Tori Templet would love to be famous. Not Taylor Swift-level famous, but a level of fame along the lines of singer-songwriter Ben Rector. He can still fly commercial but might get recognized by fans on the plane.

Templet’s path to stardom got a big push in March when she made her debut on NBC’s “The Voice.” For her blind audition — the first time that celebrity coaches had the opportunity to hear her — she sang a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” Just over a minute into the song, Adam Levine pushed the red button on his chair, turning to face Templet. Twelve seconds later, Michael Bublé said, “I gotta see her,” and also turned.

“I was looking over to my right, and I saw Adam’s name light up on the floor next to him. I looked at the floor, and then I looked at him and his chair was turning. It was the perfect time between the two choruses I was singing so I could take in the moment and smile,” Templet said. “I didn’t have to sing during those couple seconds and at that point, I was like, ‘I’m in. We’re just going now. Let’s just have fun.’ And then Michael turned and that was like, ‘Oh, OK. Perfect.’”

Though both coaches wanted her as a member of their team, Templet chose to go with Levine.

“The difference for me was that Adam, when he was explaining why he wanted me on his team, he already had a correction for me,” she said. “As gut-wrenching as that is to hear — one of your favorite artists ever be like, ‘Yeah, you missed that note’ — that was really humbling. But he was mentioning the highest note in the chorus. It was kind of missing here and there, so that’s valid. It’s not an easy song to sing at all. And I was just glad he was already giving me corrections and he was already coaching me before I even decided to pick him.”

The first four rounds of “The Voice” — which were taped months ago — were on TV during March and April. Live shows with the top 12 contestants begin began in early May. Templet, who said she signed “tons” of non-disclosure agreements, couldn’t say anything about how far she advanced in the competition during her interview.

Templet made it to the Battles round on episode seven which aired on March 17.

Templet said that her experience on “The Voice” inspired her to quit her job in the marketing department at Jimmy John’s to pursue a full-time career in music. She was in Waco in March to perform at Common Grounds.

“I don’t really have a plan,” she said. “I’m taking things day-by-day at this point, and everything can change so quickly. I just have had a lot of opportunity be given to me. I’m getting to play the show here. I got to play a show in Dallas the other day.”

Templet said she’s a “one-woman show,” booking her own gigs, handling all of her social media channels, creating her own merch and even uploading new music to streaming services like Spotify. Templet was a freshman at Baylor when she first had a song on Spotify, and it ended up on a curated playlist called Fresh Finds, which features music from independent artists.

“It was just crazy to have something out and about for people to listen to with my name on it,” she said. “That’s the dream for an independent music artist. If you can get on a Spotify playlist, that’s huge. And for that to happen with my first song was crazy, and that’s when everything started clicking. I was like, ‘Oh, like, I could really do this.’”

A Testament to Waco

Tori Templet graduated from Baylor University with a degree in journalism, a concentration in advertising and a minor in English. Music “was at the root of everything I was doing” while in college, she said.

“Baylor and Waco are so intertwined with the music, just because I was writing about the experiences that I was going through and the things that I was doing and the boys that I was having crushes on,” she said. “My old music is such a testament to my time at Baylor, my time in Waco. It was so special. I loved it.”

Templet’s music can be found on all the major streaming services. She’s active on Instagram; and at ToriTemplet.com. She’s also the driving force behind ListenSmall.com, “where creatives receive the recognition they deserve.”