Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Mark Andrew performs in the guys semifinals on American Idol last spring. (FOX Photo)

And he’s launched a Pledge Music campaign to help fund it.

Mark released a self-titled singer-songwriter album back in 2011; make sure to check out a song called “Not Cold, But Broken.”

In his Pledge Music pitch, Mark says the new music will be a bit of a departure from “the folk/ jam band I have played in the past and a move towards a sound with a little more polish and a little more rock.”

The songs will be a combination of ones he’s been working on for a long time and newer tunes. He’s teaming up with producer Kevin Bowe to put together the album.

They have already completed one song — “Last Chance” — which fans can receive when they contribute to the campaign.

Of course, you get goodies in exchange for those contributions. Mark is offering everything from autographed CDs, to Skype guitar lessons to his own guitar.

You can find out more about the campaign here. Launched three days ago, Mark is already at about 15 percent of his campaign goal.

From Eden Prairie, Minn., Mark was 27 when he auditioned for Season 4 of The Voice and advanced to the battle round.

He fared better on Season 14 of American Idol, advancing to the Top 8 guys before being eliminated.

And he has a pretty decent gig coming up this week. Wednesday night, he’ll be opening for former American Idol winner David Cook at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.