‘The Voice’ isn’t her first reality show. But will it be her big break?
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If singer Mara Justine, now a top five finalist on “The Voice” this season, looks familiar to viewers, there’s a good reason: “The Voice” isn’t her first brush with reality competition. It’s not even her second appearance on national TV.
Five years before she took the stage of “The Voice” for the first time, wowing all four coaches with her rendition of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” Justine took her shot on “American Idol.” She was 16 years old.
Four years before that, at the age of 12, the singer from New Jersey competed on “America’s Got Talent.”
She made it pretty far in both competitions, reaching the top 12 on “AGT” and the top 14 on “Idol.” Now, after close to a decade since her “AGT” run, the 21-year-old singer is looking for the victory on “The Voice.”
Here’s a look back at some of her appearances on “AGT” and “Idol,” plus an overview of her current run on “The Voice.”
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Mara Justine goes on ‘America’s Got Talent’
Justine was just 12 when she appeared in front of “AGT” judges Howard Stern, Mel B, Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel and sang the power ballad “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” At the time of her audition, she was used to performing primarily around the house and at school. She wowed all of the judges with the performance and advanced to the next round of the competition.
“This it it, you know, I could change my life forever,” she said in a clip that aired during her ‘AGT’ run. “I cannot believe that this is actually happening.”
During the next round, following Justine’s performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” Stern called the singer “the real deal.”
Justine ultimately made it to the top 12 before being eliminated.
Mara Justine tries out for ‘American Idol’
Justine tried out for Season 16 of “American Idol” with Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” in front of judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. She was visibly emotional as the judges gave her their enthusiastic responses.
“Being here, living my dream, is the coolest thing by far that has ever happened to me,” the then-teenager said in a clip that aired during her audition.
Throughout the “Idol” competition, Justine performed Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” Whitney Houston’s “Run to You” and Rachel Platten’s Fight Song.” She ultimately made it to the top 14 before being eliminated.
“The only thing I’m thinking about the whole time I hear your perform is, ‘At 16 years old, what was I doing?’” “Idol” judge Richie told Justine shortly before her elimination, praising her confidence and strength, according to the entertainment site Gold Derby.
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“Idol” contestant Maddie Poppe ended up being the Season 16 winner. Poppe had previously been rejected by all four “Voice” coaches prior to her run on “Idol,” per the Deseret News.
“I want people to know that even if you hear a ‘no’ from ‘American Idol,’ it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to make it. It doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough,” Poppe previously told the Deseret News. “It’s important to not give up.”
Third time’s the charm? Mara Justine gets on ‘The Voice’
Justine’s audition for Season 24 of “The Voice” stands out for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is that it culminated in her performing an impromptu duet with John Legend. As all of the coaches fought to get Justine on their teams, Legend asked the singer to perform his hit song “All of Me” with him — and she happily obliged.
That was more than enough to convince Justine to join Legend’s team. But the singer got stolen by coach Niall Horan a couple of rounds later in the competition. Now, Justine is in the top five of the competition as a member of Horan’s team, and per the entertainment site Gold Derby, she is a strong contender to take the win.
Here’s a look at some of Justine’s performances on ‘The Voice’:
