Shantel Norman, Semi-Finalist, East Region

Sep. 2, 2011— -- Shantel Norman @ShanNorman (Semi-Finalist)

Favorite Karaoke Song?
"No More Drama"
Favorite Singer/ Group?
Mary J. Blige
First Job?
Dairy Queen
Biggest Accomplishment?
Going back to college.

Growing up in Lexington, N.C., Shantel began her love of singing in church as a little girl. It continued as she got older, first through talent shows in high school, and later by taking the stage in local karaoke bars. One of her favorite bars is Al's where she sings Karaoke every Thursday.

Giving birth to her son at such a young age changed her priorities a bit. As her 10-year-old is a bit older now, she is ready to focus on what she loves to do, which is singing. She currently resides in Sarasota, Fla. where she was discovered at a local karaoke bar by a reggae band called Democracy. She performs four nights a week with them as their lead singer. When she is not singing she is also an administrator at Kaiser University.

Shantel is a vocal powerhouse who can belt out tunes from Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan. A big fan of Mary J. Blige, Shantel explains what she believes makes a great singer. "Whenever I sing I love to tell a story and I love to see the audience's reaction, it makes me more motivated, more happy and gives me a chance to show them this is what I love to do."

She hopes to one day create a powerful women's anthem heard across the world and is doing this for her son who she says is her biggest fan. Will Shantel have the chops to lead her to superstardom? Find out in the coming weeks, Fridays 9/8 Central on ABC.