One of the Twin Cities' former contestants from NBC's "The Voice," Kat Perkins, has recorded a tribute to her former castmate and roommate from the show, Christina Grimmie, who was shot and murdered by an allegedly deranged fan in Orlando on June 11.
Perkins' piano ballad "Angels" -- posted below -- premiered today on RollingStone.com along with a video that shows her singing it in a candlelit studio wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Choose Love." All proceeds from the tune's streaming revenue will go to a GoFundMe campaign set up in Grimmie's honor by her family, who plan to start a scholarship fund at the singer's former high school in New Jersey.
Played up as the "rock 'n' roll nanny" on Season Six of "The Voice" – when she came in fifth and Grimmie took third place – Perkins told Rolling Stone, "Not sure what to do, I decided to honor her the only way I know how: with a song."
"Angels" was written by Perkins' bandleader, guitarist and beau Eric Warner, also from the Twin Cities. The two played together in the hard-rock band Scarlet Haze prior to Perkins' "Voice" stint. Both she and Grimmie were working hard on their post-"Voice" careers but apparently stayed in touch.
"Christina was a beautiful person inside and out," Perkins says in a statement. "I will miss her bubbly personality, quirkiness and talent. I wanted to honor her the only way I know how, with a song. Fly on, sister. This is a tribute to her and those lost that same weekend in the Orlando shooting. May we find a way to move forward in life making peace while letting go of evil."
