Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Her audition: Tonya Boyd-Cannon, 35, of New Orleans, La., sang Pharrell’s own “Happy” in a very nice match of singer and song. Adam Levine realized it and turned around quickly during her performance. He was eventually joined by Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams. Tonya decided to join Team Adam.

Her background: Tonya told The Voice she grew up singing in church and earned a degree in music education. “I love to share music. I don’t care how many jobs I have to work, as long as music is involved.” One of her jobs is working with Orleans Parish Prison as director of the prison choir. “The inmates I work with are in the re-entry program,” she explains. “They’re getting ready to go home. They’re going home with life skills, job training and knowing how to approach life, musically and professionally … I am truly blessed to share my gift with these guys, but I would love, love, love the opportunity just to show the world this gift.” Her family also lost everything in Katrina. She’s been singing since age 16 and says she sings all over New Orleans.

What the show didn’t show: She sang in church partly because she’s the daughter of a preacher. And directing the prison choir isn’t her only musical outlet. At the time she recorded her Voice video interview, she was also working as a voice coach and as music minister at her church. Professionally, her website bio says she got her start as a background vocalist for Jean Knight, best known for her 1970’s hit single, “Mr. Big Stuff.” Tonya has also released music of her own, a Christian album in 2006 and a pair of singles in the past two years. She describes her most recent, “My Approval,” as a song of self-validation. “I lived my life for everybody else. I took their opinions over mine. The decisions that I made were theirs, not my own and now I’ve found myself. I loved myself. I approved of myself and put the stamp of approval as Tonya Boyd-Cannon.” As for auditioning with “Happy,” Tonya says it’s “a song that I live every day. I celebrate happiness no matter what is going on.”

On picking Adam: “Musically his approach to everything has always wowed me. And his vocal range and ability to take songs and have them just reach the masses no matter what he sings. And he always has this confidence about approaching the song, approaching on stage performances. And I felt that he would take me where I want to go as an all-around artist and vocalist, allow me to show my versatility in my range as well as techniques.”

On iTunes: Her audition song, plus a 2014 single (“No Approval”), a 2013 single (“In New Orleans’) and a 2006 Christian-gospel album (“Rise My Child”)

Update: Tonya was pitted against James McNeiese in the battle round. They sang Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing.” Adam declared Tonya the winner; James was eliminated. In the knockout round, she was matched up against Barry Minniefield. She sang “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder and was declared the winner.

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Twitter: @TonyaBoydCannon

In New Orleans (her 2013 single)

Rise My Child (from her 2006 album)