HOLD POST - BWW Interviews - Artists from THE VOICE Blind Auditions - Part III

NBC's The Voice kicked off its fifth season on Monday, September 23rd. The third round of artists who made it through their blind auditions include Ray Boudreaux, Monika Leigh, Cilla Chan (Team Blake), Lina Gaudenzi, Timyra-Joi, Briana Cuoco, Jacob Poole (Team Christina), Juhi, George Horga Jr., Anthony Paul (Team CeeLo) and Justin Blake, and Preston Pohl (Team Adam)

Below, the artists spoke to BWW and others about their experience on the NBC singing competition!

MEET THE ARTISTS

Ray Boudreaux (Team Blake) - Lafayette, LA

Small-town Ray has never ventured far from home, leaving his hometown of Lafayette, La. for the first time ever to go to LA for his audition. At 22, he became a father and stopped performing to be home with his daughter and girlfriend. Ray continues to gig at local venues a few nights a week and mows lawns on the side for extra income. Follow Ray on Twitter at @RayBoudreaux

Lina Gaudenzi (Team Christina) - Miami, FL

Following in her mom's modeling footsteps, Lina started modeling at age 13 and signed with an agency at 16. She's always had a passion for music and studied classical voice for six years. She ultimately decided that performing was something she wanted to do full time and has been gigging ever since. Follow Lina on Twitter at @LinaGaudenzi

Juhi (Team CeeLo) - Franklin, TN

As a senior in high school, academics are very important to Juhi and her family. Although she's always wanted to be an aerospace engineer, music is her passion. The Voice will help her decide between pursuing music or engineering. Follow Juhi on Twitter at @Juhix3

Justin Blake (Team Adam) - Savannah, TN

Justin is a small-town country artist with a baby on the way. He works hard to provide a good life for his girlfriend and future daughter, but his small town has limited options. Justin would love nothing more than to start his music career on The Voice and provide for his future family.

Timyra-Joi (Team Christina) - San Diego, CA

Timyra-Joi has been working with her vocal coach since the age of five. Even though she's only 15, Timyra-Joi has a voice much more mature than her young age and feels comfortable singing in front of large crowds. She looks forward to making her vocal coach proud on The Voice. Follow Timyra-Joi on Twitter at @timyrajoi1997

Monika Leigh (Team Blake) - Houston, TX

Monika's passion for entertaining was inherited from her parents. Her mother was an actress and her stepdad is a blues musician. Monika eventually gave up music to pursue a career as a special education teacher but after she lost her father, Monika's rekindled her love of singing and is performing on The Voice in his honor. Follow Monika on Twitter at @monikaleigh1

Briana Cuoco (Team Christina) - Thousand Oaks, CA

Briana Cuoco has a background in musical theatre and briefly worked as a dancer. Talent runs in her family - she's currently the personal assistant to her sister, actress Kaley Cuoco of TV's "The Big Bang Theory." She loves her sister but she's ready to break away and focus on building a career of her own. Follow Briana on Twitter at @bricuoco

George Horga Jr. (Team CeeLo) - Milwaukie, OR

George comes from a huge, tight-knit Romanian family who moved to the U.S. to chase the American dream. His first introduction to music was in the Romanian church and through his uncle's group, "The Messengers." George left his family in Portland and moved to Hollywood to pursue a music career and hopes The Voice will be the launch pad he's been looking for. Follow George on Twitter at @Georgehorgajr

Preston Pohl (Team Adam) - Houston, TX

At 17, Preston moved out of his parent's house and joined a Christian rock band. He toured all over the U.S., selling 300,000 records and winning multiple awards. Preston is ready to explore a solo career as a singer, and with his passion for writing and performing music, he thinks he's got what it takes to be The Voice. Follow Preston on Twitter at @prestonpohl

Anthony Paul (Team CeeLo) - Twinsburg, OH

Anthony was a standout show choir singer throughout high school. After countless performances with his show choir group, The Voice will be his first time performing solo. Although his parents stress the importance of education, he has put college on hold to pursue his dream and audition for The Voice. He hopes he made the right decision. Follow Anthony on Twitter at @AnthonyCPaul

Cilla Chan (Team Blake) - Singapore

Cilla grew up in Singapore where she hails from a musical family. She moved to the U.S. to attend college at Stanford. After graduating, Cilla put job offers on hold to audition for The Voice and hopes that this platform can launch her career in America. Follow Cilla on Twitter at @cillchan

Jacob Poole (Team Christina) - Atlanta, GA

Jacob grew up singing in his father's church and now serves as a leader of the church band. Two years ago, Jacob moved back to his hometown after years of trying to find his big break. While working for the church pays the bills, Jacob is still looking for more as an artist. Follow Jacob on Twitter at @jacobmusik

Photo credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

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