61.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Melanie Martinez to appear on ‘The Voice’
Baldwin pop music icons like Taylor Dayne and Dee Snider may soon have to make room in their ranks for a new star: Baldwin High School’s Melanie Martinez.
Now entering her senior year, Martinez, 17, has been climbing the musical career ladder for the last few years. She won the BHS talent show as a sophomore, and went on to appear on MSG Varsity’s “Talent Show,” where she was eliminated in the second round. Martinez’s biggest step, however, was making it to the blind audition phase of NBC’s hit show “The Voice.”
Martinez's performance did not air on the first two nights of the show's third season, but will appear some time in the next three weeks. But no matter when her audition airs, she has captured Baldwin’s attention. In the weeks leading up to her appearance, a Facebook page promoting her music received more than 650 “likes.” The enthusiasm of those who commented was exemplified by Stephanie Lopez, who wrote, “You’re going to make me pee myself lmao! I’m so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
On “The Voice,” the highest-rated non-football show airing on Monday nights, vocalists perform for a panel of judges that includes Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. In the early stages of the competition, the judges face away from the singers, and decide based on sound alone whether they want to draft the performers onto their teams.
Subsequent stages pit teammates and rivals against one another in pursuit of a recording contract.
Martinez, who began singing at age 3 and playing guitar at 4 (and is also proficient on the ukulele), has performed at open mics across Long Island. Her interest in music is augmented by a passion for photography. She is yet another example of Baldwin’s world-class music education system, which has earned the hamlet widespread recognition. It was named one of the nation’s top communities for music education by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation last May.
