Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Tessanne Chin, 28, of Kingston, Jamaica, auditioned with Pink’s “Try.” How well did she do? Well, all four judges were facing in her direction before she completed the chorus the first time. Adam Levine told her she “could easily win The Voice this year.” Countered Blake: “It’s very hard to win this show, but you’re so far ahead of the game.” Tessanne opted to join Team Adam.

Tessanne Chin of Team Adam on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Background: Growing up in Jamaica with parents who were musicians, Tessanne says she was exposed to reggae music at an early age. But that isn’t her only musical influence. She told The Voice she spent some time in England starting when she was 12, was exposed to rock music for the first time and says “it was the perfect escape for me.” Once back home, she wound up touring with and singing background for reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. “That was my university. That was my college. It was an amazing experience.” She then began to pursue a solo career.

On picking Adam: “I think Adam is a musical chameleon,” Tessanne said in a conference call the day after her audition aired. “He can easily swing between pop, rock, you know. I hear so many different elements and so many different genres in his music. I like that because I myself hate to be put in a box. I think musically one should be free to try different things. So I can really relate to him in that way.”

What the show didn’t show: According to her Facebook bio, Tessanne began her stage career at age 6 and spent time in a Jamaican rock band called “Mile High” after returning home from England. She credits that experience with helping her break out of her shell as a performer and singer. She’s a featured vocalist on a number of tracks you can download from iTunes, but she also released a 14-track full-length album in December 2010 called “In Between Words,” featuring the song “Hideaway,” which was a hit in Jamaica. You can check out it and another single from the album below. By age 24, she had already opened for the likes of Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack and Mary J. Blige, that Facebook bio says. As for her choice of audition song, Tessanne said it was appropriate because “this was me getting up and trying again.”

Quote: “I’m so proud of all I’ve been able to accomplish in Jamaica, but I’d love to know how to become an international artist. And I’d love to see if the coaches can give me the tools to better do that.”

On iTunes: Her album, “In Between Words,” a couple of collaborations with Ky-Mani Marley and her audition song.

Keeping up with Tessanne: On Twitter — @Tessanne — Facebook

Tessanne Chin, “Black Books,” from her 2010 album

Tessanne Chin, “Hideaway” from her 2010 album