Mercedes Ferreira-Dias is a 16-year-old Miami Lakes resident and junior at Mater Lakes Academy (MLA). She’s been a singer since she was six years old, a passion sparked by the movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, “Phantom of the Opera.” Dias was entranced by the movie, and would watch it religiously for the music. Dias was only eight when she began songwriting, and the rest was history.
Dias has been performing in her school as well as locally in Miami Lakes. Her first performance outside of school was for Miami Lakes’ Fourth of July celebration when she was 11. She also attributes her teachers at MLA for motivating her and encouraging her to pursue her dreams. Dias plans on attending college, but is unsure about her major.
“The future is scary!” Dias said. “Of course my dream is to be able to sing professionally, making a living while doing the thing that I love the most. But whatever my life unfolds, music is something I want to remain a constant in my life. I will never abandon that.”
Just recently, Dias made her professional debut on the popular singing competition show, The Voice. The concept is to find raw talent from singers no one has heard of before. Judges are in chairs facing the audience rather than the singer themselves, and they swivel the chair over if they want the person to move on to the next round. Judges have this “blind audition” to make sure the singer is judged for their talent, and not their looks. If the singer is picked, they must choose a team if there is more than one judge that turned around.
There’s an entire process beforehand, but luckily Dias made it to the callbacks and was able to participate in the auditions. With her sister and parents alongside her, Dias was able to strut onto the stage and give it her all.
“They were beyond excited, and I am so grateful for that because it allowed me to feed off of the energy,” explained Dias. “My biggest fans are probably my parents. They really try to support me in any way they can!”
Dias’s rendition of “All I Ask” by Adele was soulful and passionate, but unfortunately no judge turned their chair around to choose her. Although Kelly Clarkson was an inch away from turning around, she hesitated at the last second. This did not stop Dias, and she is determined to come back and earn her spot on The Voice.
“I feel like I have improved a lot since then, gaining more confidence in my abilities as a singer and in myself as a person,” Dias described. “I feel like last time was not my time, and what happened was meant to happen.”
With Dias’s strong voice and determined personality, there is no doubt she will make it through and make Miami Lakes proud. In fact, Dias has already been recognized by the Town which gave her her humble beginnings back in 2013. She met with Town councilmembers and even received a plaque for her contribution to the community. For more information about The Voice, visit www.nbc.com/the-voice.