Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Shelbie Z., 21, of Jasper, Ala., auditioned with a sassy version of Gretchen Wilson’s “Here for the Party,” a performance that showed she was no stranger to a stage. But it was her powerhouse vocals that had Cee Lo, Christina and Blake spinning their chairs by the end of the second line of the song. Shelbie decided to join Team Blake.

Her background: On The Voice, Shelbie described herself as a full-time hair stylist and a part-time pageant coach. Pageants were a big part of her life beginning at age 3, she said, adding that she had entered about 100 and won about 45. But she said she stopped competing around age 10 when classmates started teasing her about her weight. It doesn’t sound like she’ll be as quick to give up music. “My passion for music is just a fire inside me I’ve got to let out,” she said.

On picking Blake: Though Adam Levine encouraged her to “be the exception, be the exception, go somewhere else,” Shelbie followed the path of most country singers on The Voice who have the option of choosing Blake. “That was a complete dream come true, to have Blake Shelton turn his chair,” she said after the audition.

What the show didn’t show: According to the Daily Mountain Eagle, Shelbie Z is the stage name for Shelbie Z. James Panter. And, judging from her Facebook bio, she traded pageants for vocal competitions. That page lists more than a dozen she’s been involved in and she won the Alabama Spirit Idol title in 2009. While she normally performs at festivals and fairs around Alabama, she lists the Buck Wild Saloon and the Orchid Lounge in Nashville among the stages she has graced and says her dream would be to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. She describes herself as a “singer/songwriterr of a unique country style all her own.” You can check out one of her originals, “Karaoke Queen,” below.

Quote: “Music means more to me than pretty much life itself.”

On iTunes: Shelbie Z. is featured on a 2012 album called “Alabama’s Emerging Artist” singing “Blue Moon of Kentucky.”

Keeping up with Shelbie: Twitter: @Shelbie_Z — Facebook — YouTube

Shelbie Z., “Karaoke Queen”

Shelbie Z., “Blue Moon of Kentucky”