Alisan Porter Opens Up About Winning ‘The Voice,’ Being A Working Mom And More

After weeks of singing her heart out on “The Voice,” Alisan Porter, who first made a name for herself in the early ’90s as the title star of the movie “Curly Sue,” took on a new title — Season 10 winner. A lot has changed for the stay-at-home mom, but she’s beyond ready to adapt and overcome.

Porter, 34, first wowed “The Voice” judges Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams with a performance of “Blue Bayou” in the blind auditions round. All four judges hit their red buttons, praying she’d join their team, but only one was so lucky. Porter decided to go with Aguilera and that, my friends, is where her journey began. Porter told International Business Times that being on NBC’s “The Voice” was “everything I could have hoped and much, much more,” noting that working with her coach — as well as the many talented performers she was up against — was beyond anything she could have dreamed up.

“Singing with [runner-up] Adam Wakefield was a huge highlight and, of course, the first time we did a group number with Christina. It’s just, like, mind-blowing,” she said.

After aligning with a coach, it was onward and upward for Porter, who sang her way into the hearts of viewers with each performance. While she regularly brought her A-game to the “Voice” stage, one performance in particular stands above the rest. Porter told IBT that performing “Let Him Fly,” by the Dixie Chicks, was the most special — but challenging — song she did all season.

“It hit so close to home, dedicating it to my boyfriend that had passed away and knowing that his family was watching. I think it was a beautiful moment for all of us just to kind of celebrate him and then also that song is such a special song to me,” she said. “To be able to have performed it and recorded it and have it forever on iTunes, it was just a really special, full-circle moment for all of us who knew him and loved him.”

Porter overcame that challenge, as each of the judges predicted she would, and continued her ascent to the top. The mother of two told IBT that she was confident in her ability to make it to the finale, though she knew she’d have some steep competition. Porter said she was fairly certain she’d be facing off against Wakefield, of whom she is a self-professed “not-so-secret fangirl,” but was not so sure which of them would take the whole competition. In fact, she spent the entire day of the finale show imagining Wakefield’s name being called in the hopes that it would better prepare her for defeat.

“It’s like, you replay it a million times in your head — it could happen either way. I think I replayed it a million times. There really was no preparation. I could have thought about it a million different ways,” she said. “I was shocked and so happy [when they called my name], as much for me as I was for Christina. I think she’s been at it since day one and she’s had some incredible talent. Just the fact that we could bring it home together made it so much more exciting.”

With her big win behind her, Porter is focusing on settling into life as a working mom. The Massachusetts native explained that since being crowned the winner of Season 10, she remains an equally hands-on mother, though she’s had to learn to juggle doing more things at once. Where her days were once focused on planning crafts and games to keep her kids busy, she now manages to do that and stay on top of her schedule, do appearances and chat with the media.

“The transition from stay-at-home mom to working mom is definitely happening,” she said.

Porter’s also got her sights set on the studio. The child actress-turned-singer revealed to IBT that she intended to start writing songs for her debut album as soon as two weeks after her win. Porter had already begun the process of meeting with the necessary people to decide on a sound and work out other details, though it’s still up in the air who she intends to collaborate with. She did, however, say she’d love to work with many of the people she met while competing on “The Voice,” whether it be in a songwriting or singing capacity.

“I would love to write with any of them and sing with any of them at any time,” she said. “We’re such a family and I think they’re all insanely talented.”

As for celebrity collaborators, the powerhouse performer hopes Sia — whom she’s been a fan of “since way before the wigs and the dancers” — will one day join her in working on a song. Porter said that Sia has many talents, and any way she could work with the “Cheap Thrills” singer would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Porter did not reveal whether she’d reached out to Sia about teaming up on a project, but we’re crossing our fingers for her.