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Christian Who Fled Islamic Persecution Stuns on THE VOICE

Photo from Tasha Jessen’s Instagram

Christian Who Fled Islamic Persecution Stuns on THE VOICE

By Movieguide® Contributor

THE VOICE contestant Tasha Jessen has blown away viewers with her talent and moving story about growing up in Pakistan. 

At her audition, Jessen shared some of her personal history, including what it was like to grow up in Pakistan. 

“Growing up, my parents were super musical; my whole family sings,” Jessen explained. “But life was hard in Pakistan because Pakistan is an Islamic country, and I was the one Christian kid in school.”

She said she “stuck out like a sore thumb” because her mother was afraid to let her leave the house, fearing religious persecution. The family eventually fled Pakistan and moved to Thailand. 

Jessen then moved to the United States and now lives with her husband Maverek in Colorado. Maverek is the lead guitarist in the couple’s church worship band. 

“From the moment that I met her, she was the best singer I’d ever met,” Maverek said of his wife. “And so it’s just been amazing for her to land in the United States and then immediately just start pushing hard towards her dreams and her goals.”

Jessen called her audition a “dream” and impressed the show’s judges with her performance of Leon Bridges’ “River” during the Blind Auditions. 

“Your voice is hard to define,” Blake Shelton, who Jessen chose as her coach, said. “Which is the best thing you could have going for you.”  

Shelton continued, “Tasha looks like a star. Nobody else sounds like Tasha, and she’s on Team Blake.”

Jessen shared that she hopes her performance will “show little girls in Pakistan” that anything is possible.