Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Elia Esparza from Season 11 of The Voice will unveil a new single at halftime of Friday’s Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso.

Well, Elia Esparza has that covered.

We met the Mexican-American pop singer on Season 11 of The Voice when she took the bold step of auditioning in Spanish, singing “Como La Flor” by Selena.

It worked. Quite well. She turned three chairs and landed a spot on Team Adam.

Now the young woman from El Paso has landed a spot singing at halftime of Friday’s Hyundai Sun Bowl.

And in a smart marketing move, she’s decided to take advantage of the spotlight by performing a new single called “Fool’s Gold” and simultaneously releasing the song.

Elia describes “Fool’s Gold” as an up-tempo pop song she wrote.

“The inspiration behind it is the idea of being with someone you adore that isn’t necessarily on the same page with you. Falling in love with a relationship where both parties are fully committed that eventually unfolds to reveal the true intentions of someone you thought you knew and trusted,” she told Voice Views.

I’m pretty sure this will make Elia the first Season 11 contestant to release new music. But it certainly isn’t her first release.

Her musical resume includes a seven-track self-titled pop EP from 2015, a music video and a single called “Phoenix” released earlier this year.

She says another EP is in the works; she’s hoping to release it in the summer.

As for her experience on The Voice, Elia says it would up being beneficial in a number of ways.

“The amount of exposure, the gateway to be involved in my community and be stamped as an artist that stands for young women, Latinos, and anyone who needs a light in their life. The show has changed my life in more ways than one and for that I’m truly grateful.”

The Sun Bowl, featuring Stanford and the University of North Carolina, will air at 2 p.m. (ET) on CBS. Khaliya Kimberlie from Season 11 will also perform at halftime.

As for Elia, you can follow her through her new website or her Facebook page. On Twitter, she’s @mseliamaria.