Flossmoor's Oliv Blu's Authentic Message Shines On The Voice

FLOSSMOOR, IL — Oliv Blu walks into the Homewood Starbucks 10 minutes late, deeply apologetic. Her sister borrowed the family car, but didn't get home in time for The Voice contestant to be punctual for her appointment.

Family keeps you humble.

Even so, new-found fame hasn't gone to Blu's head. The Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate lives at home with her mother and twin sister — her best friend, the one who shares the car with her. Blu, grounded, authentic, goes to church. She hangs out in local coffee shops. She just happens to sing.

That singing is so stunning, it caught the attention of producers of The Voice, who invited her to audition for the NBC show.

"I didn't think it was a real offer," Blu said.

But it was. And it broke open a world the 21-year-old Blu never thought she'd enter. At least not this soon.

"I know what I want and I knew I would get it over time, but seeing those famous faces right there in front of me was like 'Oh my God'," she said.

Music, Blu explained, had always been a part of her life. She played piano in grade school and was a member of the poms team. Later in high school, she met members of artists' collective known as Freesole, and she developed her love for performing through them.

But the credit, she said, goes to her sister. In high school, Brooke, her twin, struggled with depression. Blu turned to music to create songs to inspire Brooke as she healed. She also used it as her own outlet to understand what was going on around her.

Music, beyond their genetics, is their bond. The two wear puzzle-piece charms around their necks to remind them that they are better together than apart.

After high school, they nearly were. Blu planned to attend the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Brooke had her sights on a Florida school. But funding didn't quite work out for either of them so they stayed home to figure out new options.

Then, as Blu nursed her broken dreams of going away to school, the call came. And everything changed.

A scout for the show had seen her work online and invited her to audition for The Voice. Since then, the past several months have been a whirlwind of auditions, practices and trips to L.A.

On the Big Night, Blu said she stood behind stage, prayed God's light would shine through her, and took deep breaths. When her turn came, she said, she took the microphone — and that was it.

Blu wowed the audience and judges with her version of Erykah Badu's "On & On" and qualified to be a contestant.

When she talks about it, her smile couldn't be bigger. It's still surreal, she said, like the time John Legend, who chose Blu for his team, liked her Instagram post. She laughed.

"I can't believe this is happening."

Blu describes her style as neo-soul, R&B and jazz, and she's been inspired by Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Nancy Wilson, Aretha Franklin — and Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing. She works with a husband and wife duo at His & Her Entertainment, who go by RAII & Whitney, not to learn how to sing, but to grow as a performer. The team are Alicia Keys' sole supporting artists.

RAII said that as long as Blu maintains her momentum, "she's going to make the best out of being on The Voice and excel in all she does."

"We're excited to see her blossom and fly high right before our eyes," Whitney said.

Blu has no intentions of stopping. She said she is still cultivating her style and wants to branch out to mix genres such as jazz with house and soul. She said she wants to continue writing her music and songs that have a message. When she talks about this, she points to the signature pick in her hair and the earrings she wears that are shaped like a pick.

When she was growing up, Blu was teased about her looks, and she did things like straighten her hair to conform to other people's ideas of beauty. By seventh grade, she said, she realized she was becoming someone else. Someone not Oliv Blu. And she didn't want to fall out of love with herself.

So she embraced her own beauty and began wearing her hair natural. Through her music, she said, she wants to share with listeners what she learned. Be healthy. Love yourself. Find joy.

"I am not perfect. I don't think anyone is. I'm just saying 'be who you are,'" she said.

Blue is working on an EP that will be released later in the summer and plans a summer solstice performance.

But first, she competes in the Battle Rounds, which begin tonight on The Voice. She faces off against Kayslin Victoria and said she is thrilled about trying something new with her performance of Location by Khalid.

Whatever the outcome, Blu said, she'll plan to take her deep breaths, say a little prayer and have some fun.

"Whatever happens — when you go out to have fun, you win, because you had fun," she said.

Watch The Voice tonight at 7 p.m. CST on NBC.