Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Season 9 cast on The Voice, from left, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine, Carson Daly, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton (NBC Photo)

We’re a little more than 24 hours away from the start of Season 9 of The Voice.

But “I Auditioned!” banners started going up on Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and websites of Season 9 contestants more than a week ago.

And you’ll find those banners on the social media accounts of some very intriguing artists.

In a recent Billboard piece, Carson Daly said lots of talented young singers tried out for Season 9 in the wake of Sawyer Fredericks’ Season 8 victory.

Well, remember, this is a show that has made a household name of musical novices like Danielle Bradbery and Jacquie Lee.

But for this blog, my focus will be on more experienced singers — 10 to watch for as Season 9 opens Monday night.

Jubal and Amanda: The Voice hasn’t had a duo land a spot on the show since Season 6. Jubal Lee Young and Amanda Preslar are likely to end that streak. He has five albums to his credit, including last year’s “On a Dark Highway.” She runs a business that offers vocal lessons. You won’t find much video of them singing together on YouTube; here’s betting they sound just fine. By the way, I really like Jubal’s “Under a Rock in Arkansas.”

Viktor Kiraly: He was born in New York, but his family moved to back to Hungary when he was a teenager. In 2008, he wound up winning a Voice-style competition there. He’s since released two English albums, including “3rd Dimension” last year. One song on that album features Run DMC. Oh, and he has 206,000 fans on Facebook and 21,000 followers on Twitter. To put that in perspective, only one other contestant has more than 20,000 Facebook fans. Seem like an unfair edge? Remember, Christina Grimmie entered Season 6 with a bigger U.S. fan base and didn’t win.

Keith Semple: Viktor isn’t the only Season 9 contestant with Voice-like experience. Back in 2002, Keith won a U.K. competition called “Pop Stars: The Rivals,” then joined a boy band called One True Voice that enjoyed some overseas success before disbanding. He also auditioned for American Idol in 2010 and earned a golden ticket as one of the most impressive male singers featured in the Chicago audition episode. But the show required contestants to be U.S. citizens; Keith, a native of Ireland, wasn’t at that point. Most recently, he’s been fronting a band that carries his last name and plays tons of covers, perfect training ground for The Voice.

Riley Biederer: She would be the other Season 9 contestant who enters the competition with more than 20,000 Facebook fans (in fact, 70,300 as of Saturday). She also has a great look and a great pop voice (check out the potential she shows in her cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Can Happen” on YouTube). Not to mention a couple of other numbers that impress – 10,500 followers on Twitter and 250,000 subscribers to a You Tube channel where she has posted lots of covers, six of which have been released on iTunes.

Kota Wade: This young woman has a fascinating resume. At age 19, she turned her band’s rehearsal room in L.A. into a no-alcohol, all-ages club called AmplyFi, and it became a success. The band she fronts is called Bad Wolf, which “forges sci-fi, fantasy, and a touch of steampunk magic into a unique brand of alternative rock,” according to its Facebook description. Now that’s not something you read every day. Bad Wolf has released an EP and two very professional videos. And Kota has attracted more than 35 million views to a YouTube channel that not only features music, but makeup and wardrobe tutorials, such as how to dress and look like a SteamFaerie.

Morgan Frazier: Country singers have won three of The Voice’s first eight seasons, so if you want to talk about contestants to watch, you’d better check out the country artists. One of the standouts would appear to be Morgan Frazier, who’s already played the Grand Ole Opry and released a debut EP in 2013. Two of the five songs – “Hey, Bully” and “Yellow Brick Road” – were turned into videos. They show great range, and Morgan displays a great country voice. She also already has a solid following on Facebook and Twitter.

Dustin Christensen: Looking for Morgan’s male counterpart? Well, it appears there will be no shortage of male country talent on Season 9 of The Voice. But one of my favorite voices belongs to this guy, the former lead singer of a group named Jerrytown, which released an album way back in 2002. Dustin released an impressive solo album called “Highway Lines” in 2012. Oh, and check out his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “One Step Up.”

Mark J.P. Hood: All I had to do is listen to two songs — a cover of “You’re All I Need to Get By” and an original called “The Greatest” — to know this guy has great versatility and range. Speaking of which, he’s also an actor, having appeared on “Chicago Fire” and a couple of other TV shows. And judging by the title of that original, he sets the bar pretty high for himself.

Alex Kandel: This is based strictly on personal preference. Some of my favorite pre-Voice music among Season 9 contestants comes from a six-member alt rock band called Sleeper Agent. In fact, I like every track I’ve heard from their 2014 “About Last Night” album, released on RCA Records. The band is fronted by … yep, Alex Kandel. I’m eager to see how she sounds singing solo. Meanwhile, listen to Alex in the video for a song called “Waves.”

So there you have it: 10 singers (9 auditions) to watch for when the blind auditions begin Monday night on The Voice.

There are 48 spots available on Team Adam, Team Blake, Team Gwen and Team Pharrell, so I’m sure there are lots of exceptional singers I haven’t included here.

Keep checking back for coverage of Season 9 of The Voice. I’ll be posting profiles of every singer who lands a spot on one of those four teams.

Check back Monday night as coverage of Season 9 of The Voice begins. For a look at music released this year by former contestants, head here for albums and EPs and here for singles.