Teen with Guam ties earns 4-chair turn on 'The Voice'

Her name is Kaylee Shimizu from the island of Oahu in Hawaii. 

Remember that name because if you saw this 17-year-old's blind audition on NBC's "The Voice," you witnessed a star in the making.  Shimizu, who has ties to the island, from the Shimizu family from Tamuning says she was into music since she was little.

"My mom's side can sing and as well as my dad's side...a little...my mom's side is Filipino so I grew up around karaoke," she said. "They put me in lessons, and my love and passion for singing grew even more."

It all helped prepare her for the big audition. She recalls the moment right before she took the stage.

"I was feeling every emotion you could possibly imagine. I felt butterflies, i did feel a little bit nauseous," she said. "I was like 'Oh my God, is this really happening!?' But most of all I felt very excited to even be singing for these amazing coaches and being on the voice. I felt very nervous but once I stepped on that stage and started to sing, I was like, 'This is not that bad....I got this.'"

And definitely got it. Shimizu belting out a Beatles classic- "Golden Slumbers." What made her decide to go with that tune?

"The first time I heard that song was in the movie 'sing' and my sister natalie said, 'Kaylee, the song would fit your voice so well...please learn it!' And I was like, this is the song I'm gonna sing. This is it."

But the song also held special meaning.

"I dedicated to my Papa Ata, he is my great grandpa...he was my biggest supporter when it came to singing so I wanted to dedicate it to him...on the voice stage and it meant a lot to me," she said. 

The coaches were lown away. All four turned their chairs. 

"I was not expecting a four chair turn so when I saw three judges turn, I was like, is this really happening?! And then Gwen turn, I was like four chairs!?  No way! In that moment, it felt so surreal. It feels still unreal to me."

Believe it or not, this was not her first time auditioning. She first auditioned when she was 13 although not selected, it didn't deter her. It made her want it more. And made the moment event that much more amazing.  As for how she decided which coach to choose?

"I was kind of leaning towards Gwen or maybe John but in the moment when all the coaches were speaking to me, they all had amazing things to say, it felt really tough," she said. "John really stuck out to me and I felt we really connected as an artist and genre-wise, so I went with John and I'm really excited."

With the battle rounds set to begin, how is she preparing?

"God is the center of everything I do, working on my vocals, warming up, learnnig techniques, making it stronger and practicing every day," she said. "I feel ready!"

She thanks everyone for the outpour of support and encouragement.

"I really really want to visit and hopefully one day sing for Guam," she said. 

Battle rounds begin on "The Voice" tonight at 7 p.m. on NBC TV8!

Good luck Kaylee!

Watch Kaylee Shimizu's blind audition here: