One of the first songs Mindy Miller remembers covering as a teenager growing up in Damascus was John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.” Nearly 20 years later, the Montgomery County native sang it again — this time to an audience of millions in October as a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”

“That was a full-circle moment, that that song has carried me through all these years,” Miller told The Banner in a phone interview, joking that people would call her the “Angel from Montgomery.”

Fans have watched Miller compete over the last few months on the popular reality singing competition show, which this season features celebrity coaches Michael Bublé, Reba McEntire, Niall Horan and Snoop Dogg. Now, the country singer/songwriter, 34, is spending the next few days awaiting her fate.

The past two weeks have been “playoff” episodes as the remaining 16 contestants get whittled down to the final six competing in the finale. Each coach picked one contestant to send to the finale; the remaining two will be decided by a fan vote that closed Tuesday. Miller is one of those remaining contestants who will have to wait until Monday to find out, along with the rest of the world, if she’ll get the chance to compete in that night’s finale.

“I’m on ice, just like everybody is,” Miller said. “We’re all on the edge of our seat waiting to know. So this week just looks like us working our butts off to be prepared and ready.”

How Damascus shaped Mindy Miller’s voice

Born in Frederick, Miller grew up in Damascus and attended Damascus High School until a scary and potentially fatal battle with Lyme disease led her to graduate early via homeschooling.

Following her recovery, Miller found a home as a budding singer/songwriter in The Music Cafe in Damascus, a small restaurant with live music that provided the teenager with a safe, welcoming platform to experiment with performing. Open mic performances became regular gigs and then Friday night headlining shows.

“The Maryland music scene is highly slept on,” Miller said, citing a plethora of venues across D.C., Maryland and Virginia where she has enjoyed both performing and getting inspiration from other local artists.

The Music Cafe shut down in 2021 after 15 years in business, but Miller remains in touch with the old owners, and grateful for the launching pad it provided.

“Through this process with ‘The Voice,’ I have had so many people come out of the woodwork saying, ‘I have followed you since The Music Cafe.’ That little café — I didn’t ever imagine how much of a role it would have in defining me and shaping me,” Miller said. “I think it’s very possible my music career would have looked very different without that little Music Cafe, for sure.”

Finding a personal life coach in Snoop Dogg

Fast forward a few years and Miller landed in Nashville, continuing to build her career as a singer/songwriter. Then the email came in her inbox — she initially thought it was spam — asking if she’d be interested in competing on “The Voice.”

“It’s something that people have been telling me since the beginning of ‘The Voice’: ‘Mindy, you’ve got to do the show,’” she said. “For all those years, I’ve been telling myself that’s not for me. I’m not made for TV. ... I said yes to it and came into it just with open hands, open arms, surrender to the experience.”

Miller feels she’s grown exponentially during the process: as a performer and a professional, sure. But also as a person, which she credits to her celebrity mentor, Snoop Dogg.

“He has straight-up taught me to believe in myself,” Miller said. “He has told me time and time again, on camera, off camera: ‘Just be yourself. I like who you are. I like what you do.’ And when you have somebody who’s such a multicultural icon worldwide say ‘be yourself’ and you don’t take that as a compliment, it’s a problem. ... I needed that validation. It has been healing.”

That’s the through line of her experience on “The Voice”: finally feeling like she’s enough as she is after years of putting in the work.

The man she heard performing “Drop It Like It’s Hot” on the radio when she first got her driver’s license is not only giving her performing tips on camera, but also someone she’s developed a friendship with off camera. (Miller’s young son even refers to him as “Uncle Snoop.”)

“Not even a speck of younger Mindy or even just Mindy last year would ever imagine Snoop Dogg would be such a huge part of my life,” Miller said.

“My son is a fan of Snoop Dogg, if that says something about who Snoop Dogg is and how far his reach is and how much of an icon he is.”

Looking ahead to the finale of ‘The Voice’

Voting for the final two spots in the finale is now closed, which leaves Miller the next few days to prepare, should she be given the opportunity on Monday to sing again. While she can’t divulge what she intends to perform, fans won’t be surprised at the kind of song she chose.

“Throughout this show, the song selections for each round have been painting a picture of who I am as an artist,” Miller said.

“The type of music I like to perform [is] really strong, storytelling songs that are super emotive and make you feel things. ... That is something we will continue in how I represent myself.”

Her love for soulful bluegrass/country began at home, in the church choirs and family jam sessions and open mic nights at local spots like The Music Cafe.

“Folks will say, ‘You’re from Maryland. What do you know about country music?’ And my first response is always, ‘Well, I probably know more about country music than you do.’ The Maryland, D.C., Virginia scene has so much culture in music.”