My brand new video is out now! It's for my cover of The Fine Young Cannibals classic She Drives Me Crazy. Come have a look...We wanted to keep the whole theme very 80's - not just musically but with the fashion and video style as well - I hope you like it, please do let me know what you think!
Don't forget, if you want to stay up to date with my various projects you can sign up to my mailing list by clicking here.
So over the last few weeks I have been thinking a lot performance - and as an artist what I want to achieve when I take to the stage and what an audience wants…or rather what I think an audience wants or expects.
Any performer, I feel wants to take the audience on a journey, connect with them and share the energy and emotion of their material with them.
Many artists have a nightmare story or a wake up call in terms of performance. Mine was when I was about 14 - I was preparing for a jazz gig and working on some Billie Holiday repertoire. We had a rehearsal and I sang my first song.
I was really chuffed with myself and whilst I was still floating on my “performance high” my Jazz teacher asked me why I felt the need to be at 120% all the time and whether I had considered reigning it back a little.
He then went onto tell me it wasn’t about all me having the best time, it was about me giving the audience the best experience. Ouch…Sometimes the amount of emotion we give can be too much and actually I find if I try too hard to convey something it can be counterproductive and it is possible that I end up detracting from what I want to say.
For someone like me who is overly emotional in everything (!), taking the emotion out is actually really hard. But on the advice of my vocal coach, Jenny May (www.expressivevoice.co.uk), I recently decided to work on exactly that: the “less is more” approach to vocal delivery.
I almost had to tap into a “numb” feeling, which was quite a challenge. But focussing on paring back and giving less than normal was actually quite impactful.
But sometimes just being carried away with the moments of passion – with the band can also be amazing.
I have to say I love the extremes, and I do believe if you are totally in the moment and genuine the audience are always on your side.
A key element in any performance is commitment. Audiences are receptive and smart. And one thing I have learned from personal experience is an audience feeds off your energy. If you go through the motions, you lose them, but if you really stand by your convictions, the audience come with you - the wave of intensity and overriding emotion win.
I suppose what I really want to know from you is what kind of artists and performances you enjoy? What bores you and what reels you in?
And if you are an artist what works for you? Personally, I love working on technique and delivery - but when I get up to sing I tend to leave that at the door and go with the flow.
I wanted to put a few things down about vocal care - whether you are a singer like me, or use your voice a lot in your work.
Over the years I have not always looked after myself or my voice as well as I could or should.
I have found when I am singing for a lot of hours - to get the most out of it - I have benefited by putting a few simple things in place.
I want to stress I am not a teacher. And though I have been asked to teach I have decided not to yet. Not because I have delusions of grandeur but I really feel I have a lot to learn still. I do however love giving advice!
So here are some of the things I do everyday:
Stretches – like many people I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and since getting into the habit of stretching my neck before singing I have found my throat is much freer and more open when I do.
Steaming – this is something my lovely vocal coach Jenny May told me to do – it’s the only way to get moisture directly onto your vocal chords and though this might sound gross – it kind of opens and clears everything out.
Warming up – I know this is obvious but nevertheless important. Throughout my singing career I have noticed that on any given day I can sing the same things but my voice may behave slightly differently. So working on different exercises before I sing is not only great for waking up my muscles, it also gives me a good indication of what my voice is capable of in terms of range, intensity and power.
Cooling down – I have discovered this is actually more important than warming up. Cooling down with the right exercises like scales on fricative sounds (e.g.: veee/zeee) allows your larynx to settle back down where it naturally sits.
Hydration - I drink water like it's going out of fashion, I don't think this is a singer thing - I really feel it is one of the elixirs of life and vocal care!
A quick word about things that are bad for our voices. Smoking, alcohol and coffee are probably the main offenders. I know some people would add dairy to that list although it doesn’t seem to affect my voice.
I am not terribly good at steering clear of “bad things” (!), but I have found the most important thing is to know how your voice works and what it likes and doesn’t like. So, for me a glass of red wine can be a relaxant, a bottle – not so much!
I would love to know what your daily practices are if you use for voice a lot or you are a singer like me - I look forward to hearing from you :)
Under slight duress I decided to compile a list of my favourite singers. If you know me at all, you will know I’m not a fan of saying this is my favourite anything – not because I’m fickle, as I don’t think I am…but I like to reserve the right to change my mind! I think there is a subtle distinction here...
Anyway, yesterday, this started out as my top five favourite singers of all time, but I couldn’t limit myself. So I changed it to my top ten - my blog, my rules I guess?!
So, in no particular order, here’s my list:
Judy Garland:
2. Barbra Streisand:
3. Whitney Houston:
4. Annie Lennox:
5. Aretha Franklin:
6. Nina Simone:
7. Nancy Wilson:
8. Clare Bowen:
9. Megan Hilty:
10. Pink
And whilst I am not going to critique each singer, as there are/were incredible in my opinion and I really don’t think it is my place to do so; the good thing about putting this list together it is has clarified in broad terms what I like and why I like it.
All these women have big voices and amazing ranges. But I think the thing that ties them all together is their beautiful rich tones; this is something I adore. Looking at this list, puts a huge smile on my face, I could listen to these amazing vocalists all day and all night.
There are of course exceptions to the "big voice thing" – I love hearing the effortlessness and intimacy of Norah Jones, the emotion and mastery of Joni Mitchell....Chrissie Hynde’s voice is so unique and characterful as is Cyndi Lauper’s – who actually has a huge voice too... See, this is why I don’t favour lists!?
I am pretty sure, someone I know well, will say, ”I can’t believe you missed off "so and so", and I am trying to rack my brains before I post, to check I haven’t. But, if you think I have, please tell me. And tell me what you think. If you made a list who would be in your top ten?