Sasha Allen: 'The Voice' Top 5 Performances (Video)

Check out Sasha Allen performing Whitney Houston‘s signature song “I Will Always Love You” and “Bad Girls” for this week’s semifinal round for The Voice!

Last week, the 31-year-old contestant chatted with JJ at a recording studio about her tribute to Whitney, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, and what her daughter thinks about seeing her on television.

Sasha is battling against Michelle Chamuel, Danielle Bradbery, Amber Carrington, and The Swon Brothers for a place in the finals.

Click inside to read our interview with Sasha Allen and her performance of ‘Bad Girls’…

JustJared.com Interview – Sasha Allen

JustJared.com: Where do you go when you have to go do songs by Adele, Whitney, and Mariah without failing?

Sasha Allen: With a cold, I could definitely fail. I don’t know, I kinda felt like it’s do or die at this point. You just have to kinda pull out all the stops. I’ve sung [Whitney] before, not with a cold. I really enjoy it. I’m a huge fan of hers, she inspires me, she’s probably the reason why I started singing. I’m thinking of it more like a tribute to her because there is no outdoing her. It’s more of a tribute to love her too.

JJ: How do you approach the recording now that you have a cold?

SA: I mean, having a cold is having a cold. My speaking voice is deeper, it’s not as pretty. Like what you can do, like tea and trying to get as much rest as possible, under these circumstances is really hard too. Or tools like, let’s do the hardest part first and then go to the easier part. I’m not at my best, so can we do this part again. Thank God, there is a studio, thank God, there is a engineer who can help me out with the struggles of being sick and trying to do Whitney.

JJ: Was it your choice or Shakira’s?

SA: This one was my choice. I choose it because I love her so much. It was a tribute moment and do or die moment.

JJ: This is the last week before finals, how are you preparing yourself?

SA: I feel like if I can accomplish this one last thing, I feel like there is nothing else to show at this point anyway but a nice softer side you know, a little bit more delicate. I feel like most of the songs I’ve sung have been in your face and rockin’ out with love. I don’t think people have really heard my softer side. I think Whitney is amazing at doing both.

JJ: How was it at home?

SA: Oh man, I really needed that. I needed to see my children and my family and friends. the people who are the most supportive and most loving, genuinely loving. I just needed it. My cup is full now. it was running dry.

JJ: How have your kids reacted seeing you on TV?

SA: I think my daughter cares, she’s excited because all her friends talk about it, but she just wants me around. It’s just the simplicity of being a mom. Being a daughter, I can’t imagine my mom leaving me for two months, like the thought of that is making me tear up a bit.

JJ: What does she think of your “Before He Cheats” performance?

SA: My daughter, she was like, “Oh my God! That was like the best part! You ripped off your dress. How did you do that?.” And my mom was really excited. She’s like, “Who is that?”

JJ: How have other people reacted to the performance?

SA: People have noticed that, you know, I’m a mother of two, and I still got it (smiles). I mean hopefully, not enough to lose it right? So, thank God. I feel like I still have it, a little sass, a little spunk. And I think it’s good for mothers to know too that just ’cause you have kids [doesn't] mean you’re not sexy anymore.

JJ: Does that performance inspire the performance of this week, the theatrics of it? How are you going to top that performance?

SA: You don’t really know what it looks like until I saw it back on television. I was like, “oh my god,” it just looked really shocking. I knew it was going to happen but looking at it, it was fun. Every time you do a performance, you try your best, and you give it one million percent when you’re doing it. When you think about topping it, kinda hurt because you’ve already given so much to each performance. But I guess it’s just something different, I think this Whitney Houston song will be a different side, you know, I’m sure the set and the lighting will be beautiful and then doing “Bad Girls” will be alot of fun. I enjoy doing the contrasting music and emotions, “I Will Always Love You” versus “Bad Girls.”

JJ: How much time do you get to rehearse before performing?

SA: We have no time, literally the turnaround time is ridiculous. The show is over Tuesday night, we are scrambling all night long to figure out what song we are going to sing. I got on a plane Tuesday night, flew home, and had to do interviews all day long Wednesday and try to see some family. Then Thursday, at 5:30 am, I’m back on the plane. There is no time, I barely know the song, that’s why we have sheets in there. You wake up int he morning and still not feeling good and try to warm up something that doesn’t exist and then go in there and try to sound beautiful. It’s boot camp to pull to few stunts, it’s a really good preparation that you can handle anything. You should see me right before I get on stage for “Before He Cheats,” I was running over words and I was looking like a crazy person probably. Before the show, my brain is turning and probably not in a good mental place before it’s showtime. When the show starts, everything seems to work out. I feel like we are capable of doing so much more than we realize and this has proven it.

JJ: How does it feel like to make it this far?

SA: At the end of the day, everything is for the career right? We have to make good television so people believe that you will be a good artist and coming from not having this opportunity to having 30 million people watch you is the best gift that I could have been given for my 31st birthday. This opportunity is what we all want right, all the doors to open, we want to prove to people that we are worthy.

JJ: You kept your birthday on the DL until it was mentioned on the results show. Did you think to use that to get people to vote for you?

SA: Actually, I didn’t think about that. I kinda feel like that I’m working my ass off, I’m really working hard, and I really want people to believe in me because they believe in me, you know, those are the people who are going to believe in you after the show is over. I don’t want to have one gimmick, I want people to authentically be in me because of what I got.

JJ: With this cold, you don’t want any crutches?

SA: I don’t want any crutches. Take Beyonce for instance, she’s not saying, “Oh, I’m not feeling good,” she doesn’t everyone hear that. Nobody wants to hear that, they want a good show. Somebody has to do their job.

JJ: Speaking of Beyonce, what are the odds of hearing a “Beautiful Liar” duet with Shakira and you signing the Beyonce portion?

SA: We try to stay away from the Beyonce comparisons. I’m thinks she’s amazing and I’m a complete fan. I can’t do what she can do. To try to live up to something that isn’t my thing is too hard. She’s amazing.

JJ: Is there a song that you are too scared to tackle?

SA: Whitney, I was afraid. I was afraid to tackle Whitney, but I feel like if I don’t try to reach my fullest capacity, then what am i doing the show for if I’m not trying to do the hardest thing that I think is possible for me.

JJ: What’s Christina Aguilera’s reaction to you being on the show?

SA: Christina Tweeted me. She Tweeted me and she said, “Let’s win this!” She’s great. I’ve sung for her for a long time and actually, she is such a hard worker and she has shown me – through doing tours with her – that dedication, hard work and repetition… you have the tools, but you have to work hard. That’s the only way.