Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice is celebrating its 20th season this spring.

And I’ve decided to celebrate too, by shining a spotlight on my all-time favorite post-Voice music.

Please note that I’m not labeling these songs as “the best” post-Voice music. That’s simply too dependent on musical tastes.

These are my favorites, songs that make me smile or move me every time I listen.

I hope you’ll celebrate these artists with me. After all, they’re the ones who have made The Voice worth watching since the show premiered April 26, 2011.

Fautlines, “Rain”

After her stint on Season 8 of The Voice, Ashley Morgan returned to the acoustic folk-pop group she and friends Todd McCool and John Flanagan had formed the summer before. And in March 2018 Faultlines released this great song, featuring fabulous harmonies and a politically charged message that became more important as time passed. Heck, the final verse seemed prophetic once the 2020 election ended and Trump launched his biggest “Big Lie,” trying to upend the results of a democratic election. Said Flanagan when “Rain” was released: “A lot of songwriters have chosen to write distracting tomes to better times — and of course we crave escapism — but it’s the job of good creators to also hold up a mirror to society and say ‘Look at what we’re doing; see how hatred is affecting people.’ Folk music is the music of the masses. It’s about people, not just pretty words. It should say ‘This is how we feel’.” Ashley and Flanagan are still making music as Faultlines, most recently releasing a superb single called “Don’t” in March.
Faultlines’ Instagram. Faultlines on Apple Music. Faultlines on Spotify.

Madilyn Paige (with David Archuleta), “Anymore”

I promised some great collaborations on this list. Here’s another, featuring Madilyn, a Top 20 contestant on Season 6 of The Voice and David Archuleta, runner-up on Season 7 of American Idol. This was the title track to 2018 album from Madilyn. And talk about a hopeful song. I can’t help smiling every time I hear it. Madilyn told the Deseret News her goal was to deliver an album filled with messages of self-worth, hope and inspiration. As for “Anymore?” Says Madilyn: “We wanted to have a song on the album that could help people heal. No matter what, you can always change, you can always become better. Your past does not define you.” David was returning a favor by appearing on the song. His 2017 “Postcards in the SKy” album features a lovely duet with Madilyn called “Seasons.” And be sure to check out Madilyn’s newer music. She’s released five singles already in 2021.
Madilyn’s Instagram. Madilyn Paige on Apple Music. Madilyn Paige on Spotify.

Nolan Neal, “Like Love”

This wonderful, uplifting song comes from Nolan’s 2018 album “NashviLA,” a nod to the time he’s spent in both entertainment hubs. Nolan auditioned for Season 10 of The Voice, sharing the story of his father’s suicide and his own struggles with addiction. He failed to turn a chair. But he returned for Season 11, turned four chairs and joined Team Adam Levine. Unfortunately, Nolan admits now, he was still struggling with his addictions. “I kind of lost my way on The Voice and continued drinking,” Nolan told WBIR last year. “You can see it. I can see it.” He was eliminated in the knockout round. The reason for that interview: A now-sober Nolan returned to reality TV for Season 15 of America’s Got Talent last year, shared the story of his struggles and made it all the way to the quarterfinals. You can read the story of his road to recovery on his website. Nolan’s since launched a Patreon page. And earlier this month, he announced that his new record — “Lost For The Last Time” — is in the final mix and mastering phase.

Lilith Czar, “King”

Fans of The Voice will remember her as Juliet Simms, the Season 2 runner-up. But Julet decided she had undergone such a personal an artistic transformation that she needed a new name — and so Juliet Simms was replaced by Lilith Czar. And Lilith introduced herself to the world with this song, the lead single from her new album, “Created from Filth and Dust.” “King” is an empowerment anthem is there ever was one, with Lilith singing “if it’s a man’s world, I wanna be king.” In an interview with Alternative Press, Lilith called the accompanying music video “my vindication. This was a product of being told who I was, what I am, what kind of music I should put out, how I should dress, how sexy I should be, how not sexy I should be, how female I should be, how androgynous and tomboy I should be. This video is about not being told who you are or what you are and deciding for yourself who it is that you want to f–king be. If you’re a man and you want to be a queen, f–k yeah, be a queen. If you’re a woman and you’re like, ‘No man, I’m the emperor. I am the ruler of my world.’ You’re a goddamn king. I want to so badly give this feeling that I have to other people. You can be a f–cking god or goddess, whatever you want to call it.”
Lilith Czar’s Instagram. Lilith Czar on Apple Music. Lilith Czar on Spotify. Juliet Simms on Apple Music. Juliet Simms on Spotify. Automatic Loveletter on Apple Music. Automatic Loveletter on Spotify.

Kat Robichaud, “Why Do You Love Me Now”

This is the second song on the list from my all-time favorite post-Voice album, “Kat Robichaud and The Darling Misfits.” It features some wonderful stray cat imagery and, wow, what a vocal. And it was inspired by her Voice experience. Here’s how Kat explained it to Voice Views: “As a musician, I felt rejected for so many years. I know what it’s like to play an original show where you stand at the door and you count how many people are coming in or not coming in, and how painful it can be to play for five people. And then going on a big show (The Voice) where the show loves you, and you have enough people who love you to keep you on the show for as long as they did (Top 10 on Season 5). And the thought that came to me was: I didn’t change anything about myself. I’ve always been this way. And I’ve been doing this for so long. And I’m finally getting a reaction. Why now? Why do you see me and love me now?” A national TV audience was part of the reason, of course. But Kat has continued to thrive post-show, creating “Misfit Cabaret” in San Francisco and continuing to release great music. Her latest single, “Keep Surviving,” landed in March. Her next, “Charade,” will drop June 18.
Kat’s Instagram. Kat Robichaud on Apple Music. Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits on Apple Music. Kat Robichaud on Spotify.

Amanda Lee Peers, “Blood on the Strings”

Amanda Lee Peers from Season 7 released her first EP in five years last fall, and it included this brilliant and soulful rocker. Amanda calls it a “song about expressing yourself through music and letting it all out.” The EP was “Sinner,” an impressive six-song project she called “a hybrid of dark soul, R&B and rock.” “This album explores the side of life I don’t really talk about a whole lot,” she told her hometown Rochester City Newspaper. “It’s the pain, the dark times, the struggles I’ve had . . . but also being aware of the light at the end of the tunnel.” The pain includes coming out as lesbian in a Christian household and in a church where it was frowned upon. She dedicated the project to Sandy Peers, the partner she married in 2017, but who passed away a year later.
Amanda’s Instagram. Amanda Lee Peers on Apple Music. Amanda Lee Peers on Spotify.

Dia Frampton, “Butterflies” (with William Black and Fairlane)

Since finishing second on the very first season of The Voice, Dia Frampton has released music as a solo artist, music with composer Joseph Trapanese as ARCHIS and reunited with her sister for a new Meg & Dia album. She’s also lent her intoxicating vocals to a number of EDM tracks, including this lovely feel-good track. A collaboration with William Black and Fairlane, it was originally released as a single in February 2020. Since then, six more versions have been released. My absolute favorite is the acoustic version that came out a couple months back because it puts Dia’s vocals front and center. Dia’s also branching out. She recently landed her first voice-over role, providing a voice to the “ruthless warrior Ishikawa” in a six-episode animated Netflix series “Yasuke.” Now 34, Dia also penned a wonderful social media post about the foolishness of giving up one’s dreams if you haven’t “made it” by age 30. “Thank God I never promised myself I would quit acting or music or writing if I didn’t ‘make it’ by a certain time,” she writes. Please, keep on singing, Dia.
Dia Frampton Instagram. Dia Frampton on Apple Music. Dia Frampton on Spotify. ARCHIS on Apple Music. ARCHIS on Spotify. Meg & Dia on Apple Music. Meg and Dia on Spotify.

Rebecca Loebe, “High School Movie”

Wow, here’s an example of a songwriter capturing exactly the mood she was going for. The result makes me smile every time I hear this song. Explains Rebecca: “I wrote that song super early one morning — not my usual time for writing — but I woke up from a dream with a melody in my head and the words ‘if this were a high school movie…’ I ran to my desk and started writing and most of the song spilled out in one session. I think of it like a John Hughes movie about a kid with a crush on the popular girl who has a crush on someone else. It was fun to write and even more fun to record, because we tried to make the last ‘scene’ (in the cafeteria) feel as much like a triumphant teen movie finale as we possibly could, which was a first for me.” Mission accomplished. “High School Movie” is featured on Rebecca’s “Give Up Your Ghosts” album, released in 2019. More recently, Rebecca released an album of 12 cover songs that she’s giving away for free on her website. That project “helped keep me sane during lockdown,” she told Voice Views. The Season 1 contestant is also part of Nobody’s Girl with fellow singer-songwriters Grace Pettis and Betty Soo. The debut album from Nobody’s Girl will be out July 30. You can pre-order a physical copy at that link or pre-save the album on your favorite streaming site.
Rebecca Loebe Instagram. Rebecca’s Patreon. Rebecca Loebe Apple Music. Rebecca Loebe Spotify. Nobody’s Girl Apple Music. Nobody’s Girl Spotify.

Loren Allred, “Never Enough”

In the box office hit “The Greatest Showman,” Rebecca Ferguson plays Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, a renowned singer who falls for P.T. Barnum. But when it came time to record the soundtrack for the film, Rebecca decided she wasn’t quite up to delivering an operatic quality performance. So that task fell to Loren Allred, who had been doing studio work since finishing Top 20 on The Voice Season 3 and had recorded demos for the film back in 2014. That’s her voice singing “Never Enough” in the film. And her voice on two versions of the song on the film’s soundtrack. And “Never Enough” became one of the biggest hits a former Voice contestant has enjoyed in the show’s 20 seasons. It was certified gold, then platinum. It charted in the U.S. and at least five other countries. It’s been streamed on Spotify … are you ready for this number? … 369 million times. Loren told The Deseret News she was surprised to become the singer of the hit song because demos like she recorded as usually just used as a reference point for the eventual artist. “Never stop doing what you love,” she said. “Amazing things happen when you least expect them, and in ways you couldn’t imagine.” Since Loren has performed at the Academy Awards and with Michael Buble, David Foster and Andrea Bocelli. And in 2020, Loren says she “finally” pushed herself to “face my fear of releasing original music.” The result: two impressive singles, “This Summer” and “Your Girl.”
Loren’s Instagram. Loren Allred on Apple Music. Loren Allred on Spotify.

See also …
Week 1: Christina Grimmie, Sawyer Fredericks, Mia Z, Kensington Moore, Taylor John Williams, Koryn Hawthorne, Zaxai, Brynn Cartelli

Week 2: Kat Robichaud, Chevonne and The Fuzz, Melanie Martinez, Archis (Dia Frampton), Rebecca Loebe, Jamar Rogers, Brian Nhira

Week 3: Brennley Brown, Craig Wayne Boyd, Adam Wakefield, Kyndal Inskeep, Austin Jenckes, Jared Blake, Cassadee Pope

Week 4: Secret Someones (Leila Broussard), D.R. King and Jackie Foster, Wolfchild (Gabriel Wolfchild), Ricky Manning, Moses Stone, Wé McDonald

Week 5: Tony Lucca, Juliet Simms, Chris Mann, Duncan Kamakana, Jordy Searcy, Adanna Duru, Stephen Marcellus

Week 6: Chloe Kohanski, Meghan Linsey, Christiana Danielle, Charlotte Sometimes (now LACES), Chance Pena, Matt McAndrew, Angie K (Angie Keilhauer)

Week 7: Ricky Duran, Luke Wade (as LAWS), Billy Gilman, Emily Keener, Kylie Rothfield, Johnny Gates, Amanda Brown

Week 8: Dustin Christensen, Jonny Gray, Kat Robichaud, Dia Frampton, Lelia Broussard, Alara (Moushumi)

Week 9: RaeLynn, Natalie Stovall, Gracee Shriver, The Swon Brothers, Ashland Craft, Kristi Hoopes, Texas Hill (Adam Wakefield and Craig Wayne Boyd), Justin Andrews (Justin Whisnant)

Week 10: Angela Wolff, Brooke Stephenson, Fousheé, Paxton Ingram, Ashley DuBose, Javier Colon, Gigi Rich

Week 11: Jacquie (Lee), Darby (Anne Walker), Amy Vachal, Ddendy (Hoyt), Alisan Porter, The Swon Brothers