Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Summer Schappell, 21, of Redding, Calif., auditioned with “Strawberry Wine.” The only two coaches with spots remaining on their team — Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani — turned around for her performance. Gwen complimented her on a pretty and soothing voice. Summer decided to join Team Gwen.

Her background: Summer says she realized she could sing when she was young and always enjoyed putting on shows for family members. She was raised by her grandparents because her mother’s struggles with addiction. Summer said she started performing when she was 14, mostly as an opening act for stars who performed in Redding, like Little Big Town, Josh Turn and LeAnn Rimes. She also traveled to Nashville to try to make it. There have been times, Summer admits, when she has gotten discouraged. She credits her grandparents for encouraging her to continue pursuing a career in music. “My grandparents are the reason I still sing today,” she says.

What the show didn’t show: In her website bio, Summer says her country music aspirations really caught fire in November 2006 when she went to an American Cancer Society fundraiser and watched a band called The Untouchables perform. “I couldn’t just sit and watch from the audience anymore,” she recalls. “I had to get up there somehow. I went right up there and asked if I could sing. At first, I think the only reason they let me up on that stage was because they didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

But she made an impression, repeated the performance the following year and was invited to Nashville at just 14 to record what became a self-titled album. You won’t find it on iTunes, but head to Amazon.com and you can snag a copy for $400. I kid you not. Considering she’s now 21, a better indication of her current abilities are two impressive and much more recent singles — “It’s Workin'” (check out the video below) and “It Ought to be a Sin.” The Miranda Lambert influence is apparent.

In that website bio, Summer admits she and her grandparents were “clueless” about the music industry when they first headed to Nashville, but added that they’ve learned a lot over the years. “The more things go awry, the more I take that and use it to fuel my fire,” she says.

Of course, very little went awry during her blind audition. The only two coaches who could turn did. She got a congratulatory shout-out from Deana Carter for doing such a great job with “Strawberry Wine.” And she seems genuinely thrilled to be on Team Gwen.

During a conference call with the media, Summer said she’s always wanted to bring something different to her brand of country music. “I picked Gwen because she’s going to have an outsider’s look on what I do and bring something very different to the table for me that I can incorporate. And I’ve been such a huge, huge fan of Gwen for so long. And for her to turn her chair – especially for a country singer, it was mind-blowing.”

For links to profiles on other Season 9 contestants, head here. I’ll be posting blogs on the eight singers featured Monday night this week.

On iTunes: Two singles — “It Ought to be a Sin” from 2012 and “It’s Workin'” from 2013.

Update:
Battle round: Defeated Hanna Ashbrook, singing “Leave the Pieces.”
Knockout round: She performed “Little White Church,” but lost to Korin Bukowski.

Website
Facebook
Twitter: @SummerSchappell

It’s Working (2013 single)

Homegrown, Down-Home VIP (from her 2009 album) / Gunpowder and Lead / Rock Star (from her 2009 album)

Blind audition — “Strawberry Wine”