Dickson College student Xanthe Campbell to perform on The Voice next week

The year 12 student is performing a Billie Eilish song in the next round of the blind auditions in front of the celebrity judges.

"It was insane," she said. "The chance to perform on stage in front of an audience after COVID was one of the best bits. I almost forgot the judges were there."

The 17-year-old is not a complete stranger to talent shows.

While living in the United States, she tried out for America's Got Talent but only got as far as performing in front of the show's producers.

Her family lived in the States for five years while her father worked at a school in Illinois.

One week before they were due to return to Australia, a teenager was caught with a gun outside Xanthe's classroom. No shots were fired but police were called.

"I heard the whole thing, him being detained right outside our classroom," she said.

"I just remember feeling very numb at the time. Everyone went back to what they were doing, like it was a normal thing.

"All I could think was, 'I can't believe this is my life right now'."

The traumatic event had a lingering impact on her thinking.

She feels safe in Australia and loves spending time in nature

Xanthe says she wants to grab every opportunity she can because she realises "how lucky" she is.

Getting on The Voice helped to clarify what she wanted to do with her music.

"It's a lot more intense than people realise," she said.

"A lot goes on behind the scenes before you actually get to walk on stage. There's auditions for the producers and meetings about music and a lot of back and forth."

The Gungahlin teen says she also found a family of fellow contestants on the show who encouraged her along the way.

"It also taught me a lot about myself," she said.

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