photo: Derick TortorellaThroughout Season 1 of "The Voice," most viewers assumed that Javier Colon--who'd been the frontrunner since before the show even premiered, when his blind audition was heavily featured in NBC's promo teasers--had the competition in the bag. Javier did end up winning in the end...but he still faced a seriously formidable opponent in Team Cee Lo's Northwestern rocker girl Vicci Martinez, who made it to the finale, thankfully ended up with a record deal anyway, and now has released her eponymous post-"Voice" album, Vicci.
Vicci was never a typical reality contestant. She had a penchant for fauxhawks, Florence + The Machine covers, and tribal drums, and her musical background was in rock/folk/indie, a far cry from the type of music that usually dominates shows like "The X Factor" and "American Idol." (Yes, the "Idol" powers-that-be did try to push quirky indie-rock girls on "Idol" Season 9, but we all know how that panned out.) In fact, Vicci once made it through the "Idol" audition process, when she was just 16 years old, but she decided not to continue on that show because it wasn't the right fit.
Truly, Vicci, despite being a very pretty girl, was what "The Voice" was supposed to be all about, since she never looked or acted the cartoonish part of a pop starlet. Yes, as "The Voice" Season 1 progressed, image did become more and more important, and Vicci proved she was able to deliver in that department--as evidenced by her famously flashy "Love Is A Battlefield" duet with mentor Cee Lo Green, during which she awesomely rocked some Nikki Sixx facepaint and spiky Adam Lambert shoulderpads while flanked by somersaulting Mad Max dancers. But through it all, Vicci's amazing voice remained at the forefront.
Vicci has been gigging and making music since she was 14 years old, and has released several albums on her own--she's no reality TV newbie--but hopefully Vicci will be the breakthrough she has long deserved. Watch her perform three songs from the LP (including "Let Go," touchingly dedicated to her late father), and see her talk about the album and her "Voice" journey in the exclusive interview below!
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