Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Reagan James, 15, of Burleson, Texas, auditioned with Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love,” delivered a heck of an opening and quickly had Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton facing in her direction. They wound up being the only coaches to turn their chairs. Blake says “we haven’t heard anyone like you on this show.” In a bit of a surprise decision, the young female singer joined Team Blake.

Her background: Yep, she hails from the same town as the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, and we’re quickly treated to a photo of Kelly meeting a young Reagan backstage at one of her shows. Her parents divorced when she was young. But her stepdad is a guitar player, and Reagan calls him her biggest musical influence. She says she performed at a festival in her hometown when she was 8 or 9. “There was this feeling of joy, and I knew I was on the track for where I wanted to go when I was older.” She considers herself an R&B singer with pop influences.

What the show didn’t show: She might only be 15, but she’s already compiled an impressive musical resume that includes winning the national Kid Kraddick in the Morning Show/Scooter Braun Talent Scout contest, releasing an impressive 13-track pop album called “Remedy” in 2013 and following up with a single called “Every Day” earlier this year. Among the album tracks, be sure to check out “Perfect,” “Bury Me” and “Traveling Blind.” You can listen to some of her original material on her website (link below) and more on her ReverbNation page. “Writing is my main thing,” she says in her Voice video. “But then I started singing and playing guitar — my parents are musicians — and started playing out in the eighth grade.” Oh, and she might have looked calm on stage during her blind audition, but she admits to “freaking out” the night before. I have a hunch this young lady might do real well on The Voice, especially after watching her brand new fun cover of Blake Shelton’s “Neon Light.”

Update:
Blind audition: Turned two chairs singing Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love.”
Battle round: Defeated fellow teen Kensington Moore; they sang Lorde’s “Team.”
Knockout round: Defeated Grant Ganzer with a performance of “Hit Em Up Style.”
Live playoffs: She sang “Try” by Colbie Caillat. The song hit number 53 on the iTunes singles chart and number 27 on the site’s pop chart. Reagan was voted into the finals.
Top 12: She sang Lenny Kravitz’s “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over.” The song hit number 112 on the iTunes singles chart and number 53 on the site’s pop chart. Reagan was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: She sang Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” but landed in the bottom three and was eliminated. The song hit number 52 on the iTunes pop chart and number 126 on the site’s overall singles chart. She sang “I’m Like a Bird” for her save-me song.
Wild Card: She sang “Put Your Records On,” and landed at 156 on the iTunes singles chart. The wild card spot went to Damien.

On iTunes: The 2013 album “Remedy,” the 2014 single and her Voice performances. She also released a cover of Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” in 2013 as Reagan Beard.

Keeping up with Reagan:
Twitter: @thereaganjames
Facebook
YouTube
Website

Pre-Voice

“Bury Me”

“Turn My Swag On” (cover)

“Traveling Blind”