Three metro Atlantans get into 'The Voice' battle rounds (James David Carter, Jean Kelley, Clara Hong)

We await the fate of Atlanta's Clara Hong, who we'll see either Tuesday night or early next week. (NBC doesn't say who will show up in advance.)

During the blind rounds, Kelley, who croons rock and pop, was given a ballad "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. She brought emotive power and control. It was lovely but the judges held back until the final seconds. Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani turned their chairs almost simultaneously.

Kelley, in an interview after the first round but before the battle round, said she tried to stay calm when nobody was turning around. "There was a war going on in my head," she said. "I went into auto pilot. I was having trouble hearing myself. You can see in one scene, me putting my finger in my ear. This is it, I thought. Do this for myself. I had already turned my body to the right so I couldn't see the chairs."

The sound of the chairs turning is added in post production so she had no idea anybody had turned until she looked back. "Holy crap!" she said she thought. "I was so shocked and excited. I couldn't really control my mouth."

Kelley said she chose Stefani as her coach because she remembered listening to No Doubt with her sister after he mother died of congenital heart disease. "We'd sing the entire 'Tragic Kingdom' album at the top of our lungs," she said. "Gwen's music was so powerful and sassy. We had very little to be happy about and she made us feel like little badasses."

The Nashville native first went to college in music business but decided singing was her real dream. She's been in Atlanta for five years and now resides in Midtown, performing at local venues such as Smith's Old Bar and Vinyl. "My music career has been a struggle," she said. "I was a late bloomer." She landed a gig doing radio jingles for Clear Channel (now IHeartMedia). "I've done well over 100 jingles," she said. "Car dealerships, close-out sales You name it. I once did a rap for a black hair commercial geared to pre-tween girls. They wanted me to rap in the style of Ke$ha. It ran for a long time in New York. I'm proud of that!"

Here was her battle round Monday night against Sugar Joans performing Destiny Child's "Survivor.".Joans showed more grit and growl. Kelley sounded prettier. I thought it was a fairly even match and they worked well together. While Stefani chose Joans, both Adam and Pharrell tried to steal Kelley. Kelley chose Pharrell.

James David Carter, who was once the lead singer of the house band at Cowboys in Kennesaw, Monday night made it through with flying colors against a tough foe in Craig Wayne Boyd. (Yes, two male country singers with three names).

They tackled Pat Green's "Wave on Wave" and it was a tight race and a flip of a coin in my mind. But Carter made it through after coach Blake Shelton complimented Carter's runs. "James has a better handle on where he wants to go," Blake said.

Here's the battle round:

His original audition was Tony Rich's "Nobody Knows" and he received turns from all four judges, relatively quickly.

Carter was born in Jacksonville and moved to Roswell as a fourth grader until he was a junior. His father got a new job and he ended up in Orlando.  He had record deals with major labels in his younger years but things never panned out. Still, he never quit and kept plugging away. "It makes me appreciate the position I'm in right now," he said. "I book my own shows. I travel the country." He's opened for Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, even Blake Shelton (though Shelton couldn't recall.)

He said he isn't bitter by setbacks in his career now that he's 34. "I feel everything happens for a reason," he said. "I have a vision where I'd like my career to go playing arenas. People who make it put their dreams at the forefront. And people do need a break. That break is like winning the lottery."

He said he's been contacted by "The Voice" before to audition and he finally gave in. He said he's always had a connection with audiences. 'There's a difference between a great singer and a great artist," he said. "I always wanted to be the latter." His goal during that blind audition was to simply be himself. He concentrated on his song and didn't pay attention to the judges.

He ultimately chose Blake because "at the end of the day, it's about song selection. I know we'd have the most commonality in terms of which songs fit my voice. I think his advice would be invaluable."

Carter was the house band at Cowboys from 2001 to 2004. He now lives in Woodstock but considers Nashville his second home. "I haven't felt the need to move there yet," he said. "It can swallow people up. I didn't want to become a number."

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Meanwhile, we await the fate of 22-year-old Clara Hong, who is part of Team Adam. She sang a Rickie Lee Jones song "Chuck E's in Love" and three of the judges turned their chairs within seven seconds, enticed by her breathy, sexy voice.

UPDATE: Her battle round was montaged on Tuesday night and she was eliminated.

Born in South Korea, Hong moved to U.S. at age eight. She never seriously considered singing as a career as a child. "I think I always wanted to do music but something kept me from admitting it," she said. She even tried out for "American Idol" a couple of times but never got past the initial round.

At age 14, she came to Atlanta where her mom now owns a hair salon and father builds homes. She graduated Mill Creek High School and attended Georgia Gwinnett for a few semesters. She wanted to attend the Berklee School of Music but the money wasn't there.

Last year, she dropped out of school and moved in with friends who attended Georgia State, just to get out of her parent's home and gain a sense of independence.

As a singer songwriter, she said she likes pop and enjoyed singing "Chuck E's in Love." "It just felt right," she said. "My game plan was to stay close to the classic version. I did want one moment which was at the end when I hit the high note. Though I have this soft tone, I can belt. I just choose not to when I write songs."

Although she got a quick turn from the judges, she wasn't totally satisfied with her performance. "You can see I'm thinking while I'm singing," she said. "That was not my best."

She initially was going to pick Pharrell Williams but Adam changed her mind. "Adam just spoke out to me," she said.

Hong isn't sure how her career will play out but she said she's grateful for this opportunity. "It's a huge blessing," she said. "My goal is to sign with an independent label. It's always going to be releasing and creating genuine music."