Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Former contestants from The Voice have released tons of great music this year.

But if someone forced me to pick my favorite post-Voice song of 2015 so far, it’d have to be Kat Robichaud’s “Why Do You Love Me Now.”

I love the lyrics. I love that it’s a different sort of love song. I love the stray cat analogies in the second verse. But most of all, I love that impassioned vocal.

And now, my favorite song of 2015 has a video in which Kat is shunned by a trio of bullies, then embraced, then rejected again, all in the span of five minutes.

When I interviewed Kat about her new music earlier this year, here’s what she said about “Why Do You Love Me Now.”

“As a musician, I felt rejected for so many years,” she said. “My peers never accepted me. 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 or not coming in and how painful it can be to play for five people.

“And then going on a big show 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?”

Part of the answer, of course, was the millions of viewers who watched The Voice.

Kat wound up finishing in the Top 10 in Season 5, and new fans helped contribute to a fundraising campaign that helped cover the cost of her 14-track “Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits” album, which hit iTunes in January.

As for that impassioned vocal — Kat said she wanted “a guttural, heart-wrenching sound” on the song. So while everyone else at the recording session went out to lunch, she sang the chorus in a continuous loop for 20 minutes or more “until my voice was just gone. I’m happy with the way that song turned out, very emotional.

“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.’ That was kind of my nod to that.”

Speaking of which, if you’d like to follow where San Fran-based Kat is performing live, you can do that on her website. On Twitter, she’s @katrowbeeshow.

Editor’s Note: For a look at albums and EPs released by former Voice contestants so far in 2015, head here. And please let me know if I’ve missed anyone.