Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, have you checked out the new Kat Robichaud album, “Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits?”

If not, what are you waiting for?

Seriously, folks, I know it’s only February, but this will be one of the best post-Voice albums we get in 2015. And certainly one of the most unique.

The album was officially released Jan. 27, features the single “Somebody Call the Doctor” (the lyric video is to your left) and represents the first post-Voice music from Kat, who also wrote the songs for two pre-show albums recorded with The Design.

She funded the new album — which she calls a “theatrical rock explosion” — with the help of a Kickstarter campaign that started out with a goal of $20,000 and wound up raising more than $42,000.

Anyway, when I interviewed Kat about the album a couple weeks ago, I asked her to share the story behind some of my favorite tracks.

Turns out two of those tracks have a direct link to her time on The Voice.

For those who don’t recall, Kat cracked the Top 10 in Season 5. So here’s the second part of my interview with Kat. For those who missed part one, head here.

For those of you who have been too lazy to go to iTunes or Amazon to check out the song snippets yet, I’ve embedded the songs. Because I know once you hear them, you’ll just have to buy the album.

“The Elephant Song” …

Kat: That one’s so personal. Before The Voice, I was in a band called The Design for eight years. A lot of it was really fun and I a had great time. I learned a lot — good business practices and not so great business practices. When the band broke up, it was kind of like a veil being lifted over my eyes. Basically, the song is about painfully having to address the elephant in the room. Saying, “things are not working out in this band. It’s time to move on. And as painful as that is after you’ve put eight years into this, it’s over. And you have to move on now.” That’s basically what The Elephant Song is about.

Explicit lyric warning …

“The Apple Pie and the Knife” …

Kat: That was an idea that came to me while I was on The Voice. And it was me feeling like — well, I took a lot of criticism on the show from internet people saying I was annoyingly aggressive and cocky. And I felt like my male counterparts behaved the exact same way that I did and nobody said that they were cocky. But I was being called cocky, and I think it largely had to do with the fact that I’m a woman.

Women have to constantly check themselves. Am I coming off too strongly? Too aggressively? Too provocatively? Am I allowed to say this? Am I allowed to do this? When I was getting eliminated, the lyric popped into my head: “You want the apple pie, but I’m the knife, too sharp to swallow.”

That’s like, I’m not going to be this demure apple pie pop star, shiny, godly character. I’ve got a background in hard rock and roll and I like wearing black. And I like wearing tiny little shorts on stage and flipping people the finger and being an aggressive, fun rock and roller. If a man did that on stage, no controversy whatsoever. If a woman does it: Oh, my God.

Explicit lyric warning

“Why Do You Love Me Now”

Kat: After The Voice, I got asked to sing at the PAC-12 (basketball) tournament at the Garden in Las Vegas. I was just walking the strip and a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song came on, and I listened to it and I started to think about how I felt.

As a musician, I felt rejected for so many years. I know what it’s like to play an original show where you stand at the door and you count how many people are coming in or not coming in, and how painful it can be to play for five people. And then going on a big show (The Voice) where the show loves you, and you have enough people who love you to keep you on the show for as long as they did.

And the thought that came to me was: I didn’t change anything about myself. I’ve always been this way. And I’ve been doing this for so long. And I’m finally getting a reaction. Why now? Why do you see me and love me now? It was kind of that thought: I don’t understand. I’ve been doing all these things, and I’ve never gotten a response. Then all of a sudden, I find my audience. Why do you love me now? I’ve always been this way.

I like singing it live, too. It just lends to that very powerful, heartbreaking performance. My favorite song of all time is “I’m Going Home” from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This was kind of my nod to that.

What else would you like to say about the album?

Kat: Musicians need help. I would say to people, “If you hear the album and love it, share it with as many people as you can.” Nothing is stronger than word of mouth. That’s the biggest gift they can give to an artist to show their appreciation. Hear the album and help it. Give it wings.