Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Teana Boston, 16, of San Leandro, Calif., performed “Unfaithful” by Rihanna. Kelly Clarkson turned her chair late in the song. She wound up being the only coach to do so, but it was enough to give Teana a spot on the show.

Her background: Teana says she maintains a 4.0 GPA in high schol and “I plan to keep it that way.” Musically, she says Voice coach Alicia Keys has always been a big inspiration. At age 10, Teana recalls singing Alicia’s “If I Ain’t Got You.” “People were surprised this little girl was singing this big song,” Teana recalled. The compliments she received on that performance made her think she might just have a future as a singer.

What the show didn’t show:

* Teana told Voice Views that prior to The Voice, two of her biggest performances involved singing the national anthem at an Oakland Raiders game and a World Cup soccer match last year.

* She has released three singles — “Not Broken” (2016), “Look in My Eyes” (2016) and “Say Their Names” (2017).

* She describes the latter as “a Black Power anthem demanding a call to action to the recent excessive violence and police brutality reports against African Americans.” You can check out the song below.

* A cheerleader at James Logan High School in Union City, Calif., she and one of her colleagues also started kneeling during the national anthem at games last year.

* Said Teana in a story on NPR Youth Radio: “I did my research on what I was really singing about, and I have to realize that it’s not the land of the free really, like, at all. So we have to not just say, ‘yay, freedom, yay.'”

* All that said, in a 2017 interview video, Teana describes herself as “very playful and goofy. Too goofy, sometimes.”

* She also says there was never a defining moment when she decided singing was her future. “I just couldn’t stop. I was singing every day. It’s always been in me to do it.”

About being a member of Team Kelly Clarkson: “Kelly Clarkson is so inspirational. The advice that she gave on how we can move forward with my artistry, it drew me in. And I know she has been in a competition like this before and has that experience. I know she’d be able to give me the knowledge I need for my performances (on The Voice) and my career as well.”

On social media:
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Twitter: @iamteanaboston
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