Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Clarissa Serna from The Voice Season 6 released a new album earlier this month.

You might say the young woman from Corpus Christi, Texas, has learned a thing or two in the interim.

“I’ve become more brave in the studio and am learning to care less about how my lyrics will be perceived by others and more about sharing my stories with anyone who appreciates our sound,” Clarissa, a former Voice contestant, says in relation to her new album, “Hey Hey.”

“We definitely took more risks with these new songs and tried more versatile sounds.”

More specifically, as opposed to her very pop-oriented debut album, Clarissa rocks out — quite impressively — on “Hey Hey.”

That’s especially true on the Latin-flavored single “El Dorado,” “Let Me Down Easy” and the wonderfully wild “Lost My Mind.”

Clarissa told Voice Views she wrote the music on “Hey Hey” with her bandmates — Saul Padron, Matt Rousell, Dave Reynolds, and Andrew Ita.

“After The Voice I really started to explore my rock side and I’m enjoying the sound we’re creating,” she said.

Another of the album’s rockers is “Mind Your Business,” inspired by one of Clarissa’s good friends.

“A couple years ago, I was dating a loser who would treat me badly but still manage weasel his way back in my life,” she explains. “So the 5000th time I took him back, she said she was done being my friend if I was going to keep allowing myself to be treated so terribly.

“Of course, I was heartbroken; we had been friends since childhood and I felt abandoned. As I was crying like a baby … I was like ‘Who are you to judge me? Nobody is perfect so MIND YOUR BUSINESS!’ I grabbed a note pad and wrote all my down all my feelings about people passing judgement on others.”

Today, the loser is gone, the friendship is still intact and the song is a “kind of a funny throwback — that one time out of the hundreds we’ve been through together.”

Clarissa appeared on The Voice in Season 6, landing a spot on Team Shakira. She also shows off her vocal versatility on “Hey Hey.” Take, for instance, the R&B style closing track “‘Bout It,” featuring a guest rap interlude by SILMEON.

As for the album, Clarissa actually released it late last year. But it was only available through her website until earlier this month, when it hit digital sites like iTunes and Spotify.

What’s next?

“I’m already working on some exciting collaborations with artist that inspire me,” Clarissa says, “so no messing around in 2018. I’ve been really blessed in my music career, but I’m ready to be a full-time original rock goddess who conquers the world one show at a time!”

You can keep up with Clarissa through Instagram and her Facebook page. On Twitter, she’s simply @ClarissaSerna.

Here’s the music video for “Lost My Mind.”