Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Belle Jewel released her debut album, “End of an Era,” earlier this month. (Photo by Maiya Nicole Buckley)

A year and a half later, she’s released “End of an Era,” a debut album that chronicles what she’s been through since then.

And says she’s more committed than ever to pursuing a career in music.

“I can confidently say that this album is nothing like what I’ve released in the past,” says Belle, who had released several singles, but never a major project, before The Voice. “It’s been really satisfying to look back and see how much my music has evolved.”

The album features nine tracks and includes the song “Velvet” about “all the crazy ups and downs” of The Voice experience. Another track, “Nostrand Ave,” is about her temporary move to New York, where the singer-songwriter from Utah didn’t exactly feel at home.

Now back in Salt Lake, Belle also included — and sounds absolutely ethereal on “Push” and “Pull” — songs about the internal struggle she says she’s sure many musicians face.

“End of an Era” closes with “Ampersand,” her favorite track and one Belle describes by saying “this song is my heart.”

Belle told Voice Views she wrote the song about “being in the middle of making some big life decisions, one of them being the decision to walk away from a great scholarship from a great college to pursue my music career fully.

“It took one night of everything crashing down for me to realize that I have a bright future if I was just willing to sacrifice for it. Looking back, I think the hardest thing about that night was experiencing all those growing pains at once.”

Belle celebrated the release of her album with a show in Provo, Utah, and has another coming up in Salt Lake later this month. You can keep up with her through her Facebook page and on Twitter where she’s @bellejewelmusic.

“I’m already starting work on the next project and music videos,” Belle told Voice Views. “I can’t wait for the next step.”

Here’s “Ampersand” from “End of an Era.”