in a part of West Virginia that’s so rural, there isn’t even a cell phone signal. Her grandfather was in a bluegrass band and her father plays guitar. She says they formed the foundation of her musical background.

On picking Team Blake: “Going into it, I had my heart set on Blake Shelton. And I just felt like he would be a really great match for me style-wise and also he does seem like a very relatable person. But Kelly turned around and she was just being so sweet and I was almost convinced. I almost went with Kelly, but I just had to go with my gut and it was with Blake.”

What the show didn’t show:

* According to her website bio, Rachel started singing when she was 3 and recorded a gospel CD when she was just 8 years old.

* She started pursuing music more seriously after winning a Coalfields Got Talent competition in 2015, that bio indicates.

* The next year, she wrote and recorded her lone single to date, “Jesus and My 6 String.” She also released a music video for the song. You can check it out below.

* In addition to the guitar, she plays mandolin, autoharp, and the ukulele.

* And her website says that while she’s a classic country singer, she’s equally at home performing bluegrass and gospel music.

* During a conference call with the media, she described her music this way: “A lot of the classic country sounds is just what I’ve grown up on.
I mean, I love newer country. I definitely feel like I would describe my sound as, the old school with a modern twist on to it.”

* In the summer of 2017, she joined the cast at Billie Jean Osborne’s Kentucky Opry, a show that’s been running at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonburg, Ken.

* Photos on her Instagram account indicate she was back performing with the Opry this summer.

* Her website bio also promises two new singles in 2018. They haven’t been released yet. But, hey, there’s still time.

On social media:
Instagram
Website
Facebook
Twitter: @IAmRachelMesser
YouTube