Music has always been a large part of Gabrielle Zabosky’s life. The 25-year-old from Oxford, PA, was raised by a single mom who had five daughters, and they never had much, so she used music as an outlet, singing in Glee Club in school.
“Then in high school, I was working at Walmart,” Gabrielle said. “It was my first job when I was 16, and one day on the Walmart radio I heard of an acapella challenge contest. I said, ‘Oh, run it back. That sounds right up my alley.’ I was selected with 11 other people from all over the state and we became Walmart’s first-ever acapella group called SparkAppella. We made music videos, we made a Christmas album and then I was on a commercial. That was my first taste of what it feels like to work in the industry. I felt rich. Mind you, I’m poor, but I felt so rich, and that experience made me want more.”
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Gabrielle sees The Voice as her chance to get that more because, as she says, “it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, you be yourself and you can make it. I’ve definitely tried my best in life, and I’ve come a very long way. I work hard. I still don’t have much but I’m hoping that this opportunity maybe could change that. I just really need a chair.”
Gabrielle would have been happy with one chair, but she got four – although Reba McEntire did block Snoop Dogg – for her stellar performance of Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.”
“I love your voice,” Reba told her. “You have a lot of power, a lot of dynamics going in and out. Have you been singing for a long time?”
Gabrielle answered, “Since I could remember. This is the only thing I’m good at truthfully.”
Reba added, “I think your adorable and I’d love to have you on my team.”
Snoop then pointed out that he wasn’t an option because he was blocked.
“Who did that? [Reba]” he wondered. “I’m not even gonna ask, but I’ve been blocked. They know I love music like what you do, so they naturally would block me because they knew you was gonna choose me.”
That was when Gabrielle first noticed that all four coaches turned for her, saying, “Hold on. I got a four-chair turn?”
Snoop continued, “You’ve got three great coaches that can help you develop into the superstar you want to be, so congratulations and good luck on The Voice.”
Then it was Gwen’s turn to try to convince Gabrielle to join her team. She said, “There was something about you as a diamond in the rough for me. I heard a lot of things going on that if I were your coach, I would help you with. It’s like trying to do too much, but at the same time when you get it right, it would be really beautiful. I’m here to help people that have a dream, and you get to grow and blossom right before our eyes. Welcome to Team Gwen if you like.”
Finally, it was Michael Bublé’s chance to pitch, and he made up a story.
“When I was a kid, I used to sing on a cruise ship believe it or not,” he lied. “I remember this one time meeting this girl and I fell in love with her on this cruise ship and she used to paint me. There was an accident—you guys probably saw it on the news—but the cruise ship actually went down.”
Gabrielle caught on that Michael was fibbing, and asked, “Are you talking about the Titanic?”
Reba pressed her Michael-is-lying button and Gwen explained, “He has a lying problem.”
A highly offended Michael continued, “My point was to say, I lost that girl forever. Listen to me guys, it’s not funny. As I watched Rose sink beneath the water, I realized that if I would have just let her get on that door with me, we would have been together.”
Snoop threw a penalty flag on the story but it didn’t stop Michael, who said, “It was a long way to get to my point, but there is room on my door for both of us. Neither of us needs to die tonight. I think you’re a great singer. I’d love to have you on my team.”
In the end, Gabrielle picked Gwen.
“Gabrielle, she has a real power to her voice,” Gwen said. “There’s not a lot of singers that have that voluminous power this season. She just has that to her advantage.”
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