Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Season 5 of The Voice begins Monday night at 8 p.m. on NBC. Check back for live blogs during each show and for bios of contestants who land a spot in the competition.

Meanwhile, it’s time to catch up with some familiar faces from past seasons, with the focus on those who have released music recently. Kris Thomas, of Memphis, Tenn., was 27 when he auditioned for Season 4 of The Voice.

Before The Voice: Kris told The Voice how he landed a record deal shortly after college, but lost it over creative differences. Depressed, he turned to alcohol until an accident prompted him to make changes. He arrived on the show looking for a second chance in the music business. His early music was country and included a duet with Pam Tillis called “Two Kings,” a reference to Elvis Presley and Martin Luther King Jr.

On The Voice: Kris auditioned with Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You” and the judges expressed surprise when they turned around and realized a guy was singing the song. Kris landed on Team Shakira and advanced all the way to the Top 10 before being eliminated after a performance of Miquel’s “Adorn.”

Since The Voice: Kris is in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign, attempting to raise $10,000 to fund a debut pop-soul album. “I have everything lined up, ready to go, from the producer, the songs and even the location. I just need your support to get things going,” he writes on his kickstarter page. The campaign ends Saturday, Sept. 28. Want a sample of what he’s capable of? He released a single called “Balloons” on June 18 that you can listen to below.

Keeping up with Kris: On Twitter, he is @kristhomasmusik. Here are links for his website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Kris Thomas, “Balloons”