She gained recognition as a contestant at the fifth season of the United States version of the reality singing competition The Voice.
She turned the chairs of CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton with her blind audition singing Ellie Goulding's "Anything Could Happen.
Pennell was predicted to be the underdog in the bottom three, but after her performance, she received 80% of the Twitter votes and moved on to the Top 8.
Matthew Schuler was picked on Twitter by the "Instant Save," ending Pennell's time as a contestant.
In addition to Coldplay's "Yellow," Pennell has also covered "Come and Get It" from the movie The Magic Christian, a song written by Paul McCartney.