Three 'Voice' Alums at Work on New Albums

The Associated Press, Monday, December 17, 2012, 5:00am (PST)

Billboard -- Three finalists from season two of "The Voice" are at work on full-length albums. Two of them, Juliet Simms and the single-monikered country singer RaeLynn, have already released singles and returned to "The Voice" to perform them.

Simms, signed to Republic Records, and Raelynn, recording for Republic Nashville/Big Machine Label Group, performed their singles on the show the day they were released Dec. 11. RaeLynn wrote her song, "Boyfriend," fellow "Voice" contestants Nicolle Galyon and Hailey Steele in January; Simms' "Wild Child" draws on the attitude she conveyed through season two, she says. "It's about being someone who doesn't give up on their dreams," she says.

Both singers say they have written about 30 songs each. Simms has recorded demos and is meeting with producers in the hopes of starting soon on her album. RaeLynn, who has been mentored by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert since leaving the show, has a radio tour to go on before getting into the studio to record an album of what she believes will be all originals from her pen.

Tony Lucca is also at the demo stage with his debut for Adam Levine's 222 Records. Levine, Lucca says, "hasn't been so much hands on as he has lent all his resources. Doors are opening wide for producers and songwriters that wouldn't be there otherwise. Now it's about finding the right angle, right sound, marketing strategy."

Lucca says the plan is to record quickly and resume touring so he can return to "The Voice" during its spring season to promote a single and the album. The singer, whose initial style was folky-pop until he had a breakthrough with Jay Z's "99 Problems," says he has tapped into hip-hop for at least one song.

"I realize this is what I'm comfortable with now," he says. "Instead of looking at this music from afar, I'm ready to go to bat with it, pick up where we left off."

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