Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Pia Toscano fans who were outraged over her ninth-place finish on American Idol Season 10 can take a measure of satisfaction in this:  She’ll be the first non-finalist to release a single.

The song, “This Time,” was performed last night at the Idol summer tour opener at the Maverick Center in Utah and will be available for download Tuesday.

Interscope Records announced the long-rumored signing of Pia on Wednesday.  This single will be followed by a debut album later this year.

Said Toscano in the release “I am thrilled to be joining the Interscope and 19 Recordings family. (Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman) Jimmy Iovine was an amazing mentor during my time on ‘Idol’ and I’m looking forward to working with him and everyone at Interscope Records and 19 Recordings. This is a dream come true.”

The single was written by Esther Dean, who also has a co-writing credit on Scotty McCreery’s “Love You This Big” single.

Other songs written or co-written by Dean include Katy Perry’s “Firework,” Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” and Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” and “S&M.”

The early release of a single from Pia follows up on Idol’s promise to get new music out sooner from this year’s Idols than in past seasons.

In the past, singles have been released from finalists, followed by debut albums in time for the Christmas shopping season. Any music from non-finalists typically came the following year.

Oh, and you’ll note Pia’s first single isn’t a ballad, though it certainly gives her a chance to display her range and vocal skills. She was oft criticized on Idol for singing too many ballads.

You can check out the song below. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.