Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jackie Foster and Self Portraits have released their first song since Jackie finished Top 8 on The Voice Season 14.

Equipped with a new single and a tweaked name, Jackie Foster & Self Portraits are prepping to head west.

The new single is “Poison,” released last week, just two months after Jackie finished Top 8 on The Voice.

The tweaked name is an attempt to capitalize on Jackie’s popularity on the show.

Previously, the alternative rock band was known simply as Self Portraits. The band also includes guitarists Gray Trainer and John Benoit, bassist Ethan Cate, and drummer Chris Drago and is based in Boston, where Jackie and other members were attending the Berklee College of Music.

Jackie says “Poison” is a song she wrote with her band more than a year ago.

“We were at a point where we wanted to move closer to an alternative pop/rock sound that could be played on the radio,” she told Voice Views. “We worked with many friends to get the song as perfect as possible to represent where we wanted to move as a band.

“We decided this was the perfect song to release after The Voice because we want people to understand that we are really chasing a dream of making it as a band.”

The song is about a woman skeptical about the wisdom of letting a fling turn serious, and warning the guy that loving her could be messy. “Poison” is also the most radio-friendly song so far from Self Portraits; the band released a three-track EP in 2016.

And artist Nyla Ro Hendrix from Emerson College translated the lyrics into an intriguing piece of cover art. You can check out the art and the song below.

Jackie says the band is busy writing and demoing more songs “so we can get new music out in the fall or so. Hopefully, another upbeat fun single that people can dance to is on its way.”

In the meantime, the band is also preparing for that move west — to Los Angeles, to be precise.

“We have been able to call Boston home for the last four years and we’ve had extremely loyal fans, but it’s time to expand that horizon,” says Jackie, who is from Poway, Calif., near San Diego. “We have always seen L.A. as the big picture and as the place that could possibly make it happen for us.”

The band played a show at the Brighton Music Hall last weekend, billing it as their last show in Boston.

Jackie said it turned out to be “the best last show we could have ever asked for.”

As for The Voice, Jackie was 21 when she auditioned and landed a spot on Team Kelly Clarkson. She wound up working with Adam Levine and Alicia Keys as well while making it all the way to the semifinals.

She calls it an incredible experience, one she’d do all over again “because of the love and support by everyone associated with the show.

“Now that the show is over, I owe it to my fans to show the artist that I want to be and get good original music out. I am excited for the future, and excited that I finally get the chance to share these songs that have been hiding in me,” she said.

You can keep up with Jackie Foster and Self Portraits through their website and Facebook page.

Here’s “Poison.”