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Cresskill Teen Competing On 'The Voice' Chooses Happiness Over Haters

CRESSKILL, N.J. — She's sure the haters are out there, but Cresskill High School senior Josette Diaz wouldn’t know where to find them.

Josette Diaz, 17 of Cresskill, will be competing on Season 11 of NBC's "The Voice."

Josette Diaz, 17 of Cresskill, will be competing on Season 11 of NBC's "The Voice."

Photo Credit: Josette Diaz

"Problem" — Diaz's first single.

Photo Credit: Josette Music

The 17-year-old vocalist blocks out all negativity to make room for the positive — and it seems to be working.

Diaz had the chance to audition on Season 11 of “The Voice,” airing Sept. 19 on NBC.

“I feel like that’s the key to success,” said Diaz, whose YouTube channel was discovered this summer by the show’s producers. “Just focusing on the positive.”

Her friends. Her parents. Her passion.

Diaz remembers listening to her mother sing in the kitchen as a child. She followed in her footsteps soon as she learned to talk.

At 7 years old, Diaz combined the art of storytelling with her penchant for music and wrote her first song. At 9, she got her first guitar — a surprise from her father — that she learned to play on her own.

“Music speaks more than any other language,” she said, her face framed by wavy brown hair and her signature hoop earrings. “It’s so powerful."

Diaz frequents the Hilltop in Lodi and Bitter End in New York for performances. She tries to take every opportunity that comes her way.

It’s what makes her feel most alive.

“When I perform and I see people connect with stuff I’m singing, it takes the emotion to another level," she said.

Sometimes, the audience relates to Diaz’ music more than she does herself.

The artist puts herself in other peoples’ shoes as inspiration for the lyrics. The rest comes naturally.

“I ask myself questions like, ‘How would I feel if he broke up with me over the phone?” she said. “Or if I still had his sweater, but I didn’t have him?”

Performing is the only thing Diaz can see herself doing. Simply put: “it makes me happy.”

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