I am in love. Jordis Unga came into my life some five years ago through an eleventh-grade television obsession in the form of Rockstar INXS. The show was a drop from heaven for my friends and me. It was a version of American Idol, but filtered to only rock artists. The winner would front the kinda-legendary band, INXS. Jordis was 22 then and noticeable, but not the best. Marty Casey took that owner. JD Fortune won it in the end though, along with the award for the biggest douchebag. He no longer fronts INXS.

At 22, all those years ago, Jordis was the youngest competitor on Rockstar INXS. But, corny as this sounds, she had this twinkle in her eye, and this sense of genuine likability that made her one of those contestants that nobody could hate. She thrived on real emotion, not the over-the-top-oh-my-god-I-am-so-fake kind of drama.  I remember her rendition of “Imagine” was so serene that I still have it on my iPod today, a solid five years later. She placed fifth overall and I thought that was the end of that. Not quite.

Five years later, a week or so ago, I happened to stop skipping channels whilst I was on NBC. An episode of “The Voice,” NBC’s throw-of-the-dice against ABC’s flailing “American Idol”, was coming to an end. The host reviewed all the contestants that had made it past the first round, and BOOM, Jordis was back. This girl whose voice had played a decent role in my high-school days was back on the grid. She was a little older now and hopefully a little wiser. I had to see what she was all about. I rushed on to the Internet to hear her audition, and she literally destroyed the bejeezus out of it. It was an incredible rendition of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I Am Amazed” and I was not only amazed, I was engaged, enthralled and in love.

I guess the fact that I once had a connection of sorts with this singer made me a lot more excited about her come back. But besides this connection, what really sold me was the pure passion oozing out from every inch of her. Clichéd as it sounds, hear me out. She started off a little nervous, but as soon as Blake hit his button, her performance was transformed. And this transformation was beautiful. Her face erupted into this magnificent smile and her eyes cringed at the pure joy of guaranteed progress. And then she just let go. She sang her lungs out, and rasped like a true rocker on those high notes, which sent a tingly quiver down my gut. What I find special about her is that she does not try to be someone she is not. In a television world marred by commercialism and sensationalism, it’s hard to find true expression of emotion. This makes her absolutely fantastic. Add some badass tattoos, some deep soothing eyes and a thundering smile, and you have my love.

On some level, my love for Jordis stems off of my current conundrum with women. When you’re looking for Mrs Right, there is this look/personality payoff. When the latter leads to attraction, it’s extremely refreshing because you know that your infatuation is not superficial. Sometimes, that is so hard to find. I found that with Jordis, and yes however farfetched it sounds, I am enjoying it. Currently, I am watching that performance of hers at least seven times a day, and that’s borderline unhealthy. But, I enjoy it every single time. Yes, I am never going to meet her, but I find this obsession really joyous. I hope more people see that genuineness in her. I hope she makes one hell of a career with her avocation.  Good luck, Jordis.

P.S. At my current rate of writing, it takes some real inspiration to get me to blog. Sad, but true.