Last Wednesday, Sept. 28, former “The Voice” contestant Kristen Merlin performed at The University of Akron’s Student Union. The event was organized by the Residence Hall Programming Board (RHPB).

Merlin started the 7:17 p.m. show with a song from her new album, “Boomerang.” The entire performance was acoustic: just her and the guitar. She kept the audience interested with a mixture of country and pop.

She also talked about her time on “The Voice,” a popular American reality T.V. singing competition.

Merlin said the first two times she auditioned, she didn’t make it to the live shows.

“I thought about not auditioning for The Voice [again] because I did not want to ruin my reputation or be an embarrassment — but my friends forced me to go and audition,” Merlin said.

Finally, during her third try, Merlin made it to the live show and went on to place fourth.

As part of last Wednesday’s performance, Merlin sang a tribute to Christina Grimmie, a friend she made on the show. Grimmie was shot by a fan while she was signing autographs.

“It is sad that such crazy things happen in the world and when it affects someone that you know, it is just hard to wrap your brain around,” Merlin said.

Merlin’s first album, “Boomerang,” is currently for sale and she is now in the process of making a second. Her first album was more country-based, but her second album is more of mixed genre.

Merlin loves many kinds of music, which she says has always been part of her life. Throughout her childhood, her true inspirations were Reba, Tim McGraw, and Pink.

More RHPB events and information can be found on OrgSync.