A singer who grew up in Manteca and performed at the Off the Air concert series in Modesto has wowed coaches on the second season of NBC's vocal competition "The Voice."
The series returns for its second season Sunday after the Super Bowl.
Lindsey Pavao's episode doesn't air until Monday but the network has posted her audition, complete with raves from three of the four celebrity coaches, on its Web site. Coaches Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Cee-Lo Green all loved her mellower spin on rapper Trey Songz's hit "Say Aah."
"I enjoyed every second of that," says Grammy-winning pop singer Aguilera on the show. "It was such a creative choice and so original to do that song and to do it so well. You have such a unique quality and tone to your voice."
Shelton, a country artist, compares Pavao's sound to Fiona Apple and praised her beauty, while R&B singer Green called her performance "the coolest thing that's happened on the second season so far." Only the fourth coach, Adam Levine, the lead singer from pop band Maroon 5, remained silent.
In the show, the coaches turn their backs on contestants in the early rounds and judge them solely on the sound of their voice, not on their looks. If the coaches are interested in working with them further, they turn their chair around to face the singer.
If more than one coach shows interest, the singer must choose which one to work with in later rounds of competition. Each coach puts together a team of four singers who compete against the other singers, with performers eliminated each week until a winner is chosen.
The grand prize is a recording contract and $100,000.
The clip on www.nbc.com did not reveal which coach Pavao selected. Pavao signed a confidentiality agreement with the network agreeing not to comment on the program or give interviews until after it airs.
Pavao, 22, graduated from Manteca's Sierra High School in 2007 and attended the University of California at Davis before studying biology and psychology at California State University, Sacramento. She lives in Sacramento and is taking a break from college because of the show.
Her friend Alexandra Felt said Pavao is proud of her accomplishment.
"I've known that she was talented since I met her, as is the case with most people who meet her," Felt said. "I think the show is a great opportunity for her and will show that she is as great as everyone has perceived her to be all of these years."
Greg Edwards, who founded and runs the Off the Air indie music concert series at Deva Café in Modesto, said he booked Pavao to perform at his concerts a few years ago when she was singing with the bands A Colourado and Boxes.
"She's always had a lot of stage presence and a very unique, very cool voice," he said.
Edwards said Pavao was part of a group of motivated and equally talented musicians who came up in the Modesto music scene together, including Travis Vick, Scott Bartenhagen and the French Cassettes, a finalist in a national MySpace talent contest not long ago.
Edwards said he's not surprised at Pavao's success because she is so comfortable on stage.
"She's one of those performers for me that has an attitude of 'I'm going to do what I do and I'm going to be confident in what I do because I'm good,' not in an arrogant or cocky way."
Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan Renner can be reached at lrenner@modbee.com or (209) 578-2313.
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