Indian-American Sharon Mathai hits a high note on 'The Voice'

New York: Sharon Mathai, an 18-year-old medical student turned singer has everyone riveted on NBC’s blockbuster vocal competition The Voice, which returns with wonderful singers from across America competing in the hit show’s second season. Mathai became a member of Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine’s team after she gave a knockout performance of Rumor Has It by Adele during her blind audition. Levine and two other celebrity judges on The Voice country superstar Blake Shelton and singer-songwriter, record producer Cee Lo Green wanted to coach Mathai, but she picked Levine who coached last year’s show winner. It takes a lot to make it even to the Battle Rounds of The Voice, and in the last episode, NBC tested the staying power of two hopefuls: Nicolle Galyon and Mathai. The pair went head-to-head singing Sara Bareilles’ Love Song. Mathai was coached by Levine and Alanis Morissette for the Battle Round and the judges’ votes were unanimous — Mathai was the clear winner. She brought a soulful, folksy sound to the Bareilles tune. The Voice format features three stages of competition: the blind audition, a battle phase, and finally, the live performance shows. Mathai, who is now in the live shows which started on 2 April, has a crack at scoring a big record contract if she wins The Voice. [caption id=“attachment_265818” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Image courtesy NBC”]  [/caption] A good science and math student, Mathai has spoken out about choosing to follow her musical dreams over medical school. “I was a senior in high school and I was working towards being in the medical field, being a doctor. I wish I had a really cool story but honestly what happened to me is I just woke up one day and I was like, ‘I really think I’m supposed to be a singer.’ I’d always been a nerd, I was such a big academic,” said Mathai during a conference call with reporters. “It was kind of hectic and finally I decided to let go of school for now and just follow this dream because it’s freaking awesome and I want to make the most of it,” added Mathai, who also loves skydiving. Mathai’s father is a Dallas-based psychiatrist; her mother is a nurse, while her brother is a medical student. Not surprisingly, Mathai’s family of doctors “laughed her off” when she first told them she had decided to trade music for medicine, but they are now her biggest fans on The Voice. “They were upset, they said what would I do with my life in music and could end up homeless… I had to swim against that cultural current. I could not live a life of regrets, what ifs. I had to try,” Mathai reveals in a video posted on the NBC show’s website. With the battle rounds at its back, The Voice kicked off its live shows on Monday night. The members of Team Blake Shelton and Team Christina Aguilera – with six singers apiece – each took the stage solo to vie for viewers’ votes. Viewers can vote three members of each team through to safety, and then the coach of each team will be able to choose one member of his or her bottom three to rescue and send through as well. The next episode will have members of Team Adam and Team Cee Lo vie for viewers votes. A big fan of Amy Winehouse’s music, Mathai has her work cut out as she battles it out with the top 24 of The Voice. She is competing against professional musicians: Jermaine Paul, the talented Alicia Keys’ background singer who wants to step into the spotlight as a solo artist; classically-trained opera singer Chris Mann who’s trying to make his cancer-battling mom proud by finding mainstream success; hip-hopper Moses Stone, Los Angeles musician Naia Kette and Tony Vincent, a Broadway veteran who has starred in American Idiot and Rent. Mathai herself started singing at the age of three. She was a member of the high school choir and grew up singing in church. Mathai’s parents are from Kerala. “Everyone was shocked to hear something coherent come out of a 3-year-old’s mouth,” she told Idol Chatter while recalling the first time she sang in church. “My mom signed me up for voice lessons when I was five and I’ve been signing ever since.” Listen to Mathai’s performance of Adele’s Rumour has it