Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The holidays are approaching, but former Voice contestants are still releasing non-holiday music.

New this week are a pair of singles from Chance Pena and one apiece from Katrina Cain, Nelly’s Echo, and Nathalie Hernandez.

Here’s a look at those new releases. The links take you to the songs on Apple Music. Or you can check out the Spotify snippets below.

Katrina Cain from Season 15 released a single called “Promised Land” on Friday. And it’s certainly a song with a backstory. On Instagram, Katrina says on New Year’s Day 2019, she and her husband started a journey from Dallas to L.A. to “completely start over.” They got caught in an ice storm. They had to spend a night in a freezing UHaul. When they reached California, it was on fire, with scorched earth on both sides of the road. “I came here with no money, no job, definitely no connections, and a temp 6-month housing situation. I turned 30. I cried (a lot). I wrote a song.” “Promised Land” is the lead single from an upcoming EP. And I still think Katrina should have gone a hell of a lot farther than the knockout round on The Voice. This song just proves that again.

Chance Pena from Season 8 has ranked among the more prolific producers of new original music since auditioning for The Voice at age 15. Three months ago, he released his debut EP, “anxiety and mixed emotions.” Now he’s already back with two new songs, “Star Hopping Lover” and “Interlude,” both featuring his unique sound.

Nelly’s Echo from Season 3 dropped a new inspirational single Friday called “Save the World.” On Instagram, he calls describes it as “an original song about a familiar Christmas story, told from the perspective of one of the wise men. It was a joy to write and produce.” It’s also the eighth single he’s released in 2019.

Nathalie Hernandez from Season 3 released “Stuck in a Loop” Friday, her first original music in about five years. On Instagram, she says she wrote the song “at a time in my life where I felt, well, stuck. Stuck in my bad habits, stuck in a bad mindset, and stuck in a dead-end relationship.” Just 15 when she appeared on The Voice, Nathalie is now 23 and a graduate of the Berklee College of Music.