Washington State University alumna, Cierra Mickens, auditioned last night on season six of "The Voice." Mickens, 23, was pushed through to next week and picked Team Shakira after performing "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkely. She seemed to impress all of the judges, which include Shakira, Usher, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.
The Eagle River, Alaska, native began singing gospel at age 3, following in the footsteps of her father, who was an Air Force Chaplin in charge of music ministries. Mickens was a part of the WSU Vocal Jazz ensemble and performed weekly at Pullman's pub, Rico's. Most recently, Mickens performed at the 2013 Shades of Black show at the University of Idaho. Watch her performance here.
She is influenced by the musical talents of Stevie Wonder and other soulful singers, such as Beyoncé and Patti LaBelle, according to her Facebook fan page.
Next week, Mickens will compete in the battle round of "The Voice," when she will attempt to face another singer before the final 12 contestants are picked. Watch last night's audition round performance below.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX42LiK_ytw[/youtube]
