CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ava Lynn Thurreson landed a spot on NBC's “The Voice” after her rendition of Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” got two judges to turn for her.
The 18-year-old now lives in California, but spent some of her childhood in North Carolina, attending Weddington Elementary and Weddington Middle School.
She discovered her love for singing early on and started developing her skills in the Tar Heel state.
“I was even in Mr. Russell's fourth-grade choir at Weddington," Thurreson said. "I did some plays in middle school. And then I also did piano lessons. And then at piano lessons they always like, let me sing.”
It was during her senior year of high school that her mom sent her the link to audition for “The Voice.” And if you remember your senior year of high school, there’s a lot going on to keep track of.
“I submitted it and I literally forgot about it. I was like, okay, you know, whatever. And then I got a call back a month after that," Thurreson said. "So I was applying to colleges. I was just not thinking anything of it.”
The audition process started in December 2021. Then in February 2022, she found out she was going to be on the blind auditions. That audition happened in June and didn’t air until September.
It's a big secret she had to keep for months.
"It was difficult even just before I started filming for the blinds," she said. "But they kind of got me with like, 'You know, if you don't even know if you're gonna make it or not.' So it's like, it's better not to tell people like, so that way you don't have to like explain how you [did] or you didn't make it -- but thankfully I did. But yeah, it was a hard secret to keep but I think knowing that in the back of my mind definitely made it easier."
While Thurreson chose Britney Spears for her audition song, she gave it her own spin. It's something she said she does with a lot of covers.
“I’m not afraid to take like a really ambitious song choice and kind of make it my own, because that's what I do just all the time with covers of songs," she said. "So it was definitely ambitious, but I'm happy I think it paid off.”
Her audition got both John Legend and Camila Cabello to turn for her. She ultimately chose to be on Team Camila.
“I think it definitely sold me that she was a young girl on a singing competition show," Thurreson said. "Already, just from what I filmed... her advice for confidence -- she is such like a pillar that I've definitely looked to, and I listened to her music all the time. I literally did a cover to her song like two days before the audition. And I didn't even, I wasn't even like thinking about it, wasn't trying to manifest it. I was just like, I just love her songs. I love her as an artist."
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Next up for Thurreson is the Battle Rounds. You can catch "The Voice" every Monday and Tuesday night on WCNC Charlotte.
Contact Sarah French at Sarah@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.