Tampa Bay Singer Reflects On ‘The Voice’ Audition, Chair Turn

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A Tampa Bay-area singer fulfilled one of her biggest dreams: Competing on NBC’s “The Voice” and getting a coveted “chair turn” by one of the coaches, moving her forward to the battle round, which starts next month.

Angie Rey performed a rendition of “Penthouse” by country artist Kelsea Ballerini, a coach on Season 27 of the hit singing competition, during the episode that aired Feb. 3.

Ballerini turned her chair for Rey — indicating that she wanted to serve as Rey’s coach this season — and even performed a duet of “Penthouse” with her.

“I ran through every single possible scenario in my head,” Rey told Patch. The only possibility I hadn’t drawn up for myself was, hey, Kelsea might sing with you. It never even crossed my mind. It’s funny watching it back, looking at myself, and it looked like I was in shock. It felt like such a dream.”

She added, “Having the chair turn was amazing, but to have (Kelsea) come up and sing to me and to harmonize on her lead, oh my gosh, that was amazing. I think I’m going to take a picture of it and frame it.”

A first-generation Cuban American, Rey grew up in southern California before moving to Seminole, Florida, where her parents still live, in the seventh grade.

She started singing at a young age, but was very shy. To encourage her to explore her talents, her parents convinced her outgoing older brother, Ray, to attend singing lessons with her.

“He agreed to go with me until I wasn’t shy anymore,” she said. “He likes to say if he kept going he’d be a better singer than me.”

Rey grew up listening to a lot of soul and Latin music, and eventually, when she was about 13 years old, had the opportunity to compete on Telemundo's “La Voz Kids,” where she reached the Top 18.

She was about 15 years old when she fell in love with country music, after her best friend brought her to a Lady A concert.

“I remember standing there with lighters, well camera phone lights, in the air. It was the coolest thing and I realized, I love country music,” Rey said. “It was really interesting coming from a Latin family. When you think of a Latin girl singing country music, it’s kind of unheard of. But the country community and the people who listen to country music and the Latin music (scene) all have the same values — family, god, love and having fun.”

She added, “Except Latin music is in Spanish. It’s basically country music but with a little bit of a beat to it.”

Being eliminated from “La Voz Kids” was challenging for Rey.

“After that show, going through the eliminations, I think mentally and emotionally it takes a little bit of a toll on you,” she said. “It’s like, man, am I good enough and all that stuff?”

But her mother pushed her to keep going and didn’t “let (her) sit in that sadness,” according to Rey.

Not only did she start writing her own songs, but she would hit all the Pinellas County beach bars handing out business cars telling people “they should pay me to sing at their restaurants,” she said.

She booked a few gigs at spaces like Crabby Bill’s and Aqua Prime, sometimes making “100 bucks” in an evening if she was lucky, Rey said. “I was like, man, I’m a big baller.”

She waitressed for a while, as well, and when she grew tired of that and missed music, her mother again pushed her to go up and down the beach to connect with venues.

Eventually, she got a call from a woman who booked acts for The Stockyard, a country music club in Holiday. The opening act for John Michael Montgomery canceled and they needed a band to perform in two days.

Rey, lying, told them she had a band in place and was ready to take the stage. In reality, she cobbled together a band filled with other teens she had met at a summer music camp.

“I called them and said I need a guitar, drums, I need bass,” she said. “It was a killer show … and I got a little taste of what it was like to play with a band.”

After graduating from Seminole High School in 2017, she headed to college in Nashville, thinking she could chase her dreams while studying voice and commercial music business. But she burned out quickly and though she gave the University of Tampa a try when she returned home, she realized college wasn’t for her.

Rey threw all of her efforts into performing and writing music full time with trips back and forth to Nashville.

“It’s such a who-you-know business, and I was trying to maintain relationships,” she said.

About two years ago, she moved to Nashville full-time, where she performs regularly at local venues and works with various songwriters and studios when she can.

She started speaking to producers at “The Voice” in December 2023 and when she took the stage for the blind audition earlier this month, it was “full circle” for her, bringing her back to her time on “La Voz Kids.”

It was a nervewracking experience stepping on that stage, Rey said. “I thought this is what I do. I’m good. I do this all the time. This is just another day at work and I remember walking out on stage and I was freaking out.”

Singing Ballerini’s song right in front of her made Rey feel like she was “going to have a heart attack.”

Ultimately, she got what she hoped for — Ballerini as her coach.

The Battle Rounds will likely start sometime in March. During this phase of the show, Rey will be paired up against another singer on Ballerini’s team and one will be chosen to move on in the competition.