Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Updated: See videos of the performances at the bottom of this blog.

One of Pia Toscano’s biggest pre-Idol performances was singing the national anthem at a New York Mets game.

She’ll be singing the anthem again Sunday evening at an even larger event, the National Memorial Day Concert, which will be televised on PBS at 8 p.m.

Toscano, who finished ninth on Idol this year, told NBC Los Angeles that she’s been singing the anthem at events since she was in junior high school.

“I’ve never goofed – but I don’t want to jinx myself,” she said.

Idol fans will see another familiar face at the event. The list of performers also includes Season 8 Idol winner Kris Allen.

Others scheduled to perform include BB King and Hayley Westenra, with Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna serving as co-hosts. For a complete list of performers, go here.

Back to Pia. She also told People this week that she started working on songs for a potential album almost immediately after her elimination.

She expects that album to be pop with an R&B influence, with big ballads, but not just ballads.

“There’s also going to be those fun up-tempo songs, those dancing songs,” she told the magazine, adding she fears she came across as too one-dimensional on Idol.

Pia Toscano sings the national anthem

Kris Allen sings “God Bless the USA”