By Julia Train
We have an up-and-coming celebrity in our area. Mara Justine, 21, from Galloway Township is currently in the midst of taking on season 24 of NBC’s The Voice.
Justine isn’t a stranger to singing on television, though. She began singing at 8 years old when she took singing lessons.
At 11 years old, she auditioned during season 9 of America’s Got Talent and made it to the top 12 before being eliminated. Four years later, at 15 years old, she was on season 16 of American Idol and sent home after making it to the top 14.
After spending some time away from the screen, Justine sang Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” during blind auditions.
Her powerful performance was followed by all four judges immediately turning around, John Legend being the first.
While all of them wanted her, Legend and Niall Horan fought for her; Horan begged on his knees and pushed his button to make a foam finger drop from the ceiling, but Legend had a trick up his sleeve. He and Justine sang an impromptu duet of his song “All of Me.”
Although she came in with her mind set on country legend Reba McEntire, the duet led her to choose ‘Team Legend.’
Horan later got revenge when Justine chose him to be her coach after he and Gwen Steffani both attempted to steal her during knockouts.
“To be able to, not only be in a room with icons, but to get to know them and them pour into me as well has been the ultimate blessing,” she said on Philly Live Nov. 15, talking about her experience with the four coaches.
Right now, Justine is in the playoffs and heading to Live Shows in the Top 12 Monday, Dec. 4, with the results airing live Tuesday, Dec. 5.
The Semi-Finals are the following week on Monday, Dec. 11, and the results air the night after.
The Season 24 Finale performances will be Monday, December 18 with The Finale Live Results show December 19.
Julia is a student at Rider University, majoring in multiplatform journalism with a minor in social media strategies. At school, she writes and copy edits for The Rider News and is the News Director for the radio station, producing news updates. She’ll be graduating in the spring. Connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
