Vicci Martinez wowed the crowd, the judges, and hopefully, the voting audience back home with a stage-stalking performance of Dolly Parton‘s classic song ‘Jolene’ on ‘The Voice’ tonight.

The Washington-based singer-songwriter, who hunched over her guitar, was gradually revealed from the darkened stage with the help of dramatic lighting. She soon ditched the guitar and confidently strutted across nearly every foot of the stage while delivering a slow-burning take on Parton’s desperate plea for a woman to leave her man alone: “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / Please don’t take him / Just because you can.”

The song has been a go-to song at concerts by indie-rockers the White Stripes in recent years, but when the band kicked in behind Martinez, they didn’t go that direction, or follow the original country stylings of Parton. Instead, they favored more of a latin-influenced rhythmic approach as she roamed the set, which was adorned with candles very much in the style of the Police’s classic Wrapped Around Your Finger video.

Her coach, Cee Lo Green, grinned his approval as his peer and competitor, Adam Levine praised Martinez’s “soulful, raw, honest performance.” Blake Shelton concurred with his positive review, declaring “she truly is explosive…I’m a huge fan.” Christina Aguilera, as usual, said the most, declaring among other things that “it was a very heartfelt performance … I liked the ambiance, it was sexy.”

Then it was time for her temporary boss to weigh in with the final review, and to sum up, she got straight A’s: “You did such a wonderful job, you took my advice, you walked that stage like a professional. Your voice is so big, so powerful, so commanding. I’m glad that I was able to listen to you and allow you to be your own person (and pick that song), it was a great choice.”

http://popcrush.com/vicci-martinez-dolly-parton-jolene-the-voice/

 

For his team’s first battle on ‘The Voice,’ coach Cee Lo Green chose to match Vicci Martinez up against Niki Dawson. The two were forced to face off with a dueling performance of Pink‘s ‘Perfect,’ leaving the winner to remain in the competition and the loser eliminated.

“I think this will be a very interesting matchup and battle because we’re both so equally talented and have that same soulful, powerful voice,’ said Dawson when she learned of her opponent.

Cee Lo introduced the young ladies to R&B singer Monica, who served as a guest adviser. “Vicci is self-assured, small in frame, big in voice,” remarked Monica. “And Niki is just confident and sultry, so it’s gonna be challenging to pick between the two.”

Dawson entered the battle ring with a confident sashay, while Martinez put up her dukes and pretended to be a boxer. Once the performance started, the two appeared to truly enjoy each other’s company and they both sang their hearts out. Dawson hit the higher notes, but Martinez rocked the ring with a dynamic stage presence.

While Cee Lo deliberated, Adam Levine called the performance “by far the best duet of the night.” When prompted to reveal his decision, Cee Lo told Dawson she did “an exceptional job,” while informing Martinez that she had this “war dance” onstage and that she had a “gut-wrenching effect” on him. In a tough call, Cee Lo chose Martinez.

http://popcrush.com/vicci-martinez-perfect-the-voice-niki-dawson/

Vicci Martinez is one of a rare breed: an out lesbian on a high-profile reality singing competition on a broadcast network. The Seattle-based singer-songwriter walked away from an invitation to Hollywood during Season 1 of Fox’s American Idol and now finds herself in front of America on NBC’s The Voice. The out singer is one of four out gay contestants vying for the record contract that comes with winning the competition, where Martinez found herself part of Cee Lo Green’s team after wowing the show’s coaches including Christina Aguilera.

AfterEllen.com caught up with Martinez to discuss being out on primetime, the Blake Shelton/GLAAD flap and why she turned down from Idol.

AfterEllen.com: What do you think of the Blake Shelton’s tweet that drew GLAAD’s ire?
Vicci Martinez:The thing about Twitter is it’s right there with you; when you have a thought it catches you in the moment. You’re not really able to think about things. I think if he would’ve had a little bit of time to think about it, he wouldn’t have been like that. He seems like an OK guy and maybe somebody that just didn’t think too much about it.

I don’t think he really feels this way at all. One of the guys on his team, Tyler Robinson, is actually gay.

AE: How did you end up on The Voice?
VM: (NBC producers) came to Seattle and had a public audition and a scout for NBC from Seattle that knew that I had said no to going on American Idol because of the contract and terms and because they wanted, right away, to change me. They were like, “You need to look more like a rock star.” That was 10 years ago. So when they came here, he approached my manager about me auditioning.

AE: When you say that Idol wanted to change you, did they want you to hide your sexuality?
VM:I’m not going to hide it. I’ve been very public about it and I’ve had people say, “Well, why don’t you just keep them guessing? You can hit all the markets.” No. Especially if you’re with somebody; it’s so disrespectful. It was hard for me coming out to my parents and for me, I’ve already gone through that hurdle and I’m not going to go through it again.

AE: It’s was great seeing you and your girlfriend, Kate, backstage after your audition. Did you discuss being out on the show with her ahead of time?
VM:We didn’t even need to discuss it. That was something that she knew when we got together; I’m very public about it. She comes to my shows, she helps me sell my merchandise. There was no question. Even with the producers at the show, with some of the interviews I was doing when anyone would ask me about Kate. Everyone was so supportive.

AE: Have you had an opportunity to chat with any of the other gay contestants on the show about the experience?
VM:Oh, my God, Yes. There were a few more gay contestants what actually auditioned who weren’t shown. The show is great; in the past, I felt a little bit not outcast, but just like, “Oh, yeah, they keep the gay ones together.” Here we have four of us and it’s not like we’re together as the gay contestants singing out together. It’s like everyone is just spread out. Everyone loves each other on the show.

AE: That visibility is unparalleled, especially if you compare The Voice to American Idol. You have four openly gay contestants versus in 10 seasons of Idol it seems like you always had to wait until after the season ended for someone to come out.
VM: Yeah, totally.

AE: What do you think the difference here is?
VM: I would have to say The Voice — the crew, the production and everyone — just being so comfortable with me and everyone being comfortable with who they are. The concept of the show is being exactly who you are, especially with your look, because the whole thing with blind auditions is they don’t get to see you.

Just like you were saying, if Blake Shelton had anything against gay people and he wasn’t able to see Tyler and pick Tyler and love Tyler. The producers want you to be who you are and because for a lot of us, I feel have not been able to get further in the industry because of how we look and where we stand. The labels, they already have somebody in mind that they want to get to the top of the charts. I think this show is the total opposite of that.

AE: Then, in terms of your coach selection, you picked Cee Lo Green over Christina Aguilera, who you bowed before after your “Rolling in the Deep” performance. What was behind that decision?
VM:I felt Cee Lo was the better fit for me because of what he said that he felt that I was singing from my heart. My choice was definitely the right choice for me and I knew that Christina’s team was going be full of amazing singers. It’s pretty bizarre how great the team is.

AE: Going forward, what can we expect to see during the Battle Round?
VM: The Battle Round is very intense. I mean, I was up and down wondering if I’m going home, wondering if I’m staying. I know that either way, whoever goes, whoever stays, we do survive because it’s really good. One of the things that somebody said was whoever goes home, half of America’s going to be pissed that you’re not on the show and half of America is going to be OK with the decision, so just know that you’ve all ready won.

http://www.afterellen.com/TV/an-interview-with-vicci-martinez

Tacoma-native singing sensation Vicci Martinez is now appearing on NBC’s The Voice. Her Adele number from last week, “Rolling in the Deep,” touched hearts around the world and propelled the young star into a stratosphere all her own.

The Seattle Lesbian’s Sarah Toce, editor-in-chief, had the rare opportunity to chat with Vicci yesterday and get the scoop here – just for you! The pair had lunch near the Space Needle following her KING 5 interview and radio show, along with Vicci’s long-time girlfriend and fiance, (yes, the ladies will be married soon and have bought a home together!) Kate Monthly.

Kate is a choreographer with the MLK Ballet Company and has been by Vicci’s side throughout The Voice – the show flew her down to watch her loved one in action on stage. Vicci shared, “They want your loved ones to be there with you to offer support. You make sure that you pick the right person to come for the support you need. It was so great having Kate there in the audience.”

Some things are new for Vicci now that fame is starting to call her name a bit louder than in the past. For one thing, she’d rather not wear make-up when she’s offstage. “I had to wear make-up this morning for the interviews and now I’m ready to get this crap off me,” she said, laughing.

The singer/songwriter has been performing for over 10 years – something Americans just discovering her on The Voice might not know. “Followers are definitely growing now because of the show, but I am doing basically the same exact thing I’ve been doing for the past 10 years. It’s exciting and I can’t wait to see where this goes – regardless of the outcome in the end.”

American Idol once offered Vicci a shot at Hollywood, but she turned them down because they told her that she’d need to go shopping and get some new clothes before arriving in L.A. for the popular talent show. Not so with The Voice.

“They said, ‘Stay the way you are. Do not change one thing,” Vicci said.

That is definitely something Vicci knows how to do…and we absolutely love her for it.

The top-rated musical entertainment show features celebrity fan favorites Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and is hosted by Total Request Livealum Carson Daly. Watch it tonight on NBC at 9pm/8pm Central and cheer for your hometown favorite – Vicci Martinez!

http://www.theseattlelesbian.com/entertainment/2011/5/3/exclusive-interview-vicci-martinez-shares-her-voice.html