Thanks to a raspy voice that sounded far older than her 16 years, Xenia became one the finalists on The Voice, NBC’s prime-time singing competition, during the summer of 2011. The middle child in a family of five, Xenia grew up singing in Temecula, California, and began competing in The Voice during a summer vacation from school. Her soulful, smoky alto won the attention of judge Blake Shelton, who mentored the young singer and helped her advance through multiple rounds. Although Xenia lost the competition to Javier Colon, she still had plenty of support from fans, who helped send the singer’s first single -- “Price Tag,” a cover of the Jessie J original -- into the bottom reaches of the Hot 100 later that summer. The EP Sing You Home followed in December of 2011. ~ Andrew Leahey