Quote:Sharon Mathai, 19, was born in New York but moved to Coppell with her parents when she was in the fifth grade. Having sung her whole life and participated in the many choirs throughout school she knew singing was something she was good at, but not her passion.

Her passion was medicine.

“I was very involved in school, I was a book worm,” Mathai said. “I was so focused on becoming a pediatrician.”

Mathai said she was so involved in school that she would write a list of questions to ask her teachers the next day at school. Then, one day during the last semester of her senior year, everything changed.

“I woke up one day during my senior year and everything was telling me that I needed to sing,” she said. “I felt like God was calling me to sing.”

...Mathai began auditioning for anything that would show off her vocal skills. During the process she auditioned for “The Glee Project” where she made it to the Top 20. Through that process the young singer made connections and became addicted to the process.

“I was a junkie for the auditions,” she said. “I was just going for it.”

For her music, Mathai moved to Atlanta, and upon her arrival decided to audition for the NBC show “The Voice.”

“I moved to Atlanta Aug. 4 and auditioned for ‘The Voice’ the very next day,” she said.

...“I was nervous and freaking out. Walking up the stage was the climax of my nerves,” she said. “The audience didn’t clap when I walked on stage and I thought they hated me. When the music started I let everything flow naturally. I had choreography but that went out the window.”

...Once the young voice began singing, the judges knew someone special was on stage. Levine was the first to turn around and was shortly followed by Shelton. However, Mathai said she did not even see the judges turn around.

“I was so connected with the audience and they were so supportive of me,” she said. “I knew for sure that this is something I was supposed to do. I didn’t even notice the judges turn around. I was so caught up in the performance that I knew the judges turned around but I was more in touch with the audience. It was a transition moment that let me know this is what I am supposed to be doing with my life.”

When Mathai finished singing she looked down to see two judges wanting her on their team.

“I could not stop smiling, I was speechless,” she said. “The fact Adam was standing up for me and Blake said I was a star. It was very shocking.”

http://www.scntx.com/articles/2012/03/01/coppell_gazette/news/753.txt