Several thousand hopefuls will be vying for a spot on hit NBC reality competition The Voice. The auditions will take place in Chicago this Sunday. Among them, North Central State College alum Jessica Hannan and Pioneer Performing Arts student Raven Stanley have their eyes set on the show’s red card that will send them on to the next stages of competition.
Hannan had her first break into the music industry when she won a nationwide contest with Sonic Records Beating out 10,000 competitors and inking a two year deal with the indie record label at age 13. Hannan’s website also lists her as an 11th place finisher in Ohio Idol, a state-wide vocal competition.
After taking a hiatus because she “wanted to be a kid,” Hanan is back pursing her dream and has even been occasionally performing local shows.
Jessica Hannan’s legal name is now Jessica Stackhouse. A graduate of Hillsdale, the twenty-six-year-old country singer lives in Ashland with her husband of four years, Ryan Stackhouse. She also works as a pediatric nurse for Pediatric Consultants of Ashland. She says her maiden name, Jessica Hannan, is her preferred stage name because that’s how the public first met her. While her goal is ultimately a career as a singer, her inspiration comes from a deeper place.
Hannan shared that her mother was left only 65 percent recovered after suffering a massive stroke,. Hannan share that her mother overcame symptoms like inter-cranial pressure, went through months of difficult therapy. But she didn’t spend it alone, Hannan shared that she sang Amazing Grace to her mother every day through the recovery process.
At one bedside visit, Hanan said she looked in her mother’s eyes, held her hand said, “Mom, this is our dream and I will die trying.”
Hannan reports that her mother continues to battle the symptoms of the episode; her mother’s effort inspires her. “She didn’t give up on her fight,” the country singer added, “So I’m not going to give up mine.”
When asked which judge she would pick if she made it to the televised rounds, Hannan shared a spoiler.
“I’m Team Blake all the way,” she said, referring to the country music superstar and two-time show winning judge Blake Shelton.
The official auditions in Chicago are one of four massive auditions for the show. The un-televised process will whittle thousands down to a few finalists who will be sent to California for the judges chair-turns and team selections. The newly selected finalists are expected to air next fall after the upcoming fifth series starting in February has ended.
In the upcoming Chicago casting call, Hannan will be joined by Pioneer Performing arts student Raven Stanley. At sixteen years old, Stanley has just one year on the show’s minimum age. The Ontario resident says this will be her first ever competition.
While she may be just entering the process, the jazz singer says singing is what she’s wanted to do for some time. She began singing as a child during visits with her grandfather Larry Stanley.
“Actually, ever since I started singing and my grandfather told me that I was good; I figured that’s something I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
When asked what her favorite genre was, Stanley said she enjoyed many types of music but felt her voice is best suited for jazz. The young singer has prepared “I Don’t Know Why” by Norah Jones and “The Lonely” by Christina Perri.
Stanley says that she hopes receiving a red card (selection as a finalist) will give her a chance to record music that would “inspire people to be themselves.”
Until then, she, Hannan and several thousand other hopefuls will have to pass the pre-show selection round.
“They told me to be prepared to not to go in front of the celebrity judges at first, [but] to be put in a room and surrounded by people while you sing,” said Stanley. “But other than that they said to expect to be extremely nervous.”
