Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her blind audition: Toneisha Harris, 44, of Roswell, Ga., performed “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner. She turned out to be the only four-chair turn on the second night of auditions, enticing John Legend to spin his chair first, followed by Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson. It was well deserved considering she delivered a pitch-perfect performance with power and passion to spare. Nick called it a powerful, phenomenal vocal. Kelly called her voice a blessing. Blake pitched his experience at guiding a gifted singer through the show. Toneisha decided to join Team Blake.

Here’s more about Toneisha:

* According to her Voice bio, Toneisha grew up singing and, at age 12, joined her mom and aunts in their traveling gospel group.

* She continued to sing in that group for 15 years and, though her mom was strict about singing only gospel music, her father allowed her to also sing R&B music.

* According to one bio, she was offered a recording contract at age 13, but her mother wanted her to complete her education first. She later represented Maryland in Vickie Winans’ Rising Star Competition and placed second overall.

* In 2007, she provided a vocal assist on Bruce Parham’s gospel hit, “Call Jesus.” The song hit number four on the gospel music chart and spent 38 weeks on that chart.

* She’s also done some acting, appearing in the musical Avenue X in Philly in the summer of 2009, playing the role of the mother of a young black male recruited to join an otherwise all-white doo-wop group in Brooklyn. The play is set in the 1960s.

* In 2011, at age 35, she was named one of 20 finalists on BET’s Sunday Best, hosted by Kirk Franklin and with a coaching panel that included Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary. She performed “Here I am to Worship.”

* It was also that year that she had an opportunity to audition for The Voice, but canceled when her son, Trenton, was diagnosed with leukemia. He was 12 at the time.

* Toneisha told the show she pretty much stopped singing for the three and a half years he was in treatment. He’s now cancer free and attending college.

* In 2015, Toneisha released a gospel single called “ITY (I Thank You),” which was being promoted by Jayez Pad Entertainment.

* One look at her Instagram page shows that she still performs frequently at gospel-related events, both in a supporting role and as a featured vocalist.

* She’s originally from Salisbury, Md., and attended Salisbury University.

Toneisha on social media:
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

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