Wellesley resident Eliane Markoff would often go to see her niece Michelle Chamuel perform in bands whenever Chamuel came to the Boston area. These days Markoff is turning her television on to see her niece perform on NBC’s "The Voice." Chamuel, 27, is now one of the top six remaining performers in the popular show.

"We change our plans so we can watch her [on "The Voice]," Markoff said. "She’s just amazing."

Markoff’s daughter, Audrey, is one of her cousin’s biggest fans. "We’ve always been really close," said Audrey, who plans on going out to L.A. on Friday in support of her cousin during the "Live Top 6 Performances" next week.

"The Voice" is now in its fourth season. Celebrity musician coaches include Adam Levine, Shakira, Blake Shelton and Usher. The show has four stages of competition: blind auditions, battle rounds, the knockouts and finally, the live performance shows. Each coach has his or her own team. Chamuel is the final remaining member on Team Usher. During the final live performance phase of the competition the top artists from each team compete each week against one another during a live broadcast. The television audience votes to save their favorite artists, and the two artists with the lowest number of votes are sent home each week. At the end, one will be named "The Voice" and will receive a grand prize of a recording contract.

Chamuel (Wellesley High School, Class of 2004), who impressed three of the judges during the blind auditions with her rendition of Katy Perry’s "I Kissed a Girl" and who has continued to impress all four of them during her performances since then, gave her reaction to being one of the top eight performers in a telephone interview with the Townsman on Tuesday.  "It’s so amazing to be here in the first place – and to be on the stage and to represent myself as myself," she said. (The Townsman interview was before Chamuel and the world learned that she was one of the top six.)

The indie/pop artist also plays the piano and guitar. She called the Wellesley schools’ music program "amazing." Although she didn’t do a lot of performing in Wellesley when she was younger, she said her dad "taught me to read music and play violin." She played violin in elementary school and middle school orchestras.

For her performance on Monday, May 27, she chose to sing Bruno Mars’ "Grenade," earning accolades from the judges and wild applause from the audience. In support of Chamuel, Usher sported big, black, plastic eyeglasses, like the ones she wears. "Yes, yes, yes," was his response to Chamuel’s performance. He went on to say, "You represent true inner beauty, and I’m so glad you did that for the world." Shelton remarked, "I can’t believe such a big voice comes out of such a little human being." On Tuesday, when asked how she was feeling about remaining in the top eight, Chamuel said she was not entirely processing that part of the program, but was focusing on getting ready for a performance.

Page 2 of 4 - "I just want to be present right now," she explained, "and not think too much about staying or going."

Chamuel said it comes across to all the performers that they’re all part of a show, and it’s everyone’s job to keep the energy going. During the live shows, "it’s more like you’re a part of a team to entertain people. The earlier stuff – you really feel more of the competition; you have to prove something."

Looking back to her first performance during her blind audition, after which she had her choice of three judges who all wanted her on their team, Chamuel said while listening to what they were saying when making their pitches to be her coach, "I took everything in. I was focusing on the feeling in my gut. I just knew." She chose Usher.

"It’s been amazing," she said about having Usher as her coach. "He’s very team-oriented… Usher dedicated a lot of his time, energy and insight into making us the best we can be." Chamuel said that her coach tells her to trust her instincts, and that advice has served her well.

Asked what she’s doing in her down time, Chamuel responded, "At this stage of the game there is no down time. You sleep, try to catch up with some of your family, you thank people…." And as far as living in a hotel goes, she said it’s all part of the experience.

A fan of Ella Fitzgerald, Chamuel said in one of her music classes at the University of Michigan she heard one the legend’s tracks. She said she remembers thinking, "Who is this? I need to listen to all of them."

Brought up on Tchaikovsky, Chamuel said, "I like him." She said she also admires a lot of independent artists, and "I love top 40. I always have."

Before "The Voice," Michelle had several different jobs, the most recent at the Woodstar Café in Northampton, where she did everything from working in the office to making sandwiches, she said. She’s a resident of Amherst.

To the Town of Wellesley, Chamuel wanted to say, "Thank you so much for the support already." She said Wellesley would always be the place she calls home.

When asked by Christina Milian, social media correspondent for "The Voice," about her reaction to being the first person saved by the audience on Tuesday night, Chamuel said, "It’s crazy. I’m just very, very grateful. Thank you so much."

Through a mother’s eyes

In an email interview Chamuel’s mother, Joalie Davie, a physician, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., said, "Michelle loved to sing since she was very young. As a baby, she would often sing herself to sleep. As a toddler, she made up poems and picked up music easily. I was always impressed with her singing from a very young age. The first time I realized she had a gift for music was in the third grade. She was going to Schofield and had a wonderful teacher, Ms. Heather Sanborn, at the time, who encouraged Michelle to follow her passions. They were learning about Russia and Michelle had to do a presentation on Ivan the Terrible. She created a skit with song and dance, which she performed and sang for her class. When I saw her performance, I was clapping and felt that her production had expanded my appreciation for music. Needless to say, her classmates enjoyed her performance and learned their lesson quickly and joyously."

Page 3 of 4 - Davie said her daughter took piano lessons for a couple of years, starting at age 4, went through the "excellent" Wellesley Public School music program and studied violin with her father for several years. She was second chair in the Wellesley Middle School orchestra.

Davie said Michelle stopped taking music lessons in seventh grade. Instead, she asked her mother for a Korg Triton, so she could sequence music, "like in a real music studio. From then on, Michelle would return from school each day and spend four to six hours working on her music. She sang, composed new songs, and took songs from the radio and programmed them into her keyboard…"

In 10th grade, Davie said Michelle took a music media class at Wellesley High School as well as two semesters of voice lessons at the All Newton School of Music. That summer she also went to a performing arts camp in New Hampshire. Before her junior year the family moved to Amherst, where Michelle took an advanced music theory class. Davie said, "Michelle’s eyes were opened to the joys of music performance in Amherst. However, Wellesley offered an incredible music technology program. She decided to return to WHS with the goal of making her senior project her first full-length CD. By the end of the year, she had produced, performed, and recorded a 10-song CD. She had also created two tracks with good friend, Melissa Morton, which were used as class projects. Michelle graduated in 2004, and went on to the University of Michigan for Performing Arts Technology. She graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Davie said her daughter had severe performance anxiety and was reluctant to perform in public. She said she was pleased when Michelle started singing with some of her friends in a band called Sidera. They even won a local battle of the bands. In college, she joined her second band, Ella Riot (previously called My Dear Disco).

"Michelle was always very clear about her artistic vision," Davie said. "She wanted to be able to create the music she had in her mind and heart – and in order to do that she needed to understand production. Michigan seemed to offer the most diverse program."

Davie has been offering her support to Michelle by frequently going out to L.A. where "The Voice" is produced. She was there for this week’s show. "I support Michelle with all my heart. Michelle has very high standards and good ethics. She is also a very hard worker who is extremely compassionate and empathetic. She needs the same support she gives others and I am happy to be there for her. It makes me happy and proud to see her do what she is passionate about doing."

About her daughter’s success on "The Voice" so far, Davie said, "It is heartwarming to see Michelle live her passion. She works hard and touches many people’s hearts. Her music helps people heal because she has a big heart and is generous with her love."

Page 4 of 4 - When asked what she thinks what her daughter’s reaction is to her success, Davie said, "Michelle is humble She does her best to be in the moment and is very grateful for this opportunity to share her music and voice."

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