LI's Raquel Castro finds her 'Voice'

Raquel Castro wasn't looking to step into the spotlight again.

The 16-year-old from Port Jefferson Station has already had her Hollywood experience, playing the daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in "Jersey Girl" when she was 9 years old, and she was happy about having a regular life.

"I just wanted a normal childhood," she said, leaning forward on the love seat in her family's living room, taking time for an interview in between finishing the laundry and preparing for her junior prom the next day. "But I also love music."

Castro said she's been into music since she was 4 years old and saw "Selena" for the first time, but she's been taking it more seriously for about two years, studying voice and writing her own songs. When she heard that NBC was looking for singers for "The Voice," she decided to go for it.

"I never thought I'd do anything like this," she said. "Music is a really hard industry to get into, but I thought this might be my perfect shot."

The idea behind "The Voice" is that the singers do a blind audition for a panel of coaches. If the coaches like what they hear, they pick the singer for their team and move on to the next round.

Castro liked the idea of a blind audition because she didn't want to move ahead simply because of what she had done in the past. "I really liked that it was all about the voice, that they didn't know anything about the contestants," she said. "That way, if I happened to make it, it would just mean that much more to me."

Not only did Castro make the cut with a soaring version of Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love," she was chosen by one of her idols, Christina Aguilera.

"I was so surprised that I didn't stop singing completely when she picked me," Castro said. "I just started singing to her with this big smile on my face."

Aguilera was clearly taken with the audition, telling Castro, "I can honestly say from my own experience, great things come in small packages. You're so sweet, and you're so adorable. And you're freaking cute!"

Castro said she actually couldn't remember what Aguilera told her until she watched it later. "It was like I was in a dream," she said. "That was the best feeling I think I've ever felt in my entire life."

In the next round, which airs Tuesday night, Castro will battle her teammate Julia Eason, singing Rihanna's "Only Girl in the World," with Aguilera choosing who advances to the next round.

Castro isn't allowed to talk about the results, but she does say that she has enjoyed the entire experience of "The Voice" so far. "I feel like I'm walking on clouds," she said. "It's just so much fun."