Clarissa Serna returns to Marble Falls for 'residency' at Brass Hall
Contributed
Singer Clarissa Serna, a contestant on NBC's "The Voice in 2014, will take up 'residency' at Brass Hall beginning Friday, July 15, with three performances in three months at the Marble Falls music venue.
By Lew K. Cohn
Managing Editor
The Highlander
Just three short years ago, Clarissa Serna was turning the heads of judges on the hit NBC TV show, “The Voice” as her rendition of “Zombie” by The Cranberries made Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Usher and Shakira sit up and take notice.
The public noticed as well as her cover of the 1990s rock hit climbed to No. 81 on the iTunes Top 100 chart in 2014, earning her a legion of fans well beyond the confines of her native Texas.
The sultry chanteuse from Corpus Christi is still turning heads and brings an impressive body of work with her to Marble Falls this Friday, July 14, as she begins the first of three shows in three months as an artist in 'residency' at Brass Hall, 909 Third St.
Serna recorded her first EP of original songs at the age of 17, but it was never released. By 19, she was singing at restaurants and other venues around Corpus Christi. Her first big break came when she was handpicked as the female lead for Texas band The Jollyranchers. She toured with the band for three years before releasing her self-titled debut EP in 2011 with her own band.
Serna competed for Team Shakira in the sixth season of “The Voice,” which featured the late Christina Grimmie and eventual winner Joshua Kaufman. In Episode 9, she defeated Jeremy Briggs by showing incredible range on Foreigner's “Cold as Ice,” but she fell in Episode 16 to Dani Moz when both were singing “Perfect” by Pink.
Instead of resting on her laurels by having been selected to appear on a national TV show, Serna embarked on an impressive schedule of live performances and studio time, releasing two original singles, the Shakira-influenced “El Dorado” and the bluesy “Let Me Down Easy.” She is working on her first full album.
Among those she has shared the stage with are Meghan Trainor, Pat Green, Los Lonely Boys and Chris Perez, husband of the late Selena Quintanilla, who also is from Corpus Christi and is one of her musical idols. Serna has performed at Corpus Christi's Fiesta De La Flor, which honors Selena, as well as at South by Southwest in Austin.
When she is not performing live shows, Serna hosts the Afternoon Jam Sesh from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays for Rock 92.7 in Corpus Christi.
Her music attracts a variety of audiences, especially youth. Serna has become a creative ambassador for many programs and non-profits in the South Texas area. In her spare time, she visits schools in Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin to talk to students about music, making goals, and following dreams. She continues to volunteer for programs such as Chicas Rock Music Camp, which she has done since 2011.
