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.

Editor’s Note: There’s also a Spotify playlist I’ll be updating weekly. Just search for Celebrating 20 Seasons of The Voice.

Chloe MK, “To Be Young”

Voice fans will remember her as Chloe Kohanski, the Season 13 Voice champ. But she changed her stage name to Chloe MK — “more modern and somewhat digital,” she said — shortly after and released an EP called “Fantasy” while with Republic Records. The latter is a feat in itself for those aware of the label’s sorry track record with Voice winners. “To Be Young” was the first single off the EP. Chloe told Nylon she was in a “reflective state of mind” and the song just came pouring out. “I sort of felt like being young was normally written about as being very fun and light-hearted. And I think that’s true, but I don’t feel like there’s a lot of songs about how hard it is when you don’t really know who you are or what you want, and you feel like you have to apologize for simply just existing.” No longer tied to the label, Chloe has been telling fans her new album is nearing completion, to expect “a lot less bells and whistle,” but also to expect her truth.
Chloe’s Instagram. Chloe on Apple Music. Chloe on Spotify.

Meghan Linsey and Aloe Blacc, “Say It To My Face”

Meghan, The Voice Season 8 runner-up, wrote this song with now-fiance Tyler Cain and Aloe Blacc for her 2017 “Bold Like a Lion” album. At the time, the title certainly seemed fitting. Meghan has survived a bite in the face by a venomous brown recluse spider and endured criticism because she opted to take a knee after a performance of the national anthem at a Tennessee Titans football game, a decision she defending in a Washington Post op-ed. And one of the boldest songs on her “Bold” album is this delicious swipe at online trolls, people who are eager to hurl criticism from behind a computer screen. She also called it one of favorite songs on the album. Meghan and Tyler are now making music together as Meg and Tyler. Their most recent release, a single called “Nowhere With You,” dropped earlier this month. They’re also now engaged, though their plans for a 2020 wedding had to be postponed because of the pandemic, Meg’s mom’s treatment for cancer and a windstorm that wrecked their recording studio. They’re now planning to wed later this year, they told People.
Meghan’s Instagram. Meghan on Apple Music. Meg & Tyler on Apple Music. Meghan on Spotify. Meg & Tyler on Spotify.

Christiana Danielle, “Resignation”

Christiana made her debut as a solo artist at age 22 when she auditioned for Season 14 of The Voice.
You might say that went pretty well. She wound up finishing in the Top 10. Then, a few months later, she released this wonderful debut single. It sounds like a breakup song coming from a woman fed up with a mired relationship going nowhere. But the intent was broader than that, Christiana told Twenty4SevenMagazine.com. “It’s talking about freedom and resigning from social norms, pressure and anything that tries to change you. We’re all created perfectly in God’s eyes. He was intentional when he made us,” she told the site. Oh, and “Resignation” didn’t begin as a song. The song stemmed from a journal entry / spoken word piece Christiana had penned two years earlier. Christiana followed up with a debut EP called “Growth” last year and recently released her latest single, “Entirely.”
Christiana’s Instagram. Christiana on Apple Music. Christiana on Spotify.

Chance Peña, “Bad Days”

Chance Peña made The Voice as a one-chair turn artist on Season 8 at age 15 and advanced all the way to the live playoffs. Five years later, he’s one of the most distinctive male voices to hail from the show — and one of the most prolific sources of original music (three EPs and a bunch of singles) — even if he’s yet to enjoy breakout success. As the end of 2018 approached, Chance wanted to release one last piece of music for the year. And he says he knew “Bad Days” was that song as soon as he wrote it. Contrary to what the title might imply, it’s a message of perseverance. “I was super stoked for it to drop and if I’m being honest I was a little nervous too,” he wrote on social media. “I think it’s because I’ve never been this vulnerable in a song before. Most of what I write isn’t set inside my own mind.” Chance’s most recent single, “Panicked,” dropped last month. He also co-wrote “Conversations in the Dark,” the lead single from John Legend’s most recent album (2020’s “Bigger Love”).
Chance on Instagram. Chance Peña on Apple Music. Chance Peña on Spotify.

Charlotte Sometimes (now LACES), “Magic”

Jessica Poland Vaughn was performing under the name Charlotte Sometimes when she appeared on Season 2 of The Voice. And I fell in love with her distinctive voice when she put her own spin on the Paramore hit “Misery Business.” She’s since released music as Jessica Vaughn, BRZY, JPolnd and, principally, as LACES. (And I won’t be shocked if I missed something.) This ridiculously addictive song was first released as a single in 2013, then became part of the final Charlotte Sometimes EP, “By Request,” in 2014. Charlotte had fans vote on social media to determine which tunes would be part of that acoustic project. A few months later, she threw a funeral show for Charlotte in which everyone was invited to wear black, then headed from the East Coast to the West Coast and became LACES. Now 33, Jessica is president of Head Bitch Music and vice president of Heavy Hitters Music, which supplies music for film, television and advertising. She’s still releasing her own of course, most recently singles called “Time is Running Out” as JPolnd and “Breaking My Heart” as LACES. A music video for the latter just came out, her first “professional video” since 2008, Jessica writes.
Charlotte Sometimes on Apple Music. Charlotte Sometimes on Spotify. Jessica Vaughn on Spotify. Jessica Vaughn on Apple Music. JPolnd on Apple Music. JPolnd on Spotify. LACES on Apple Music. LACES on Spotify.

Matt McAndrew, “Bones”

Longtime Voice fans will remember how Matt McAndrew, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Philly, showed up on the show with an open box tattoo on one wrist, just waiting for a check mark to signify a record deal. Well, Matt finished second on the show and got to check that box after signing with Republic Records. But the union produced just one single. In order to release his post-show EP, he launched a successful Pledge Music campaign. This time, the result was an excellent EP called “Rush in Slowly.” The title comes from this wonderful ballad “Bones.” “Before we got into the studio to record, ‘Bones’ had been my favorite track straight from the writing room,” Matt told Voice Views. “If people are only going to hear one song out of the batch, I want it to be ‘Bones’.” Matt, now 30, has provided lots more music to listen to since and is now making it as lead vocalist for the rock band Slaves. In fact, Slaves released an album, “To Better Days” in August.
Matt’s Instagram. Matt McAndrew on Apple Music. Matt McAndrew on Spotify. Slaves on Apple Music. Slaves on Spotify.

Angie K, “Real Talk”

Angie Keilhauer appeared on Season 10 of The Voice, shortened her stage name to Angie K and released this incredibly catchy, Latin-flavored country song last March. “Real Talk” was written by the all-star team of Thomas Rhett, Jesse Frasure, Hillary Lindsey and Nicolle Galyon (also formerly of The Voice). Angie, an independent artist, knew why she got to record a song from such a prestigious songwriting quartet. She might be from Georgia. She might be Nashville-based. But she was born in El Salvador, lived there until age 11 and speaks Spanish fluently. “A song like that (“Real Talk”), for an unsigned artist like me, can be untouchable,” she told SiriusXM The Highway. “I’m very honored to have gotten to record it. This song feels like me.” She had, after all, released a shortened version of her post-Voice debut EP (2016’s “Wild”) in Spanish. In a March 16 social media post, Angie wrote that fans can expect new music “SOON.”
Angie K’s Instagram. Angie on Apple Music. Angie 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 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