Frankie Torres, ’23, told nearly everyone who asked that she was in Los Angeles for a summer social work internship ahead of beginning her master’s degree at the University of Michigan in the fall. She’d been accepted into the program, but she left out that she had declined her acceptance, opting instead to use the achievement as a cover for what she was really doing: filming auditions, battles, and knockouts for her upcoming appearance on NBC’s TV show “The Voice.”
“Every single time someone asked me, ‘What do you do?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, can’t talk about it — HIPAA,’” she laughs, referencing the federal law about health care privacy.
When Torres’ blind audition aired on October 7, nearly 5 million viewers watched as all four judges chairs turned, signaling that each of this season’s coaches — Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire, and Michael Bublé — wanted Torres to join their team in the hopes of winning the competition show.
Torres chose to join Team Gwen because of Stefani’s rock influences and because of what the celebrity artist said while she was on stage.
“During my audition, I really appreciated what she said about being picky with female rock artists because I kind of am too. I feel a little bit of protective of the genre sometimes. . . . I felt very honored that she was being picky but still chose to go with me,” Torres says.
Music has always been a part of Torres’ life.
“My mom can tell you that I was humming songs before I had words,” she says. Torres began performing at 8 years old and joined the local School of Rock, a performance-based music education school, where she practiced singing; learned how to play the guitar, drums, bass, and piano; and even went on several national tours that showcased the students’ talents.
Though Torres learned many genres, she fell in love with rock music.
“I learned all kinds of rock music — all genres really, but mostly rock. All the different bands, that’s where my genre love came from,” she says.
Torres began college in Nashville but she missed “the competitive academic nature she grew up in” and transferred to the University of Michigan as a sophomore, pursuing a degree in psychology with minors in social work and music.
At U-M, Torres was part of Amazin’ Blue (AB), the University’s oldest all-gender a cappella group, while at U-M and even served as their music director. She continued to pull from her a cappella experiences on “The Voice.”
“Being in AB really helped my arrangement when it came to our battle song. I could easily arrange the song for our battle because I had so much experience doing that in Michigan a cappella. I owe a lot of my songwriting to a cappella. It was a very, very big part of my life. So much love to the Michigan a cappella community. They’re all amazing,” she says.
While performing at local Ann Arbor venues like The Ark and The Blind Pig, Torres met Alison Albrecht, ’22, who competed on season 24 of “The Voice” in 2023 and inspired Torres to audition as well.
She sent in her tape and went through a few rounds of auditions before she was officially invited to film in Los Angeles.
Torres sang Heart’s “Magic Man” for her blind audition and battled her new friend, Gabrielle Zabosky in her first voice battle, singing INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” on Oct. 22. Zabosky won the battle, and while that would usually mean Torres would be sent home, McEntire kept her on the show by stealing her over to Team Reba.
Despite a strong performance, Torres was eliminated from the competition in a knockout round on Nov. 12.
Now, Torres is back in her home state of Minnesota, continuing to write and record new music as episodes of “The Voice” air and fans follow along. As she performs as a solo artist and with her rock cover band, Midnight Rambler, Torres is navigating how to advocate for herself, especially as a woman in a challenging industry.
“That is something that I’m continuously working on, not only in the marketing sense, but in the business sense, like my gigs, we have to ask for the money that we earn. As women, it’s something that is really, really hard, something that we’re not taught to do, and I always feel like a burden or that I’m overstepping . . . [It’s about] having that balance of advocating for yourself but being respectful.”
It’s something she says she first learned at U-M. And it’s working — after pitching herself to the right people, Torres sang the national anthem ahead of the Minnesota Vikings’ home game on Nov. 3.
Between performances, she’s back to work at a nonprofit program with therapeutic support services for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. Torres has considered careers in music therapy, talk therapy, or other social services but her sights are still set on a future in music.
“I’m so passionate about performing and being on stage,” Torres says. “. . . For me, regardless of what happens on ‘The Voice,’ I am going to do music.”
Katherine Fiorillo is the editor of Michigan Alum.
