PATERSON -- Chevroniece Charles made it to the audition at the XS Studios Talent Show in the Center City Mall on Friday with her voice in fine shape, but with her right eye swollen and nearly shut -- a fresh scar from her life on the streets of Paterson.

Charles, 26, said she was punched in the face and robbed last Friday night, hours after the homeless woman left the XS Studios after being given a makeover by the show's producer, Chris Semertzidis. She wandered the streets for a week with one eye half-open, but made it onstage Friday night to audition with "Love Come Down."

"I had a lot of fun up there," Charles said after delivering her two-minute remake of the Disco-era tune made popular by Evelyn "Champagne" King. "Nervous? Of course, I'm always nervous."

Charles said she doesn't know who attacked her. The attacker made off with the clear purse that Semertzidis had given her during the makeover, she said.

"I literally know every homeless person who walks these streets," she said. "The person who did this wasn't homeless. The first nice thing I get and someone takes it."

Still, Charles was determined to go on stage and sing, despite her injury.

"I love just being around the talent and being around like-minded people, artists, that are starving, just like me," she said.

Originally from Elizabeth, Charles said she came to Paterson to look for her father. She said she never got along with her mother, who still lives in Elizabeth and has custody of her five children.

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Charles said she's been homeless for three years and has learned to survive. She prefers to say she "lives outside" instead of homeless, and drifts around downtown Paterson, often with her husband, Kevin.

On Aug. 9, she drifted into XS Studio on the second floor of the Center City Mall, where Semertzidis was holding the first audition for a talent show to be live-streamed onto YouTube. Charles peered through the glass door and got up the nerve to sing a capella--Michael Jackson's "Rock My World" --and she was good enough that Semertzidis invited her back for a second audition Friday night.

"All right "Alright everybody! Are you ready?' Semertzidis shouted into the microphone to begin the latest round of his fledgling talent show. About 15 performers had signed up, and this show was about picking 10 to move on to the next round and the chance to win the grand prize of $5,000 worth of studio time.

Semertzidis quit his job as a New York City schoolteacher to come to Paterson and open XS Studios. He's hoping to discover talent and break it big using online platforms such as YouTube.

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The audition unfolded as a mix of "American Idol" and "The Gong Show" from the 1970s. Some of the acts, like the singer Lakia, the rapper Vizhon, and the dancer Matthew Pagan, were highly polished. Others, like the spoken word artist who goes by the name Rogee! (and insisted on the exclamation point) were downright bizarre.

During one of the technical glitches, Rogee! took the stage and began barking like a dog. The audience of about 30 didn't know what to make of it. Rogee! later returned to read several lines of poetry.

There was also Kyle the Singing Security Guard, who wore his badge and uniform as he crooned the John Legend song, "Someday." Another rapper, Nickey Bundles, drew cheers for his original tune, "Re-up."

Bundles, who like all the other performers is from Paterson, said the song is a tribute to people who help themselves. "It's about investing in yourself," he said. "When you do that, you don't get what you want. You get what you need."

Charles sashayed on stage several times, singing "Love Come Down" early in the show and then later joining Semertzidis for an impromptu dance number. With her husband cheering her on, Charles didn't look nervous.

Semertzidis said the 10 finalists will be announced on Monday. Charles hopes she's one of them, and is thinking about what she'd do for the next show on Sept. 6.

"I think I'd like to write my own song," she said.