I’ve always dreamed of attending Baylor because I have a legacy of family members who have gone here before me (I’m a third generation Bear). So important was it that during my time on The Voice, I did not take any time off from college –– I was an enrolled, part-time sophomore the entire time. Yes, I did my homework and exams just like any other student, except that I was temporarily located a thousand miles away. I’m just not a quitter. If I start something, I do everything I can to finish it out, simple as that.

Most of all, I love that I didn’t have to give up my education for my dream of music — Baylor made it possible for me to have both. I was blessed with wonderful professors who worked with me and encouraged me, not because they felt pressured or obligated, but because they really believed in me.

I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching my mom and dad sing together, mostly in church services and at weddings. They met in college through music when my dad started his Christian band, Revised Edition. Traveling on the road for six years together taught them a great deal about the music business –– the good, the bad and the ugly.

Through it all, they stayed strong and ended up falling in love, getting married and starting a family. My two older brothers came along, first Travis and then Shane, and then myself. Some of my best childhood memories were Sunday mornings spent sitting on the front row pew of some Baptist church with my brothers, dad leading the congregation on guitar, and mom playing piano to “Amazing Grace” while giving us kids the “you’d better behave” look because she knew we’d get into some kind of mischief (not me, of course –– I was an angel).

We were raised always knowing we were loved by our parents and supremely loved by our Creator. I am very grateful to have been raised by two such wonderful people. Something about seeing them perform on stage always tugged at a little part of my heart. At age 7, I got on stage for the first time singing a cute little song called “I Am A Promise” with my dad in “big church” at FBC Woodway. That performance lit a fire in me.

From that point on, music consumed me. Country music especially drew me in because there were so many powerful females on the radio who presented wholesome messages, women I could really look up to. My parents really saw my passion and thought I had a gift, so they took me all over Texas to just about every opry, county fair, restaurant, talent show and karaoke place they could find. When I was 14 years old I recorded my first album independently. In addition to school and gigs, I recorded three more albums in the next five years. And then came The Voice.

I had tried out many times before for every television show there is –– American Idol, America’s Got Talent, X Factor, even The Voice’s first season –– but I always got a “no,” or “you’re not ready yet,” or “we’ve seen a million of you.” Harsh, right? After that, I thought that maybe being on a reality TV show wasn’t in the cards for me.

However, I was in Dallas one weekend and saw that auditions for The Voice were in town. I figured I’d go for it, so I sang for some casting agents and made it through a couple of pre-screening rounds. They told me they’d fly me out to California for one more round of auditions for the producers, and from there I was to go on to the blind auditions. I felt like I had finally made it, and I couldn’t believe it.

Out of 40,000 auditioners on Season 4 of The Voice, I was the Top Six finalist on Blake Shelton’s team. For three straight months, 14 million people watched me sing. Season 4 won an Emmy award –– the only season of The Voice since then to win.

While Season 4 aired and afterward my hometown poured out their love and support. I received countless emails, texts, phone calls and care packages, as well as hearing from our local radio and TV news stations. Baylor students tweeted me like crazy and helped me gain a large social media following. Coming home to Central Texas was a sweet moment because I finally got to see all of that in person. I will never be able to say “thank you” enough to Baylor and the city of Waco.

Since the show, things have picked up for me quite a bit. I have performed more than 200 shows, both in Texas and out of state. I am a traditional, full-time student again and am currently finishing up the last semester of my senior year here at Baylor (woo-hoo!) and I gotta tell you, I cannot wait to have that degree in my hands. I have also visited Nashville regularly and have made some strong connections in the music industry.

As for what’s ahead for me in 2015, I will be writing new songs, touring the state of Texas with my band, and I am committed to having a brand-new, full-length independent album out this year. It’s a heavy load, but my passion keeps me going. For all of these crazy beautiful things that are happening, I am in total awe of God’s grace and guidance over my life. I am forever thankful and humbled –– I know I owe it all to Him.

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The entire Spring 2015 issue of Baylor Arts & Sciences magazine is available online.

Tucker family photo courtesy of Holly Tucker

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