Huntington University alumnus Christiana Hicks sat down with me to discuss her recent audition on NBC's The Voice, where judges were blown away by her rendition of Hotline Bling.

1. Huntington University alumnus wows judges of The Voice
Written by James Ehle
A 2017 Huntington University alumnus is garnering a lot of attention for her recent audition on
NBC’s singing competition, The Voice. Christiana Hicks, a soul singer with a strong faith, spoke
about overcoming obstacles, trusting God, and finding strength and support within her
community.
“I just didn’t expect it,” Hicks said as she reflected on the outpouring of support she’s received
since her audition. “It wasn’t like I thought nobody is going to be behind me with this, but I
didn’t know what to expect.”
The Huntington Union Building, a central campus hangout, is almost unrecognizable on
Monday and Tuesday nights, where over 100 students have gathered for The Voice weekly
screening parties hosted by the Student Activities Board. These events were organized to show
support for the recent graduate.
Screams and cheers of excitement reverberated through the room as superstar judges Adam
Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and Alicia Keys spun their chairs for Christiana. Levine, the lead singer
of the popular group Maroon 5, praised the singer’s powerful voice saying, “Christiana, you are
one of the best singers I have ever heard in my life.”
“My mind was just blown all over again,” Hicks said. “I was screaming ‘oh my gosh’, I didn’t
remember (the judges) said that”
Her audition has gone viral online and has amassed 3 million views to date. A chilling rendition
of the popular Drake song “Hotline Bling” left judges vying for the opportunity to mentor her in
the competition. “Your voice humbles me,” Levine said. “Your presence humbles me, and I only
want to be a guiding light moving forward.”
Hicks was not afraid when she was called onstage to perform and said she instead felt an
“overwhelming sense of peace”. Not only was the singer performing for multi-platinum selling
artists, but also in front of cameras which would air her audition for the show’s millions of
viewers.
“It was strange because this is not normal,” Hicks said. “It really gave me the green light that
God is with me.”
Christiana is no stranger to looking to God for strength and guidance. Her dreams of singing
were almost shattered by a viral infection where doctors told her she’d never sing again.
“I was just like, God if you give me my voice back I promise you that I’m going to use it for your
glory,” Hicks said. “I’m going to be more outgoing. I promise you, just give it back to me.”
Christiana took the stage at HU’s Davis Hall Follies talent show and overcame all odds when she
won the show with a powerful rendition of “The House of the Rising Sun”. Now, she’s in the
running for one of the largest singing competitions in the world. Hicks chose Grammy Award-
winning artist Alicia Keys as her vocal mentor on the show, and is now a representative of “Team
Alicia”.
“To my HU family and supporters, if I could make it to the live rounds, you can definitely vote
on Facebook up to 10 times,” Hicks said. “You can also buy my iTunes song and that counts as a
vote.”
Christiana won her battle round on Monday night against contestant Shaina Halligan and will
advance onto the knockout rounds. Tune in to NBC on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. for
the chance to see Christiana perform on The Voice.