Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Wondering what the Season 20 cast of The Voice has been up to since the show?

Releasing music — some very impressive music — of course.

By my count, 15 of the 40 contestants on the show have already released music since the show ended in May.

That doesn’t include winner Cam Anthony or runner-up Kenzie Wheeler. But both have made it clear on social media that they’re working on new music.

Here’s a rundown of the releases I know of so far, complete with a Spotify playlist.

If I’ve missed anyone, let me know by commenting below.

Rio Doyle released a powerful post-Voice debut single called “Unloved” back in July. Rio, just 16 when she auditioned for the show, said she wrote the chorus when she was in eighth grade. “This is for the ones who feel forgotten, unworthy, unnoticed, and unloved,” she writes on Instagram. “This is your anthem. This is our anthem.” She followed up with another impressive original, “Sweet Thing,” on Friday. It’s about a guy who’s anything but a “sweet thing.”

JD Casper released the excellent “New Home” back in July. The single has a Tom Petty sort of vibe. Says JD: “I wrote this song in 2019 after a very close friend of mine called while I was on my way to a writing session. He said he had just been laid off from his job and had no idea what he was going to do to support himself and his family. My answer was simple. Move. I tip my hat to those who can jump willfully into the abyss of the unknown in search of a dream or better life circumstance.” JD’s follow-up single, the folksy “Sink Like a Stone,” landed Saturday.

Halley Greg dropped a three-song EP called “Trickster” in July. “Honey Love,” based on a poem by Anna Soco, is an absolute standout track. More music is coming. In fact, Halley’s in the middle of a Kickstarter to fund a second full-length album.

Emma Caroline released an original called “Lie” on Aug. 13. It’s a song she wrote with Karleigh Paige Schmidt in her hotel room while she was on The Voice. “I showed it to a couple of my friends on The Voice and they loved it, so now here we are.”

Lindsay Joan released her post-Voice debut single right after Season 20 ended. It’s the incredibly catchy “Human Now” with a superhero style single cover and an accompanying lyric video.

Raine Stern released her post-show debut single “I’m Not Them” in late May and followed up in a music video in which she’s decked out as Prince at one point. The young lady from Wisconsin is also planning a move to L.A. in November.

Bradley Sinclair has released a pair of originals since the show — “Leave You Wanting More” in June and “Difficult Day” on Sept. 2. The latter is a collaboration with pop artist Marielle Kraft, who co-wrote the song with Bradley and sings on it too.

Avery Roberson, a 21-year-old country artist from North Carolina, has released a pair of originals since The Voice, “Ringtone” in May and “Lord Have Mercy” late last month.

Connor Christian released his first post-show original, “Say,” in July. Since The Voice he’s also opened for former Voice contestants Mikele Buck and Kameron Marlowe and played a sold-out So Far Sounds show in Denver. By the way, “Say” was produced by fellow Season 20 contestant Keegan Ferrell and is the first of four singles Christian plans to release.

Keegan Ferrell released a cover of his blind audition song, “She Will Be Loved,” before Season 20 even ended. He’s since followed up with the original “Kick It on a Tuesday.”

Corey Ward, who finished Top 9, performed Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” in the knockout round. She called his version “pure magic” on Twitter. In August, Corey released his version of the song.

Dana Monique, who also finished Top 9, said she couldn’t resist recreating Tina Turner’s “The Best” with the help of producer Avli.

Peter Mroz, who finished Top 17, covered Leon Russell’s “A Song for You,” calling the release a song gift to his wife. He’s releasing another song Monday.

Savanna Chestnut auditioned with a country twist on the Tompson Twins song “Hold Me Now” and released her version back in June. She’s also working on an album and has posted acoustic versions of some of the songs on her Instagram.

Carolina Rial earned a spot on Season 20 with her blind audition performance of “Stay with Me” and officially releaed her cover of the song in July. Her first post-show original, “Headache,” comes out Sept. 23.