Mathai (singer)

For other uses, see Mathai.
Mathai
Birth name Sharon Mathai
Born (1992-11-27) November 27, 1992
Queens, New York, United States
Origin Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres Pop, jazz
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2012-present

Sharon Mathai, known professionally as Mathai, was a contestant on the second season of NBC's The Voice. Born on November 27, 1992 in Queens, NY, Mathai is the first generation of her family (who hail from Kerala, India) born in the United States, her stage name is the name Mathai in the language Malayalam.

Singing was always considered more of just a hobby for Mathai. Classically trained in jazz during her childhood, Mathai started developing her unique vocal style around the age of 16 with a sound reminiscent of such artists as Billie Holiday, Norah Jones, Nelly Furtado and Adele, although two of her biggest influences are Johnny Cash and Amy Winehouse.

Early life

She was only 3 years old when she started singing, primarily in church events and at the age of 10 her family moved to Dallas, Texas. During the next 9 years, Mathai would attend Coppell High School where she maintained her status in the top 10% of her class throughout all four years. Subsequently, she earned a scholarship to study Nursing at Texas Women's University, and graduated with a 3.98 GPA.

Career

Beginnings

During the winter of 2010 she had the opportunity to perform during the popular AMTC convention in Orlando, Florida where she was discovered by two entertainment executives, and soon thereafter took a break from school to move to Atlanta to pursue her music career.[1]

In late 2010 she auditioned for The Glee Project, a spin-off audition show for the hit television series GLEE on FOX.[2] After advancing all the way to the final cuts Mathai did not ultimately make the cast, but was convinced that singing was definitely what she wanted to do.

In November 2011, on a dare from friends, Mathai auditioned for Season 2 of the talent competition series, The Voice on NBC.[3] After making it through to the blind auditions, Mathai’s rendition of Adele's "Rumor Has It" caused 3 of the 4 coaches (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Cee-Lo Green) to turn around, and woo her to join their team.[4][5] Mathai eventually joined Team Adam and over the next several weeks continued to advance in the show ultimately being eliminated after making the top 10. Her parents, who were once completely against her decision,[2] are now warily but lovingly supportive after seeing how the world reacted to their daughter's talent.[6]

After The Voice

Mathai collaborated with Lecrae on the track "Free From it All" from Gravity, which was released September 4, 2012 and peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200.[7][8] The album subsequently was nominated and won as Best Gospel Album for the 2013 Grammy Awards.[9]

Mathai's debut EP, "Girl Like Me" was released on July 4, 2013. It contains eight original songs.[10] Her debut single, "Once Again," was released on March 25, 2013.[11] The EP was written and produced by Mathai and Grammy Award winning producers Dru Castro and Pierre Medor (formerly of Tha Cornaboyz).

References

  1. ↑ "Success Stories: Mathai". Actors, Models, and Talent for Christ. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 "US music show: Indian-American makes it to the top 24". The Times of India. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Extraordinary People: An Afternoon with Mathai ("The Voice")". Vertigo Shtick. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. ↑ Gallo, Phil. "'The Voice' Recap: Mathai Delivers Awe-Inspiring 'Rumour Has It'". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "'The Voice' Contestant Mathai Crushed Her Performance – AND She's From Georgia! She Calls The Bert Show To Spill What It Was Like On Stage". The Bert Show. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  6. ↑ Jaffer, Murtz. "The Voice 2012: Exclusive Exit Interview With Mathai". Inside Pulse. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Lecrae 'Gravity' Tracklisting Revealed" (Web). Rapzilla. July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  8. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (September 12, 2012). "Matchbox Twenty Gets First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart" (Web). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ Nessif, Bruna (December 5, 2012). "55th Annual Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominees" (Web). E!. NBCUniversal. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  10. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/girl-like-me/id674241238
  11. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/once-again-single/id628136903

External links

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