Kate Voegele Spills on Her New Album and One Tree Hill's Possible Series Finale

With her third album done and ready, the songbird tells us what inspired her new songs and what it was like to play her new single on the show

Kate Voegele is certainly no one-trick pony. Not only is she an über-talented singer/songwriter, but she's been a staple on the CW's One Tree Hill since season five. Juggling her music career and acting on such a fan-favorite show hasn't been easy, but Kate told us that it's all part of the process.

And that process has led to her third album, Gravity Happens, which drops on the same day as the One Tree Hill season-eight finale: May 17. Kate talks to us about the new album and OTH's season-ender, plus we have an exclusive track from Gravity Happens for all you fans who need to feed your ear brains:

After two studio albums, Kate says she went on a "little journey" to find inspiration for her new album, including finding the title. "I know who I am as an artist and I know what my sound is, but I wanted to know what I could do in order to take it to that next level," she tells us. "So the experiences I had last year of moving to California and traveling to places like Rome and Nicaragua where I met a lot of people just had a really big impact in my life. Gravity Happens came from all of those influences and the song that the album is named for is about how stuff just happens and that it's out of our control and we all learn that as we get older."

The title track from the album is one of Kate's favorites, but it's a song called "Sand Castles" that she hopes fans will relate to the most. "The idea behind the song is that sometimes you feel as though as you get older you wish you could simply make sand castles as opposed to making some of life's crazy decisions," she says. "For me, growing up and making big decisions when you become the CEO of your life, you realize that a lot of your choices are up to you and that is cool but it's also scary."

A new track off Gravity Happens will premiere during the One Tree Hill season-eight finale, and Kate tells us that "Heart in Chains" ties in nicely with her character Mia's storyline in the episode. "I am recording the song on the show and I think it ended up being a really cool way to showcase the single," she tells us. "It's a really fun, upbeat song. I think people are really going to like it. I am excited."

Mia's storyline in the finale outside of singing "Heart in Chains" will still revolve around music, a fact that Kate is more than happy with. "Mia had to get out of town and go back on tour and connect with what was making her happy in the first place, which is her music," she reveals. "So you will see Mia come back in the finale and I think that her spirit and her attitude and demeanor has really changed for the better. And she has gotten out of this rut and connected with what she loves to do. She has a few scenes with Chase, and it's just a nice way for her character to come back full circle into the picture but to sort of be content and focus on what she really loves: music. "

When Kate casually threw in that comment about scenes with Mia and Chase (Stephen Colletti), we had to ask if there was any hope for those two crazy kids. "I can't say if Mia and Chase end up getting back together, but I will say that they do reconnect," she teases. "Who knows in what context, but I think that Mia and Chase will always care about each other in really big ways."

Unfortunately, Kate won't be in any episodes before the finale. "I took a good chunk of the second part of this season off so that I could make this record, but it was really tough because I miss all my friends," she tells us. "And they have been doing some great stuff in all the episodes leading up to the finale. One Tree Hill has just been so fantastic and so wonderful to me. With this third record I am so excited to be touring and to be focusing on my music, but if the show were to come back I would love to be a part of it. They have been a big part of my life and everyone there is just fantastic."