A Star is Born

When Radharani Martinez – better known by her capitalized brand name RADHA– belted out Jessie J’s  “Mamma Knows Best” on the first day of on-air auditions for the hit TV show The Voice, judges Adam Levine, Jennifer Hudson and Blake Shelton quickly responded.  After Levine used his only block to keep Hudson from being a potential coach – in accordance with contest rules – RADHA chose him for her coach.

“I chose him because it felt right. From the time he turned around, the look on his face let me know he had no doubt in me,” RADHA recalls. While she admits she might have opted to be on Hudson’s team had she been able to, she is thrilled with her choice. “He really fought for me, so now it all feels like being on Team Adam was meant to be.”

RADHA is taking this semester off from her studies as a Television and Digital Media major at Montclair State to focus on The Voice. She chose her major because it relates to a world she has always aspired to be a part of. “Television and Digital Media was the right lane for me,” she says. “Professor Kristine Bates helped spark my love for cameras and soundboards – and now being on The Voice shows me how all of it comes together.”

Living a Dream

While RADHA has been singing since age four and performing and competing since sixth grade, the University community has experienced her talent first-hand during her on-campus open mic and Montclair Battle Grounds performances. Yet since The Voice premiered in 2011, she has dreamed of competing on its national stage. “Being here and physically seeing myself live my dreams is indescribable,” she says.

RADHA, a first-generation Filipino-American, comes from a musical family. “My dad plays guitar and my mom played piano, sang and danced. Because of them, I kept working to put myself out there,” she says. In addition to performing, she has written, recorded and released her own songs, including three singles in 2017 and four so far this year.

What RADHA loves most, though, is performing. She says, “I am my complete self and feel so alive on stage. I get to share my gift with the audience and show them how hard I’ve been working – while making it look effortless.” “

These effortless performances are the result of strict discipline, training and dedication. “Every day, I practice – it’s a must. I do my scales, study and memorize lyrics and record myself to hear details in my performance,” she explains.

While some singers might be intimidated by competing against older and more seasoned professionals on the show, the 20-year-old insists it “gives me a chance to really bring it and apply my artistry. All the artists have made my experience so amazing and helped me realize that I am on a different level and that these are the types of people I need to be with.”

Regardless of the final outcome of The Voice, RADHA knows she is already a winner. “My experience has given me so much exposure in so many different ways,” she says. “I’ve already gotten a taste of what it’s like in the ‘real world’ – the world I want to be a part of. The Voice has opened up parts of me I didn’t know existed.”