Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Terisa Griffin might not have made the most chairs spin around on The Voice.

But she delivered one of the most fun auditions.

You knew you were in for a good time when Terisa’s interview started with her waving her hand at her face and proclaiming: “I might have a hot flash.”

Now she’s hoping to turn what she calls a “big mistake” into success on a national stage.

The mistake came years ago for the 42-year-old Chicago resident, back when she was attending college.

“My dad gave me a car,” she recalls. “So I packed it up and drove to Chicago because I really wanted to be in the music business. Big mistake. I was like homeless and living in my car.”

But it turned out OK because she landed a gig with rock-and-roll Hall of Famer Jerry Butler.

And she’s been singing and performing ever since, though stardom has proven elusive.

“It’s been a grind. Definitely a struggle,” she says before taking The Voice stage. “I am not where I want to be. This show will allow me exactly where I feel like my talent should be.”

Then she takes the stage, sings Adele’s “Someone Like You,” and displays one of the best, biggest voices we’ve heard on The Voice all season.

No sooner has she launched into the chorus than Blake starts yelling at the other coaches to turn around, probably figuring he’s not the best match for this auditioner.

Christina finally spins her chair. Moments later, Blake smacks his red button. Then they vie for Terisa’s affection.

Christina told Terisa she “soared” on the chorus. Blake said he decided to push his “freakin’ button too because I just have a lot of respect for singers, and you’re at the top of the list today.”

After grilling the coaches for a couple of minutes, Terisa likely shocked nearly everyone in the audience by going with Team Blake.

What the show didn’t show: Terisa’s flamboyance probably comes naturally or was learned at a young age. In 2007 interview, she says her dad was a baptist minister known for “his very expressive — I dare say theatrical — sermons. People were captivated by his ability to set the gospel on fire.” As for that college stint, her website bio says she was on a music scholarship to Northeastern Louisiana University when she packed her bags for Chicago. Though she got her start as a background vocalist, she released an EP called “Songbird” in 1999, an album called “My Naked Soul” in 2006, and a pair of “Soulzophrenic” albums in 2011, one an R&B album and one a dance counterpart. You can find everything but “Songbird” on iTunes and listen to full versions of some of the songs on her website. And here’s the link to her YouTube channel. Terisa also runs a nonprofit, Better Love Yourself, which helps transition students from high school to college life, according to her bio on The Voice. And, she’s engaged and planning a wedding right in the middle of the show’s craziness, she reports in her Voice blog. “I must be crazy thinking I can have it all, but if you don’t dream big, why live?” she writes, while encouraging middle-aged women never to give up and hold out for the perfect man. As for picking Blake … as a coach, that is … well, if he hadn’t yelled at Christina to turn around, who knows if she would have, Terisa told Christina Milian in a post-audition interview.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs once the battle rounds begin on The Voice.

Terisa’s video for “You Got Me”