Thousands showed up in Rockwall Thursday night to watch top five "The Voice" finalist Amber Carrington perform for her hometown fans.
Carrington toured some of the places that are close to her heart throughout the day, including the Rodeo Music City Hall in Mesquite, where she has performed since she was 10.
"Coming back home is making me realize I was that little girl that was singing on that stage not that long ago and now I’m in front of America. It's crazy," she said.
Fans of the Rockwall native wore ‘Amber Carrington’ t-shirts to her performance at the Harbor Amphitheater, while others held posters and signs bearing Carrington’s name.
While on stage, a sometimes emotional Carrington, thanked the crowd repeatedly for their support, saying how good it was to be home and asked them to continue to vote for her on "The Voice."
Two months after graduating high school, Carrington lost her mother to cancer after a six-year battle.
"It's kind of like you're facing the big world without the one person that's been in your life the whole time, so you're scared and asking, 'What am I going to do now? What will I do with my life?'" she said. "Now, having 'The Voice' has given me a whole new life, so it's been awesome."
The Scene
Carrington, a country artist, said Dolly Parton is the idol she would love to meet.
Representing Team Adam, Carrington is one of two Texans left in the competition. Like fellow Texan Danielle Bradbery, Carrington said she never had a voice lesson until "The Voice."
And like several other contestants this season, Carrington previously gave "The Voice" a shot. She tried out for season three, making it through a couple of rounds but did not make it out to California. She also tried out for "American Idol" when she was 16 but did not make the first cut.
Carrington said her coach, Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine, is very straight-forward and doesn't hesitate to tell her if he doesn't like something. She also had kind words for two other coaches, saying Shakira is extremely nice and admitting that she still gets giddy when Blake Shelton talks to her.
Carrington left for Los Angeles after her performance to continue practicing for next week's shows.
NBC 5's Amanda Guerra contributed to this report.
