Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Raquel Trinidad listens to feedback from the coaches on The Voice Season 21. (NBC Photo)

But she believes some advice from Idol judge Lionel Richie might lead to even better performances on The Voice.

Raquel made Season 21 of The Voice with a performance of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” that aired Monday night.

John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande all turned for Racquel, hoping to entice the 23-year-old from Tampa. Fla., to their.

Raquel opted to join Team Ariana after the newest Voice coach expressed how she was moved by the performance.

Here’s what Raquel told Voice Views about her blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for Season 21 of The Voice?

Raquel: I decided on my own that I was going to audition for The Voice. I realized that I was wasting time working jobs that were unrelated to music, instead of putting effort into what I really wanted to do (sing, all the time). I figured, the only way I’d be able to accomplish my dreams was to conquer them myself, not to keep waiting for opportunities to approach me.

Voice Views: You did quite well on American Idol. What did you take away from that experience that you think will help you on The Voice?. And how do you think you’ve grown as an artist since then?

Raquel: The main lesson I gathered from my time on American Idol actually comes from Lionel Richie himself. He told me to always be myself, because it’ll always shine through to the people. He told me not to allow the industry to change who I am as an artist, because I have a package that inspires people, and that as long as I stay true to myself, it will always show.

I also learned to always make eye contact with judges and the audience, and to not be so in my head/overthinking all the time! Letting everything come naturally has made a huge difference in my performances on The Voice compared to my performances on American Idol.

See also …
More about Raquel Trinidad and the music she’s released

Voice Views: Why did you decide to perform “I Wish” for your audition song?

Raquel: I decided to sing “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder as my blind audition song, because that has always been my go-to karaoke song! I have also been practicing that song for years as my mother would always listen to Stevie Wonder in the house while cleaning. I subconsciously grew more and more interested in Stevie Wonder’s music over the years with it always playing in my house, and now he has become one of the biggest vocal influences in my life.

Voice Views: How would you describe that blind audition experience?

Raquel: The blind audition experience was such a THRILL! With a lot of focus (and of course some meditation the morning of the audition), I managed to actually stay calm during the process and give my best performance! I will say though that taking that stage is definitely intimidating if you aren’t handling your emotions properly. It was vital that I had to keep out of my head, and stay in the real moment.

Voice Views: And why did you decide to join Team Ariana?

Raquel: I decided to join Team Ariana because Ariana Grande is the queen of vocal runs! I was so lucky to have turned three chairs, and honestly either of those three coaches would have been phenomenal, and an honor to work with. But I really felt that Ariana would be able to teach me how to make the best use of my runs, riffs, & using my vocal mid-range in the same powerful way she does.