Emma Brooke Alley reflects on The Voice. Here's what's next for the singer from Lyman.

What Emma Brooke Alley thought was a telemarketer call ended up being a producer from The Voice. That call led to a chance for her to appear on the popular NBC music reality show.

Alley, a 19-year-old from Lyman, said the producer saw her singing on a social media post. The call would eventually help Alley - her stage name is Emma Brooke - to compete on The Voice this season. She made it to the top 36 before getting eliminated on Oct. 31.

She secured a spot on The Voice with a cover of "California Dreamin," by The Mamas & The Papas. Two judges, Gwen Stephani and John Legend turned their chairs for the Spartanburg County native and she went with Team Legend.

"I got two chairs turned, and I was grateful to even have one," she said. "They were the two people that I wanted, John Legend and Gwen Stephani. I thought I was going to go with Gwen, just because she was my top pick of all time, but it was the way that John was speaking to me. He said 'I see this perfection about you in your contemporary music, and I want to take down those walls that you've built and rough up your style and sound.' It immediately caught my attention, he knows what I want on this show."

Emma Brooke Alley competes on The Voice

One obstacle Alley faced on the show was becoming comfortable with diverse music genres. She typically worked with the genres indie, alternative-rock and blues. Alley's battle with Nia Skyfer gave her the opportunity to expand her musical growth.

"I won my battle round with Nia Skyer, we sang 'She's All I Wanna Be,' by Tate McRae, which was a song completely out of my wheelhouse," she said. "It was very pop-rock, Olivia Rodrigo type stuff. When they gave me a pop-rock song I was like 'Oh Lord, this is gonna be fun.' I made it a mission that no matter what song they would give me, I'm going to show them that my voice is flexible and capable."

Skyfer said that competing with Alley was a fun, learning experience.

"Her being so young and yet so skilled with her craft is something I highly admire," Skyfer said in an email. "It never really felt like we were battling each other. I think it felt more like a duet between two friends. Overall, it was a great experience and I'm glad they paired us together."

Alley said the best advice she received came from singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan during a coaching segment.

"The advice was to really 'sell my story.' When you're brought up and trained in classical music, it's sometimes hard to really find that connection with that song," Brooke said. "Jazmine taught me this trick about really selling a look with just my eyes. If somebody looks in my eyes and can feel that emotion, it's the strongest way I can convey how I'm feeling. I felt like being there gave me the confidence and gave me the time to work with John (Legend) and myself on how I'm going to take this song and myself to the next level."

The Voice 2022Easley's Ansley Burns reflects on experience working with Blake Shelton

What is next for Emma Brooke Alley's musical career?

Alley said she will appear Nov. 21 at the Spinning Jenny in Greer. She will sing original songs for the Brent Ensley Showcase.

She is currently studying Contemporary Music with Media Applications at Converse University. Alley, who began taking voice lessons at 6 years old at Converse's Lawson Academy of the Arts, plans to complete her four-year degree in 2025 before pursuing a career as a singer-songwriter.

Alley graduated high school from South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, in May 2021.

She appreciates all of the support from her friends, family and community.

"The night that my blind audition aired, we had a blind audition party at my church, 4 Points Church in Greer," she said. "Just to see the turnout of everyone that came, and they wanted to watch that episode alongside me and support me. Everyone was so full of love."

How Emma Brooke Alley's musical career began

Alley said she remembers singing Disney songs and her voice caught the attention of her parents.

"I was running around the house, singing things like Disney princess songs, Hannah Montana and all the stuff little girls would sing around the house."

"My parents heard a little vibrato sound, and thought 'maybe she can do something with this?' They enrolled me in the Lawson Academy of the Arts and I started taking voice lessons with Dr. Valerie MacPhail, and have been taking lessons with her ever since."

MacPhail, associate professor of Voice and assistant director of the Petrie School of Music at Converse, said that Alley was always an amazing student who worked hard.

"Emma Brooke started studying voice with me when she was 8- years-old. She had a true vocal gift, with a voice that was beautiful and mature beyond her years," MacPhail said. "I truly believe her talents would allow her to be successful in any genre of music, and I feel privileged to be part of her journey as she figures out where she wants to go."

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Emma Brooke Alley reflects on The Voice. What's next for the singer.