Jessica Poland Rocks Out On The Voice — Live

Wall's own Jessica Poland sang live before a television audience of millions and for her survival on NBC's nationally televised The Voice Monday night.

Poland, a graduate who sings under the name Charlotte Sometimes, performed "Misery Business'' by Paramore on Monday's live round of competition. It is now up to the audience to decide whether she was good enough to move on in the competition.

Only three artists from each of the two teams in Monday's competition will continue on to the next round. The winners are expected to be announced on Tuesday's show.

"I think it's going to be tough,'' said Poland's coach, country superstar Blake Shelton, before the competition began. "It's not going to be easy."

It wasn't.
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Poland was the 11th performer to take the stage, the last of her team and following five competitors from the team headed by judge Christina Aguilera, who fielded six of her own singers.

Dressed in a flowing gown and enveloped in ankle-high fog, Poland's arrangement showed off her wide vocal range, as judge Christina Aguilera noted after the performance.

"It was dramatic,'' Aguilera said. "It was big where it needed to be big. It was soft where it needed to be soft and that takes power, but you're also really subtle in the right places.''

Coach Shelton was wowed by Poland's performance.

"This was Charlotte's idea for the arrangement,'' Shelton said. "She's a true artist. And true artists have a vision. I thought it was dead on.''

Judge Adam Levine also praised Poland's rendition, but said there were "flat'' spots in her performance.

Wall Patch caught up with Poland on Saturday as she prepared for tonight's performance.

"I am still having fun but the pressure is nuts!,'' Poland said.

Poland advanced to the live show rounds after beating out a teammate in a battle round, .

Country star Blake Shelton chose following the battle, where Poland and another teammate sang the same song before a studio audience and the four judges.

“Charlotte got up there and you can’t take your eyes off her, which is what you need to make a star,’’ Shelton said before choosing Poland to continue in the show.

Poland began writing songs and singing when she was 14 – just about the same time a rare degenerative disease began to eat away at her jaw, threatening a promising singing career before it really even began.

She was diagnosed with Condylar Resorption when she was a student at .

The disease, in which the bones of the jaw are steadily broken down and disintegrate, is nine times more likely to affect women and generally begins at puberty. There is no known cause.

Poland considers herself lucky. She was able to get the medical attention and the reconstructive surgery she needed to rebuild her jaw. She is currently setting up a nonprofit organization to raise money and awareness about her disease.

“It’s really hard for these girls to find help,’’ Poland has said. “It’s tough to find information, because there’s not a lot of research going on. I feel like if there’s anything I can do, any way I can help that I should that.’’

Poland now lives in New York City, she is a lifelong resident of Wall. She attended , and graduated from in 2006. Her parents, Hartson and Tracy Poland, live in North Wall.

She’s continuing a promising singing career. She has released a studio album, three EPs and performed on the 2008 Warped Tour, among other accomplishments.

Poland's stage name — Charlotte Sometimes — is one part her middle name (Charlotte) and one part a nod to a 1960s novel by the same name about a boarding school girl who travels back in time to live another girl's life. The book was popularized by a song, also by the same name, recorded by '80s New Wave band The Cure.