Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Here’s a look at more of the new post-Voice music that’s been released.

That includes a soundtrack contribution from former winner Danielle Bradberry, an EP from Emily Hough, debut singles from Brennley Brown and Aria Bleu and new singles from Anthony Ortiz and Gary Carpentier.

The links below take you to the songs on Apple Music. You can also check out Spotify snippets below.

Danielle Bradbery, the Season 4 champ, steps away from her country roots for about three and a half minutes to contribute an impressive pop-rock track called “Blackout” to the soundtrack for the new Charlie’s Angels film. That soundtrack also includes contributions from Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus. Have no fear, country fans. Danielle just got back from a country music tour of Europe and is about to sail off on Brantley Gilbert’s “Kick It in the Ship” Cruise. So she’s still country. This is a nice change of pace, though.

Brennley Brown from Season 12 dropped a superb debut country single, “Keep Coming Back,” on Friday. It comes more than two years after she finished Top 6 on the show; she was just 14 when she auditioned. Now 17, Brennley sings about not being able to give up on a romantic relationship, but she told Billboard the song is really about her love affair with music. “Music has been a safe place, a happy place and sometimes even a sad place for me,” she writes on Instagram. “But, it’s always been healing. I’m grateful for the gift of music.”

Anthony Ortiz from Season 16 has a new pop single out called “Bad Friends” about trying to resist — and sometime succumbing to — bad influences around you. It’ll get your feet moving and marks the second single since the show from Anthony, following “Watch My Fire.”

Emily Hough of Season 15 recently released a three-song collection called “Jewel Tones.” Writes Emily on social media: “These songs are very personal and show a more vulnerable part of myself, which is why I felt it was important to keep these songs raw and organic.” Check out “Rachel,” my favorite track, below. This marks the second EP of 2019 from Emily, following the superb “Glass,” released in April.

Kelsea Johnson of Season 14 has changed her stage name to Aria Bleu and recently released her debut R&B single called “On and On.” It’s a song about realizing it’s time to end a toxic relationship, says Aria. She adds that she decided to make it her debut single because lots of listeners will find the message relatable. As for the name change, Aria says she was looking for an artistic rebirth. An EP will follow, but she hasn’t decided when. For more on her new single, head here.

Gary Carpentier of Season 13 released a debut EP shortly after leaving the show. Now he’s preparing to release a second (“Lucid) and just dropped the first song from that project, a catchy pop song called “Special Kind of Love.” Says Gary on social media: “When I wrote it, I didn’t envision it going this way. I didn’t picture it going to a pop jam, but once it happened, there was no turning back. This song was absolutely made to be this way.”

See also
Post-Voice singles released so far in 2019
Post-Voice EPs and albums released so far in 2019