Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Tamara Chauniece, 23, of Wharton, Texas, sang Beyonce’s “1 + 1.” Her vocals prompted Christina Aguilera to turn around in a heartbeat. Mid-song, she was joined by Cee Lo Green. Cee Lo called the performance “gorgeous,” then added “and so are you.” Christina said Tamara touched her heart.

Tamara Chauniece landed a spot on Team Cee Lo Green on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Background: Tamara says she grew up surrounded by music in church; her parents are ministers. By age 7, Tamara gave her first public performance. By age 11, her mom hired producers, and Tamara recorded an album called “Higher Ground.” “We would sell copies out of the trunk,” Tamara told The Voice. “That’s what got me becoming a recording artist, in a sense.” But by 18, Tamara says she hadn’t gotten the big break she was hoping for in music and felt a little burned out. So she became a leasing agent at an apartment complex. Now she’s giving music another shot.

On choosing Cee Lo: “I know for a fact being on his team is going to be an experience. I’m going to learn from him and from my teammates, too, even though we have to battle. That will definitely help me as an artist and musician.”

What the show didn’t show: Tamara actually released a pair of gospel EPs, both of which are still available on CDBaby — “Higher Ground,” the one we heard about on the show, was released in 2000; “My Steps Are Ordered,” a four-track EP, came out in 2010. Both were released as Tamara C. Williams, and you’ll also find a list of gospel competitions she did well in there. Tamara told The Wharton Journal-Spectator her parents always showed an appreciation for the arts and music and she was deeply influenced by the music she heard in church. As a youngster, she said, “I’d line all my teddy bears up, preach a sermon to them, then sing them a song.” She was attending the University of North Texas when the opportunity to audition for the show came up. And, on Friday, she posted a thank you to all her supporters on her Facebook page, calling “the entire week so humbling” because of all the positive feedback she’d received. “I feel so loved, and that’s the greatest feeling for anyone,” she wrote. “And the best is yet to come.”

Quote: Prior to her audition — “Gospel music is definitely my foundation, but not exactly the direction I would want to go. I would want a broader audience. If I could work with one of the coaches, I could learn to connect with different audiences across the board.”

On iTunes: Just the studio version of her audition song.

Keeping up with Tamara: On Twitter — @TamaraChauniece — Facebook — YouTube

For profiles of other Season 5 contestants, go here.

Tamara Chauniece, “Without You” cover

Tamara Chauniece, “Marvin’s Room” cover