Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Season 5 of The Voice begins Monday night at 8 p.m. on NBC. Check back for live blogs during each show and for bios of contestants who land a spot in the competition.

Meanwhile, it’s time to catch up with some familiar faces from past seasons, with the focus on those who have released music recently. Here’s an update on Caroline Glaser of St. Louis, 19 when she auditioned for Season 4 of The Voice.

Before The Voice: Caroline admitted she had less experience than most of her Season 4 colleagues, having performed her indie-folk style music mostly at open mic nights or at local coffeehouses. “On a good night, 30 people showed up,” she said. She was a freshman at the University of Kansas when she took time off from school to appear on the show.

On The Voice: She performed “Tiny Dancer” to earn a spot on Team Blake, but lost in the battle round to eventual winner Danielle Bradbery. No problem. Her unique sound had Usher and Adam vying to steal her. She chose Adam and made it to the live playoffs before being eliminated. Her live playoff performance of “The A Team” cracked the iTunes’ Top 40. She also returned to perform in the season finale.

Since The Voice: In a June Q&A video, Caroline said she hopes to release an EP sometime this year. “I’m kind of wanting it to be indie/folk, singer-songwriter type of genre.” And in July, she announced that she was putting together a band and a set list — a combination of original music and covers — and hoped to perform a number of shows during the fall. As for life after The Voice, Caroline said: “It’s cool, cause I don’t feel any different. I feel like the same exact person. But I get recognized every time I go out.” And while Carolina hasn’t released any of her own music yet, she’s featured on a delightful pop single called “Let It Ride” by the New Jersey based band The New Velvet (listen below) and on a track (“Stories Unfold”) from an Ashes album that was released in mid-June.

Keeping up with Caroline: On Twitter, she’s simply @CarolineGlaser She has a website under construction, as well as a Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Caroline Glaser with New Velvet, “Let It Ride”