Idol Chatter & Voice Views

On making the finals: “I really didn’t know I would make it this far,” says Sisaundra Lewis, of Orlando, Fla. “There’s some really amazing talent in the competition. A lot of the feedback I’m getting is that it’s been an inspiration to people who have put their dreams on the back burner. So to show them we are in the winning club would be such a huge honor.”

Her audition: Sisaundra, 44 at the time, sang Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way” for her audition on The Voice. And it was immediately clear she possesses one of the most powerful voices we’ve heard in Season 6. Shakira turned around early in the performance, followed by Adam. Eventually Blake Shelton and Usher did as well, giving Sisaundra one of those coveted four-chair turns. “I would buy your record if it came out tomorrow,” Blake said. Sisaundra joined Team Blake.

Since then: She defeated Paula DeAnda in the first battle round; they sang “Do What You Want.” In the second battle round, she went up against Biff Gore, another singer who turned four chairs in the audition. She was declared the winner; they sang “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.” She earned the spot in the finals by singing “New York State of Mind” during the Team Blake playoffs. The song was the best performing of the night, landing in the Top 20 on iTunes’ R&B chart.

Her background: Sisaundra says she grew up picking fruit in the orange groves of Florida. Her daily activities involved picking fruit, going to school and going to her late father’s church. She says her parents were supportive of her singing in church. When offers came in for her to sing elsewhere, her father gave her permission to do so. Eventually, she moved to Atlanta, where she says her career blossomed. She got a chance to be vocal director for Celine Dion on five major tours. But Sisaundra has three children and decided to come “off the road” to raise them. Now, she’s competing on The Voice at the urging of her children.

What the show didn’t show: Celine Dion is just one of the well-known artists Sisaundra has worked alongside. During a conference call with the media, she said she’s also worked with Janet Jackson, Enrique Iglesias and R&B and soul singer Peabo Bryson. In fact, her website indicates her career started in earnest when she began singing and touring with Bryson. She’s also done a host of jingles and TV commercials, for everything from Dr. Pepper to Rice-a-Roni. But she hasn’t always been behind the scene. She released a single called “Shout” that hit number one on the Billboard dance chart back in 2005. Four mixes of the song are included on an album called “Shout” that Sisaundra released in 2006. She also released a four-track live EP last year. After leaving the road to raise her children, she started singing at Cirque du Soleil at Disney and has worked there for the last 10 years. Her 15-year-old daughter Rasheeda is the one who urged Sisaundra to audition for the show. Sisaundra says she balked at first, considering herself “too mature” at age 44 to try out for a singing show. “And she was like, ‘No, no. They don’t have an age bracket. They’re just going to listen to your voice and, you know, it just goes from that,’ Sisaundra recalled in the conference call. “So how can you turn a teenager down when you’re always telling them they can do anything?” As for her music, Sisaundra says she was raised on gospel, has performed in many different genres, but now classifies her music as pop-soul.

Quote: “What I’ve taken to heart that Blake has said mostly is just telling the story. He’s really into, less is more and tell the story. And I really love that because it makes me live inside the lyrics of the song.”

On iTunes: The 10-track album called “Shout” from 2006 and the four-track live EP released last August, plus her four songs from The Voice. If you want to listen to full-length tracks of her original material, head to Sisaundra’s SoundCloud page. You can even listen to her jingles there.

Keeping up with Sisaundra:
Twitter: @Sisaundra
Facebook
YouTube
Website

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.

“A Song for You” (Leon Russell cover)

“Love on Top”

“Go Get It”