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.

Kat Robichaud, “Apple Pie and the Knife” (listen below)

Okay, I can wait no longer to include a track from my all-time favorite post-Voice album, the delightfully different “Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits.” Kat told me she wrote this song in response to social media criticism she took as a female rocker who finished Top 10 in Season 5, noting males who performed in the same matter didn’t seem to get the same sort of scrutiny. Who belts out: “This damsel is distressed; she doth protest” in song? Kat, that’s who. She hasn’t dialed down the delightfully different since the show, starting Misfit Cabaret in San Francisco. And with the pandemic shutting down live shows, Kat’s gone virtual and has been devoting part of her time to making Misfit Cabaret The Movie. She also just released a new single, “Keep Surviving.” Oh, and this won’t be the last Kat track to appear on this list.
Kat’s Instagram. Kat’s Patreon. Kat Robichaud on Apple Music. Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits Apple Music. Kat Robichaud on Spotify.

Chevonne and The Fuzz, “Red Ride”

This song is a rollicking good time, courtesy of Chevonne, who had done background vocals on Lady Gaga’s “Monster Ball” tour before auditioning for The Voice Season 3. In a 2016 interview, Chevonne told me she “started scheming on which of my friends I could convince to start a band with me” as soon as she got off the show. The result was New Jersey-based Chevonne and the Fuzz, also featuring her husband-to-be Chris Ricci, the big bad wolf in this song. “Red Ride” is a track on the band’s second album, self-titled and released in 2016. The band shortened its name to The Fuzz for a 2019 EP called “Pretty Demolition.” More recently, Chevonne has performed in Purple Rain at Radical Park, a drive-in featuring live shows in Astoria, N.Y. Chevonne says The Fuzz is still together, albeit sidelined by COVID. And a Pretty Demolition 2 is in the works. Wanna see Chevonne perform “Red Ride” live? Here’s a link.
Chevonne’s Instagram. Chevonne and the Fuzz on Apple Music. Chevonne and the Fuzz on Spotify. The Fuzz on Apple Music. The Fuzz on Spotify.

Melanie Martinez, “Drama Club”

When I hear someone say no singer has accomplished much after leaving The Voice, my mind first goes to Melanie (Top 6, Season 3). Hmm, let’s see. She released an album called “Cry Baby.” All it did was spend two full years on the Billboard 200. Then she followed up with “K-12,” which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. And she directed the accompanying movie, which has been viewed 76 million times on YouTube. In fact, ready for this, folks: the music videos on Melanie’s YouTube channel have more than 3 billion views. That’s right, billion. With a ‘B.’ Guess who directed nearly every one of those videos? That’s right, Melanie. My loathing for drama queens is probably what had me humming, “I didn’t sign up for your drama, up for your drama, up for your drama club,” when Melanie dropped “K-12” in September 2019.
Melanie on Instagram. Melanie on Apple Music. Melanie on Spotify.

ARCHIS (Dia Frampton), “Blood” (listen below)

Dia Frampton’s ethereal vocals have graced many a song since she finished runner-up on Season 1 of The Voice in 2011. One of my favorites is “Blood,” her debut release with renown composer Joseph Trapanese under the name ARCHIS in 2014. A superb, five-song EP followed. Dia told The Music Ninja that she wrote “Blood” at a “not so good time” in her life. And it certainly wasn’t the type of song producers were encouraging her to write; they preferred songs about strength and girl power. “I always wanted to sing about sad stuff, or painful things, or being afraid. … I believe in strength, but I believe in vulnerability. I’m a very vulnerable person … (“Blood”) is about overcoming something but not coming out on the other end looking like Beyonce. It’s about coming out and having those dark sides with you that you endured along the way.” Since ARCHIS, Dia has released a solo album (2017’s “Bruises”) and reunited with her sister for a new Meg & Dia album (2020’s “happysad”).
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, “Cannonball” (listen below)

She’s called herself the gypsy minstrel because she’s performed so many shows in her career. She’s also one of the best singer-songwriters to appear on The Voice. This song is my favorite from her superb “Blink” album, released in 2017. Rebecca (Season 1) hasn’t slowed down since, releasing “Give Up Your Ghosts” in 2019, and joining forces with Grace Pettis and Betty Soo to form Nobody’s Girl. They released an album called “Waterline” in 2018 and, most recently, a cover of Carole King’s “So Far Away” earlier this year. Oh, and during the COVID lockdown, Rebecca recorded a series of acoustic covers she’s allowing folks to download for free. Based in Austin, she was also stuck in that freak Texas snowstorm that caused so much havoc. And she documented it all with amazing good humor considering she was without water for 10 days.
Rebecca Loebe Instagram. Rebecca’s Patreon. Rebecca Loebe Apple Music. Rebecca Loebe Spotify. Nobody’s Girl Apple Music. Nobody’s Girl Spotify.

Jamar Rogers, “Let Me Treat You”

Singing show fans met Jamar in 2009 when he auditioned for Season 8 of American Idol, then got reacquainted in 2012 on Season 2 of The Voice when he finished Top 8. But we didn’t get his debut album until 2017 when he dropped “Lazarus,” his five-year “labor of love.” The wait was worth it, partly because of this stirring song. In fact, there are two versions of it on that outstanding album. “I wanted to remind folks of their own divinity and make music that lifted their spirits on bad days,” he said. Mission accomplished. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2005, Jamar recently reposted a TMZ story from 2013, when he was in ICU with a lung infection. All is well now. He celebrated his 39th birthday last week and posted this message with the TMZ post: “Life has a funny way of working itself out if we let it.” Oh, and he followed up on “Lazarus” with a 2019 EP called “On God, I Got You.” And he’s sharing his Voice story in a series of videos on his Facebook page.
Jamar on Instagram. Jamar on Apple Music. Jamar on Spotify.

Brian Nhira, “Would You Still Love Me” (listen below)

Brian says the inspiration for this song came when he was boarding a plane, heading to a good friend’s wedding and spotted an elderly couple. “The wife was in a wheelchair and it was evident that she couldn’t speak or move on her own. As drool dripped from her mouth, her husband wiped it away,” Brian explained. “In that moment, I was confronted with the reality that I was getting ready to witness the wedding of my good friend and his bride, who are both young and full of life. They would soon commit to loving each other for the rest of their lives without a clue as to the circumstances the future would bring.” Brian’s since married too. He proposed to Sonia Larcom at a holiday concert, and they now have a son named Zayden. And Brian’s continued to release excellent music, most recently an EP called “Here in This Moment,” which landed in January.
Brian’s Instagram. Brian on Apple Music. Brian on Spotify.

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

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

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

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