But it is the very fact of her age that has made this competition more difficult for Hailey than any of her competitors. Not only does she have to do everything the others do to prepare for her performances, but she also has to keep up with school. “It’s overwhelming,” Hailey told Parade.com. “It’s like you’re living two separate lives, where you go back to the normalcy of kind of being home because you are still doing school online virtual and then seconds later having to go on stage singing. It is two different worlds, but it is easy to manage when you get into the groove of things and know what you’re doing.” Hailey says it has been pretty smooth sailing, but that could be because she has mom Gina with her to help keep things running efficiently. “I don’t know what I would do without her,” the New Jersey native said. And it turns out that Hailey isn’t the only one getting some mothering from Gina. Before he was eliminated, Jeremy Rosado told Parade.com, “Gina’s so kind and loving. She’s such a mother. She shows up with words of wisdom and encouragement. It is incredible to have family when you don’t have family. While it is incredibly tough for Hailey and she is carrying more than the rest of us with school and everything, it is a blessing to have your person here with you. Gina is like that for a lot of us. She’s amazing.” If she wins, Hailey isn’t quite sure how she will juggle school with her newfound career, but she is game to give it a go. “I have the best teacher in the world, so we will see,” she said. “I am taking it day by day.” One other difficulty that Hailey faced that the other four finalists did not is she had to make it into the Live Shows by winning the Instant Save. Hailey was one of the four artists—each coach picked one—that didn’t get put through by America or the coaches initially, but had to sing for the final spot. “It taught me that every single time I go on stage, I have to bring it,” Hailey said. “I have to get in my head, get in my space, and bring it at all times. Even if I mess up, I still have to bring it and have fun and work really hard.” Now, Hailey’s dream is coming true. Despite all the hardships, she has made it to the finale. “I have dreamed of that moment since I was so little,” she said. “I dreamed of being on this show since I was so little and being here is so insane. A couple of months ago I was in school and doing my homework. I was just a normal student and now I’m in the finale. I still don’t believe it. I’m taking it day by day and trying to process it, but it’s the craziest thing in the world. I’m so grateful.”
What happened to Hailey Mia’s eye?
Hailey Mia was born with a disease called Monocular Elevation Deficiency, which is also called double elevator palsy. She had surgery at age 7 to correct deteriorating vision in her right eye. American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, there are varying degrees of severity from misalignment only in upgaze to the deficit affecting straight ahead gaze, resulting in a hypotropia, one eye that is pointed downward relative to the other eye. Following is more of our conversation with Hailey in which she talks about what her tour will look like, what she’s learned from coach Kelly Clarkson, and how exciting it was to learn that Kelsea Ballerini saw her performance of “Peter Pan” and reposted it! Why do you think fans vote for you? I go out there and I sing every single time and I have fun. I think I give off that energy that, hopefully, inspires young people like me who want to sing, so I think that younger people really see that. That is why I think they vote me through, so I am really grateful for that. What is something that Kelly Clarkson taught you that you are going to take away from this experience? She’s a very emotional singer and I am as well. I think that’s such a good thing to have as an artist and as a person. You want people to emotionally and regularly connect with you, so that’s a great thing to take away and that’s something that I am definitely taking away from this entire experience. How excited were you to find out that Kelsea Ballerini had watched your performance of her “Peter Pan” song? I was so excited. My mom told me. She stopped everything she was doing and was like, “Kelsea just reposted your performance.” I was like, “What?” I literally made her say it again. It was literally just insane, and I saw her comment, the beautiful, beautiful thing she said. I was honored that she got to see it. When you perform a cover of somebody else’s song, you never expect them to see it. When they do, it is the craziest thing in the world. I am honored that she got to see it. I thought I had a great performance that time, so I was really happy that she saw that performance. What was your biggest challenge singing Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” on challenge week? I am a singer that sings ballads and I like slow songs and I like big notes. I don’t really engage with the audience or walk around the stage and that was probably my biggest challenge. Having to walk around on stage, having to dance, and still be in my mind and pour the emotion out, because it is actually a very emotional song, but it is still upbeat, the whole thing was a real challenge to try to manage all those things into one, but I was happy with my performance. I was really confident. That’s probably the best I’ve ever felt in a long time for any of my performances. Looking ahead to your album, do you have songs already to go? I don’t write my own music. I don’t have songs ready to go. I am just taking it day by day and seeing what happens. What will your tour look like? I haven’t thought about what I want to do for a tour as far as mapping it out. I can imagine being on a big stage speaking to people my own age through my music. Hopefully, when I’m older, I will start writing music and people will feel a connection and I will get to inspire kids, or teenagers, or adults. What is the first thing you plan on doing after The Voice ends? For me, it is trying to find any and every opportunity to sing anywhere if possible and start posting covers. The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, Check Out the Songs and Celebrity Singers for The Voice Season 21 Finale
