As she approaches the stage, side conversations cease. The spotlight catches the shiny bend of her caramel tendrils and reveals a smile that seems to beam from within.

Softly, yet soulfully, Neesha Thornton’s voice is taking Sacramento by storm, one local venue at a time.

The 24-year-old Sacramento native, who performed at two spring semester Sacramento State events, is not your average wedding singer. Thornton is an internationally seasoned performer and has graced the stages of local and national competitions, including local “American Idol” and “Pop Stars.”

Born into a large and musically inclined family, Thornton has been singing for as long as she can remember. Like some of her major influences, India Arie and Groove Theory, Thornton’s talent was realized at the choir-stand in church.

The church was located on a military base on the other side of the planet, in Yokota, Japan. The 9-year-old Thornton and her family left Sacramento’s Mather Air Force Base and the comfort of a tight-knit extended family to move to Yokota Air Force Base.

Music softened the culture shock for Thornton as she lent her voice to groups of Japanese children in gospel choir workshops. The next step, a 6th grade talent show, would jump-start her singing career.

“That was when I stepped out from my older sister’s shadow and really tapped into my vocals.” Thornton said. “After that, I continued to sing and emerge as a solo artist.”

At 13 years old, after her parents’ divorce, Thornton moved to a wealthy suburb in upstate New York and formed the female singing group De La Me. The girls traveled to performances throughout West Chester County’s predominantly white communities to the predominantly black streets of Brooklyn. The group’s success was modest, but it was the experience that would ultimately help refine Thornton’s talent and make her a more well-rounded individual.

“It was a complete culture shock coming from Sacramento’s melting pot and moving to New York where it was so polarized,” Thornton said. “I learned a lot though, about appreciating culture. I tapped into alternative music and the raw, realness of the hip-hop scene in Brooklyn.”

Today, both Thornton’s eclectic fashion sense and aspects of her live performance are evidence of how the cultural fusion influenced her style as an artist.

The next few years kept Thornton going back and forth between Japan and New York until her life and career took an unexpected turn. At 16 years old, Thornton became a mother and her career came to a standstill.

“Once I had my son, I would have to bring him with me to the studio and producers just looked at me like I was a joke; like I wasn’t serious about pursuing music,” Thornton said. “That’s when I had to make the decision to be a mommy first.”

By 19 years old, Thornton was a mother to two children and although her first love took a backseat to parenthood for some time, the passion for singing never subsided.

Her children have led her back to her own musical foundation.

“My kids are my greatest inspiration,” Thornton said. “I support them in whatever it is they want to do, and through their support I realized that I needed to keep striving for my dreams as an example to them.”

After years in Japan and New York, Thornton returned to her roots in 1999 a new woman, with different goals and a more refined world view.

“I don’t care about the limelight, or being a huge celebrity now,” Thornton said. ” I just want to share my talent.”

“She’s always been a performer,” said Peggy Daniels, Neesha’s mother.

Daniels, who shared in Neesha’s painful struggle, has had the opportunity to share equally in her success.

“I flew out for one of Neesha’s performances at an Elk Grove sports bar and watched her get a standing ovation. She is amazing,” Daniels said. “I’m so happy to see her doing what she has always loved and being so warmly embraced.”

These days, Thornton works for the Chicago Title Company by day and pursues her local singing career by night. She admitted that it gets tough at times as a single mother managing the balancing act, but she would not have it any other way.

Just a year ago, Thornton joined an equally talented band called Pointe Blank.

“Neesha is so very passionate about her music,” said vocalist Korey Williams. “The sacrifice, the work ethic and the drive is all there.”

Thornton and her band perform locally at company parties, weddings, sport bars and community events. Its next show, set for 9:30 p.m. on March 10 at Marilyn’s on 908 K St., will be the celebration of its fifth year together.

Sac State has been added to the list of Thornton’s hot spots. With a polished appeal all her own, Thornton took on soulful hits like Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thang” and the modern classic “Brown Skin” by India Arie at the Jan. 17 “Why I Love Black Men” event.

While she enjoys covering classics by request, her most fulfilling aspect of singing is writing and performing originals. At the Feb. 8 “Crunk for Christ” event at Sac State, Thornton performed an original entitled “I Will Pray,” showcasing her neo-soul sound with new-school gospel accents.

“That was actually the first time I performed an original, for such a big church function,” Thornton said. “It was really cool being in the college environment, and performing with such talented up-and-coming female gospel artists.”

With travel and life experience in her toolbox, song writing has become an integral aspect of her musical craft. Due to Thornton’s busy schedule, her cell phone comes into play a lot in her song-writing process.

“The hottest hooks or chords will usually come to me when I’m in the middle of something like driving, so I just hit record on my phone and capture it while it’s fresh and then I build on the concept later,” Thornton said.

Elaine Welteroth can be reached at [email protected]