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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><img width="624" height="128" id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D07920.82E64DB0"></span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Hannah Kirby Advances to Top 10 on NBC’s The Voice</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">By Taelor Duckworth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">COMMERCE, TX</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">—</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Texas
A&M University-Commerce student Hannah Kirby secured her spot in the Top 10 on NBC’s The Voice on April 14.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">On Monday, Hannah worked to advance in the competition with her performance of Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen”. After the first night
of performances, viewers could vote to save their favorite artists. Saved artists would move forward into the Top 10, and the bottom three artists would battle it out with one last performance to try and win the Instant Save.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">After her team’s rendition of “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett on Tuesday, the voting results were revealed, and Hannah had been
saved by America. She missed the bottom three this week, but as she moves forward, the competition will only increase in intensity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">“I’m just so honored and thrilled that my university has shown me so much support,” said Hannah. “It means so much to have all of the Texas
A&M University-Commerce Lions backing me in this competition.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">In the coming week, Hannah and the rest of the Top 10 artists will perform their solos on Monday, April 20. Fans can vote for Hannah once
host Carson Daly says that voting is open. The results will be revealed on Tuesday, and the bottom three artists will again face off to see who will move forward. After those performances, viewers can vote to instantly save their favorite artist.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">A&M-Commerce will be hosting watch parties for The Voice on April 20 and 21. On Monday, the party will be held in the Traditions room of the Rayburn Student Center at 7 p.m. Tuesday’s parties will be held in the Residential
Living and Learning Common Areas at 7 p.m. Voting stations will be available to vote for Hannah, and refreshments will be provided on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">For Monday, most of the voting methods are not valid until Carson says that voting is open. Fans can vote to save Hannah with five different
methods: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<![if !supportLists]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Online at
</span><a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/vote"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/vote</span></a><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">; You can vote up to
ten (10) times per artist per email address during each voting period. <b>This voting method is not valid until Carson says the voting period is open.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<![if !supportLists]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">The Voice Official App available on the App Store, Google Play or Windows Phone Store; You can vote up to ten (10) times per artist per email address.
<b>Early voting is allowed with this method.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<![if !supportLists]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Purchase her Eligible Songs on iTunes; Only one (1) download per eligible song will be counted as a vote. If any of her Eligible Songs are in the iTunes “Top
200 Singles Chart” at the close of the voting period, then she will receive an “iTunes Bonus,” which multiplies her iTunes votes for that song by ten (10).
<b>This voting method is not valid until Carson says the voting period is open.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<![if !supportLists]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Call the toll-free number that corresponds to Hannah; You can vote up to ten (10) times per artist per phone number during each voting period.
<b>This voting method is not valid until Carson says the voting period is open.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<![if !supportLists]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Symbol"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">Sprint users can text Hannah’s contestant number to 8642; If you are not a Sprint user, your text vote will not be counted as valid. Sprint users can vote
up to ten (10) times per artist per phone number during each voting period. <b>This voting method is not valid until Carson says the voting period is open.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">On Tuesday, viewers can use the Instant Save to save their favorite artist. After the bottom three performances, fans will have just five
minutes to tweet hashtag VoiceSave(and the first name of the artist you’d like to save). For example, #VoiceSaveHannah, one word, no spaces. Retweeting other Twitter users tweets with their #VoiceSaveHannah hashtag also counts.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">A quick video found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5B-D17ssuc" target="_blank">here</a> can show you how to vote.
<a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/carson-explains-season-8s-instant-save/2856932" target="_blank">
Here</a> is how the Instant Save works.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">Help us show Hannah that her Lion family, A&M System and home state of Texas are behind her!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt">To stay updated with Hannah, you can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/iamhannahkirby" target="_blank">Twitter</a>(@iamhannahkirby), <a href="https://www.facebook.com/hannahcarolinekirby" target="_blank">Facebook</a>(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hannahcarolinekirby" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/hannahcarolinekirby</a>)
and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/kirbymusic1" target="_blank">YouTube </a>(<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/kirbymusic1" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/user/kirbymusic1</a>).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;text-autospace:none">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">About Texas A&M University-Commerce:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""> Founded in 1889, Texas A&M University-Commerce is a member of The
Texas A&M University System. Located in Northeast Texas, A&M-Commerce is home to more than 12,000 students, four academic colleges, a thriving graduate school, and more than 140 degree programs. As the region’s focal point of higher education, A&M-Commerce
offers students facilities ranging from the world-class Keith D. McFarland Science Building and University Planetarium to the Sam Rayburn Student Center, to a fully equipped recreational facility and music hall. The university also has convenient locations
in Corsicana, downtown Dallas, Midlothian, McKinney, Mesquite and Rockwall.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">About The Texas A&M University System:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""> The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education
in the nation, with a budget of $3.8 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies, two service units and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 131,000 students and makes more than 22 million
additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research expenditures exceed $820 million and help drive the state’s economy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">If you prefer not to receive future press releases from Texas A&M University-Commerce, please email
</span><a href="mailto:andrea.miller@tamuc.edu"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">andrea.miller@tamuc.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif""> to remove this address from our list.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Taelor Duckworth|Publications Writer</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Handwriting";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Department of Marketing Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D">Taelor.Duckworth@tamuc.edu<br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#1F497D">Mail: P.O. Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#1F497D">Ship: 2600 South Neal Street | Commerce, TX 75428<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:#1F497D">Tel: 903.468.8797 | Fax: 903.886.5522 |
<a href="http://www.tamuc.edu/"><span style="color:#1F497D;text-decoration:none">www.tamuc.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><a href="http://www.tamuc.edu/"><b><span style="color:#1F497D;text-decoration:none">TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-COMMERCE</span></b></a><b><br>
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