Jazz McKenzie is ready to say a prayer, take a calming breath and step onto the stage for the her biggest moment yet on “The Voice.”

McKenzie, 31, a soul singer from Alabama, will perform as one of the top six contestants on the NBC reality series Monday night, hoping for a win in the two-part finale.

Results won’t be announced until Tuesday, at the end of a splashy two-hour episode that airs live from the Universal Studios in Hollywood. Viewer votes will determine the outcome, and if all goes well, McKenzie — who earned the title of “bold breakout diva” from her coach, Michael Buble —will be showered in confetti when the winner’s name is called.

McKenzie’s path on “The Voice” has been stellar during Season 28, with a four-chair turn during the Blind Auditions and lots of praise from the celebrity coaches: Buble, Reba McEntire, Niall Horan and Snoop Dogg. She also earned effusive kudos from guest mentors Kelsea Ballerini and Zac Brown during the Battles and Knockouts.

But the graceful and gritty singer, who grew up in Birmingham and now lives in Huntsville, has one more challenge to face, and it’s a major one. McKenzie will be competing against the best “The Voice” has to offer this season, and a standout performance on Monday is crucial to her success.

No pressure, right? But we’re happy to report that McKenzie was in fine spirits during a recent interview with AL.com, reflecting on her “Voice” journey thus far and looking to the future. Here’s what she said during a 30-minute phone conversation from Los Angeles, as rehearsals for the finale were underway.

(The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.)

Jazz, we know you’re an Alabama girl, but two cities are claiming this season as you’ve appeared on “The Voice,” Birmingham and Huntsville. Is there some competition among the fans?

Jazz McKenzie: That was the biggest thing. Huntsville was like, “We thought she was from here Birmingham, y’all can’t claim her because she’s from here.” And people from my high school made a post saying, “Stop claiming her because she’s from Birmingham.” I’ve lived in both of them for just about the same amount of time, 18 years in Birmingham, and then almost 13 years in Huntsville. Both of them are like home. They have a very special place in my heart.

When did you start performing? Was it when you were attending Alabama A&M in Huntsville?

My performances started when I joined an organization called Sigma Alpha Iota, which is an international music fraternity for women. From there, I had my first actual performance on a stage, outside of singing in church. That kind of planted the seed. I started performing in 2018, mostly in Huntsville.

Have you performed in Birmingham?

Oh, yes. I did Perfect Note (a jazz venue in Hoover) when they were big. So many different venues, all the little live music clubs in Birmingham. I’ve hit all of those, Faces Lounge is one. But, yes, I’ve had a plethora of performances in Birmingham.

Your roots are singing in church. Tell us more about that.

I went to the First Seventh Day Adventist Church of Bessemer, and that’s where I grew up, singing alongside my mom (Brenda McKenzie). I sang in the choir. I led worship. That’s where I had my first solo.

So singing runs in your family?

Singing does run in my family. My mom sings, the majority of my maternal side sings — my mother, my grandmother, all of her siblings, their children and their children’s children.

On “The Voice,” there was a film clip of you working as a sales rep at a telecommunications company. Do you still have your day job?

I do. I worked for AT&T for going on seven years. They allowed me to take an extended leave (to compete on “The Voice”). I’m still on extended leave. If it all works out, I may not have to go back.

Why did you want to be on the Voice?

I’ll say this: I accepted the opportunity to be on “The Voice.” It’s interesting. Somebody saw me on TikTok, and it went from there, I was a little apprehensive because I’m like, “I work a job. This would be a big risk. I have bills to pay. I have a full, functioning life, and I’m in control of it all.” My friends were like, “Are you crazy, girl? Things like that don’t just come.” So there had to be some type of divinity in it, you know? I prayed about it, and it worked out. I felt like it was meant to be, and I should at least give it a shot.

Have you auditioned for any other reality shows?

No, I would have never done any type of competition, just on my own.

What was your goal going into the show? What did you want to accomplish there?

My goal going in was to share my story, share my experience through my music. I have been hearing all these years that I had something golden to share. So to share that on a larger stage, and to see how we could grow from there, to get even bigger opportunities to share my story, that’s what I was looking forward to the most, the exposure of it all.

You seem relaxed and confident when you’re on stage and on camera. Do you get nervous?

I get so nervous. I crash out every time, but I have learned to channel those nerves and use them as fuel to just go, and keep on going. That’s what works for me. I take the nerves and I get up there.

You have a strong faith, so does prayer help, too?

Every time. And crazy enough, one of the vocal coaches got me before one of the performances, and it was random because I didn’t expect it. She came up to me and she said, “Can we pray?” And I looked at her, and I almost bawled crying, right before I walked out on stage, because it’s rare that people share faith. People are nervous to do that in those types of spaces. So for her to take time out to walk up to me, and see that there was a need, and she wanted to pray, it did it for me.

You’ve had encounters with big stars on the show, and heard plenty of compliments from them. What’s that been like?

It’s almost like a childhood dream. These are people that I have followed from when I was a kid, so to now be able to share my gift with them, and for them to be able to impart something to me, to help me keep going, was one of the best parts of that experience. There were so many other great parts, but that was amazing — to be able to have a personal relationship with Michael Buble, and to be able to hug and meet Snoop Dogg and Reba. It was crazy. Snoop Dogg likes to get a hug in every now and then, and I love it every time.

What’s it like to have Michael Buble as your coach?

Michael Buble is everything that we see on TV. He is amazing. He is so funny. He definitely jokes a lot. It almost feels like he’s my family member. He feels like a cousin. You know what I mean? It’s like we’re sitting at a family gathering, and the cousins are the best to me. You just can sit around and joke and all of those things. He feels very kindred. He’ll call to check in. He FaceTimes. He kind of lets you in on his world. It just feels like family.

Michael Buble is an avid lover of ping-pong. Has he asked you to play with him? He even talked about ping-pong on stage years ago, during a concert in Birmingham.

He had asked me to play ping-pong! We just talked the other day and he was telling me about his experience in Birmingham. I said, “Whenever you come back to Birmingham, I gotta take you to Purple Onion and then I have to take you to Green Acres.” He likes to eat. He loves food.

Buble has said that no matter what happens, he’ll always be in your corner. Have you experienced that already?

Absolutely. We have each other’s phone numbers, and he doesn’t call just to talk about music. He literally calls to check in. Like, “How’s it going? Are you good? How are you handling everything?” So what more could you ask for in a mentor, a coach and a friend?

What’s been the high point for you on “The Voice” so far?

The highest point is the interaction between myself and the other contestants. We have become a big happy family, and, you know, it’s a competition. But at the same time, that’s beyond our control. It’s more about the connection that we built, the way we lift each other up. We encourage each other.

Have you gotten to know Kirbi, the other singer from Alabama competing this season?

Yes, I have. Kirbi is a beautiful individual with a beautiful gift. She’s amazingly talented, and I love her to death. We actually have a show coming up together. (It’s billed as “Kirbi and Friends,” set for Saturday, Dec. 27, at Shoals Community Theatre in Florence.)

Most of the episodes for this season were filmed months in advance. What’s it like seeing yourself on camera as the season airs?

I’m still like, “Pinch me.” It’s been an amazing experience. Because when you’re in it, you don’t know what it really sounds like. So to be able to see it, it’s super cool. I love it. And to see how they put the stories together and all of the things, it’s beautiful. I feel like they have definitely told my story in a beautiful way.

What about the outfits you’ve been wearing on the show?

I had an amazing stylist. And a big thing about the styling, it’s a collaborative effort. They literally include you. They’re like, “OK we have this inspiration, but what do you feel?” They create a space for you to advocate for yourself, to say what you do like, what you don’t like. So that’s a beautiful partnership. You feel like a celebrity in your own right. I just have to show up, and then people are tugging on you and putting you in all these amazing clothes.

Are you getting noticed on the street? Do people stop you and ask for photos?

My last day at work, ironically enough, before coming back out (to Los Angeles), I was at the gas station. And this is a gas station that I’m frequent at, but I hadn’t been since everything had been playing out. And the lady said, “Can I ask you a personal question?” I said, “Sure.” She said, “You look like this girl from Birmingham that’s on a singing show.” I said, “I’m the girl from Birmingham.” And she literally lost it. “Can we take pictures?” And people are coming into my job, saying “You look like this girl I saw last night on ‘The Voice.’”

Do you feel like a celebrity?

I’m always open to receiving love, hugs, pictures and all the things. To be recognized, and people are verbal about it, and they want to express it and take pictures, I take it how it comes. I love it. It feels amazing, because there’s so much noise. There’s negativity, there’s positivity. So for people to come and share the joy, and tell you how proud they are of you, and to be excited to even see you — to feel like they met somebody and I’m that somebody — it’s a beautiful feeling.

Michael Buble called you his “bold breakout diva” during the Playoffs. What did you think about that?

You know what? I think it definitely fits exactly who I am, because that’s what people tell me. I’m always somewhere in the back with a hat on, glasses, just kind of chilling and enjoying myself. But once I hit that stage, people are like, “Where have you been?” So it makes sense, to now have a name for that. It’s great.

Was it tough keeping it a secret that you made it to the finals?

For me, it wasn’t tough, but it was for my parents. It’s more so my dad (James McKenzie Jr.), because of his excitement. Of course, I was bursting at the seams, but at the same time I was OK. But my father, he was so excited and so supportive. When I made my initial announcement that I auditioned for the show, I got a DM from some random person saying, “Congratulations, your dad is at the radio station.” And I’m like, “Surely my dad is not that type of person. I’ve never heard of him going to a radio station.” And my dad was at the radio station, saying how excited he was that I got a chance to audition. He was very excited and happy for me, and he couldn’t wait to share it.

Have your career goals changed since you’ve been on the show?

Absolutely. Going into the show, music and singing was my side gig. And now doing the show, being around like-minded people, like the contestants, like the coaches, it shows me that I can go into this career field. It definitely replenished that side of me. Maybe I can do this thing. Going forward, I’m going to give it my best shot. We don’t know how it’ll turn out, but I think with the momentum and everything, this is my time to put myself out there, putting out original music and going forward in artistry. That’s the goal.

Do you have role models for your music and career?

First and foremost, Fantasia. I feel like she’s like my spirit twin. To see Fantasia started out with an experience like myself, a music reality show, and the things that she’s had to overcome — all of the obstacles she’s faced and the people, seeing them tear her down for the things that she lacked and all of those things — but she still persevered. Now here we are, and she has this amazing career, amazing music, and the gift in itself is something no one has ever been able to take from her. No matter what all of the personal stuff was, the gift was undeniable. So that’s a career — just a perseverance and endurance — that I would like to model after.

Do you plan to stay in Alabama or move as your career heats up?

I feel like Alabama will always be home, but I do want to spread my wings and relocate, even if it’s for a time, and I come back. I’m looking at North Carolina, Charlotte. I’m also looking at the Dallas or Austin area. I’m looking at a lot of places, but those are my top choices as to where I want to try to spread my wings.

How are you feeling right now, as you get back into the competition at a crucial moment?

I’m just having to reset my mind, because I was working my job over the break. Now I’m having to get back in this mode of things — show mode, game pace, being back on that stage — having to get back in that head space. It’s like, “OK, Jazz, lets get back. Let’s reset.” I’m excited, I’m hopeful, I’m thankful always. That’s where I’m at.

Are you in it to win it?

I am in it to win it. But I’ve already won. I feel like a champion, just with the opportunity itself, to make it this far.

Anything you want to say to the people in Alabama who’ll be watching you in the finals and rooting for you?

First things first. I can’t stress it enough: Download “The Voice” app. Because with people saying, “Oh, we’re proud of you,” those are all beautiful things. I love it. But we got to make it count by voting, right? So please vote. If I’m your vote, please vote.

Other than that, I want to thank Alabama for pushing me, for praying for me, for supporting me, for being in the comments (on social media), defending me, all of those things. I appreciate it. I see it all. I can’t respond to it all, but I do see it, and I’m very appreciative. And I am so proud to be from the great state of Alabama. I will always honor that and do my best, to continue to make you proud.

If you watch: The Season 28 finale of “The Voice” airs live Dec. 15-16 on NBC. The series also streams on Peacock.

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