Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Past contestants from The Voice released more than 80 music videos in 2017.

So many, in fact, that I decided to present them in three blogs for ease of loading. So, if you’d like to check them all out, follow the links at the bottom of this blog.

Meanwhile, here are my five favorites, featuring the runner-up from Season 2, the runner-up from Season 5 and three other artists who were eliminated before the finals in their respective seasons.

For a look at my picks for 20 must-hear post-Voice songs from 2017, head here. Coming tomorrow: Voice Views’ picks for Top 5 post-Voice albums of 2017.

Juliet Simms (Season 2) — “Say Hello”

I love the celebratory feel of this video. Juliet is having a boring day. So she cranks up one of her own songs — “Say Hello” from her 2016 “From the Grave” EP — and dances and prances all over her home, just like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.” Juliet gave a shout-out on Facebook to Maria Del Bagno of Dance Create “for coming in and trying to teach my uncoordinated butt to dance.” And make sure to watch ’til the end when Juliet’s real-life hubby shows up. That’s perhaps the best part of the video. The message, Juliet says: “The most important lessons I’ve learned in life so far are to unapologetically be yourself, not to listen to the negative things others may say, to enjoy the freedom of self expression. And when the going gets tough — turn up the music and dance around your house like a freak of nature.”

Jacquie Lee (Season 5) — “Am I the Only One”

Moving from Colt’s Neck, N.J., to L.A. to search for her musical identity and avoid becoming a pop puppet turned into an emotional roller-coaster for Jacquie. Remember, she was just 16 when she auditioned for The Voice, eventually finishing second. “I was totally lost and wingin’ it — suuuuuper anxious,” Jacquie wrote of the L.A. move on Instagram. “The process of writing this song was really therapeutic because, almost immediately after, I felt at peace. We all go through change no matter what phase we’re in and it never gets any easier. We just keep learning and growing as people.” She and director Chris Le did a marvelous job of capturing that sense of confusion in the video. And by the end of the year, Jacquie — now recording under just her first name — released an independent EP with this song as a title track.

Melanie Martinez (Season 3) — “Mad Hatter”

Time will tell how a former friend’s sexual assault allegation will affect Melanie’s career moving forward. But there’s no changing this. Her “Cry Baby” album was certified platinum (1 million in U.S. sales) in February. By August, that album had ranked among the Billboard Top 200 every week for two years. And, in September, Melanie fulfilled her pledge to create a video for every song from the album by releasing “Mad Hatter,” in which Cry Baby slips into a nightmare where giant stuffed toys become her friends and protectors. Oh, and those videos — most directed by Melanie herself — have racked up more than 600 million views on YouTube. All of which makes Melanie the most successful graduate of The Voice. She’s promised that her sophomore album will be accompanied by a full-length film.

Brian Nhira (Season 10) — Would You Still Love Me

This gets my vote for the most touching post-Voice music video of 2017. Perhaps that’s why it’s been viewed more than 8.4 million times. Of course, the song’s touching as well. Brian said he was boarding a plane to fly to a friend’s wedding when the inspiration for “Would You Still Love Me” presented itself in the form of an elderly couple. “The wife was in a wheelchair and it was evident that she couldn’t speak or move on her own. As drool dripped from her mouth, her husband wiped it away,” Brian explained. “I was getting ready to witness the wedding of my good friend and his bride, who are both young and full of life. They would soon commit to loving each other for the rest of their lives without a clue as to the circumstances the future would bring. I began to think of how at one point in their lives they (the elderly couple) stood at the altar, both full of life, but somewhere along the line … something happened.” Brian gets a vocal assist on the chorus from Gloria Kim; Victoria M. Le plays the bride.

Gabriel Wolfchild (Season 8) and The Northern Light — “Runaways”

In a year of divisive politics, lots of music videos took on the themes of peace and unity. This is my favorite. Plus it’s accompanied by a great song — “Runaways” — courtesy of Gabriel Wolfchild, who teamed up with The Northern Light to release an album called “Mornings Like These” in 2017. The video features a hug train filmed around Seattle, and the message behind the video is quite simple, Gabriel said. It’s to “help folks see the impact they have on other people and the world around them. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and feel alone and small and to get lost in this ‘nothing I can do really matters, so why bother’ kind of mindset. We have all felt that way at some point or another. Maybe this video can be a reminder of how important we are to each other.”

See also
Top 20 post-Voice songs of 2017
Later this week: Top 5 post-Voice albums of 2017
Post-Voice music videos, artists A-F
Post-Voice music videos, artists G-K
Post-Voice music videos, artists L-Z
Did I miss anyone? If so, let me know by commenting below