Singer Searching for the Sweet Spot

Hi there,

I did a recording session for a Grammy Award winning producer recently. He'd heard my voice before hiring me so while I was nervous, I was reasonably confident it would go OK. 

He played me a few songs he'd written and after a while we got to work. The first one was a rocky number and I did my best to give it some. But I could see on his face and hear in my own head that it just sounded...blah. There were no notes I couldn't hit and I was doing my best to channel Joan Jett but it just wasn't happening. Beyonce was looking down at me disapprovingly from the personally signed photo on the wall. No pressure then.

Now sometimes the problem with songs written by one sex for the other is, no matter how much the writers know about music and songwriting, they just don't quite fit the voice for which they're intended. How often have you heard great singers do mediocre performances because the song just doesn't suit them? That's why song choice and key choice is make or break on TV talent shows like The Voice and when you putting that decision in someone else's hands, well, good luck!

We come to grips with the scope of our own ranges as singers but within that cluster of notes I've realised there are those that make my voice soar and others that are just a bit...blah! In other words, there is definitely a sweet spot and if the song doesn't enter into that neighbourhood then maybe that tune's not for me, not in that key at least. So when a band says: 'Well, we do this song in this key,' I think you have the right as a singer to say: 'Do you mind if we do it in my key?' After all, they don't yet make capos for voices. 

Anyway, the second song we recorded at this session went much better. I could see the producer's face relax and could swear I saw Beyonce winking at me. Bet she knows all about the sweet spot.

See you next time.

Don't Dis the Backing Singer!

I'm a little miffed at all this talk about people being 'only' backing singers. The judges say it on 'The Voice' all the time. Comments like 'She's not just a backing singer any more'. Excuse me, 'just'? Not many of us would be categorised purely as 'backing singer' anyway - all the singers I know who sing back-up, are also amazing lead singers and that's certainly the case with all those 'backing singers' from the current season of The Voice. In fact, you could argue that the skills required to be 'just a backing vocalist' belong on a list way longer than those for being 'just a singer'! 

L to R: More than just backing singers: Jo Elms,
Amanda Easton and Sarina Jennings. (Chris Fields on Drums)

The most obvious one is having a great ear for harmony - I know plenty of fab lead singers who can't put their hand up for that one. As a backing singer, you're part of the band rather than the front of it - that comes with responsibilities. You can't let loose and sing wherever you want and expect the band to follow you. You have to be able to blend. You may need to change tack at a moment's notice if the lead singer decides to stray from the regular song path (you get good at reading lips). You can't upstage the 'talent'! I learnt that one the hard way. My very first bv job was for a well known Sydney Diva who saw me getting too animated on stage and literally, publicly, slapped me down for pulling focus.

There are countless occasions where backing singers carry the show, whether it be for an ageing artist who doesn't have the range they used to, or a pop starlet who is more tits than talent. As a 'back-up singer', I see it as my duty to do just that. It's our job to back up the lead artist so they look their best. 

All of this doesn't sound easy, does it? 'Only' a backing singer? I think not! Sheryl Crowe, Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross all started their award-winning careers as backing vocalists. And where would Gladys be without her Pips? What would Bee Gees be without all the Gees? And the Beach Boys would be a lonely guy standing on the sand without the other voices...So, don't dis the backing singer!
Cheers,
Amanda

The Voice will not Give you a Career!

Hi there,

Well it's the topic du jour and I'm loving watching 'The Voice' from the safety of my armchair (see 'Sticking it the Voice' from last week). I love the way all the contestants are coached to say 'everything is on the line for me'. If there is a lot at stake for them, we are more likely to be pulled into the drama. But one singer recently said to the cameras: 'Tonight is my last chance. I have obligations now. If I don't get through, this will be the end for me.' Then his fiance came on saying: 'He's got responsibilities now so if this doesn't work, it will all be over'. 

Oh so it's your last chance because you've got a fatal disease hanging over your head? No. So you're the one with tonnes of kids to provide for? Oh, no kids yet. So you're getting on and feel like time is running out? Hmm, you're in your 20s. Oh I see, you're engaged and 'real life' is calling you. Ah! Well thank goodness you didn't get through to the next round because if you can let it go so easily then frankly, you don't deserve it. Jump in with both feet. 'The Voice' is never going to hand anyone a career on a platter. It's going to enhance what they already have. 

Look at the most successful contestants so far. Darren Percival has taken his TV exposure and run with it to build on a strongly constructed base. Simon Meli had a career before 'The Voice' and its aftermath will hopefully open new doors to bigger live shows and more record sales. It's those like him who have already put in the work and shown their commitment that really win. Whether they 'win' The Voice or not, no fiance or white picket fence is going to stop them singing. They're not going to be working in music because they won a TV singing contest and winning a TV singing contest is not going to guarantee a career for them. They're going to do it because they couldn't live with doing anything else.

No doubt I'll be here next time with another 'Voice' rant. Love to hear what you think...
Cheers,
Amanda

Stickin' it to 'The Voice'!

Hi there,

There seems a lot of that lately - more than usual criticism of the show we love to hate, 'The Voice'. Don't get me wrong, keep reading my posts and you'll hear me having a go too; we're all entitled to our rants. But for the moment I find myself, once again, defending the show that I didn't want to be part of myself. Most of the negative stuff I've been reading is about the poor treatment of artists. I've had friends who have suffered by being part of this show - this industry can be soul and ego crushing at the best of time and I hate to see fellow artists become 'fodder for ratings grabs'. The thing is, isn't it naive to think it would be any other way? 

I do actually think this show is more respectful to its participants than compatriots Idol and X Factor, but 'The Voice' wasn't designed by its producers to be a vehicle for artists' careers or even to showcase the best singers. Just as the Biggest Loser wasn't designed to be a helpful way to lose weight and gain health. Both shows are created by the same production company after all. These shows and all like it were designed to, well, make money! Commercial TV is a cut throat world and ratings make or break a show. Viewers need drama to keep watching and producers use what they've got to create it - in this case artists, often with fragile egos. So it hurts to feel used - couldn't agree more; I couldn't subject myself to that. I often don't agree with the judges' decisions and quite often the best artists aren't the winners. At the same time, some artists gain massive exposure and great contacts by tiptoeing along this TV tightrope. 

We need to understand the business of this business and go in with eyes open. It's a risky one with potentially huge payoffs. Just like the music industry itself and a bit like life really! I don't necessarily like it but I do believe it's a matter of 'live by the sword, die by the sword'.

Till next time,
Amanda

Just learn to sing man!

Hi there,

I think I have the best job in the world but the problem with doing something that looks like so much fun (it is) is that people think it's only fun and that it's easy (it really isn't). 'The Voice' judges on TV gabber on a lot about the importance of singers 'telling a story' and 'making a connection'. As important as that stuff is, they don't seem to talk much about technique and the practical side of learning to actually sing properly. I have heard gigging singers say, 'I've never had a singing lesson' - well don't boast about it! Lack of training, at the minimum, usually means a voice that will blow out after only two gigs in a row...let alone lack of breath control and weak projection. 

If you had a natural flair for a volley and a mean backhand and were aiming for the professional circuit, wouldn't you get a tennis coach pronto? There probably exists the rare warbler whose voice is so good that training can't improve it - but I'm yet to hear them. Now you may tell me about a guy called Bob Dylan - never had a singing lesson. I would say, as a singer, Bob makes a mighty fine storyteller. And you may tell a story better than Hans Christian Anderson, but that does not a singer make! 

I can't help but get personally offended when people get up on the professional stage without a lesson behind them (I am a Cancerian so I do take most things personally!) You think so little of this pursuit that you're not willing to put everything into it? It's an art, sure, but it's also a craft - please respect it and get thyself to a singing teacher!
See you next time!

In Defence of 'The Voice'

Everyone's talking about it. Channel 9 execs must be punching the air. But a lot of people are saying that they don't understand why professional singers, particularly those with family connections, are part of a TV show like The Voice. Surely Mahalia Barnes, daughter of Aus Rock royalty, doesn't need a leg up in her career? My answer is, you are talking about her now and possibly keen to buy her records now. Was that the case before you saw her on the show, even though you had heard of her? In this extraordinarily competitive industry, family connections don't ensure success. I didn't even know Guy Sebastian had a brother till The Voice told me.


Even with the power of the internet and its importance in building music careers, a national TV show watched by almost three million viewers a few times a week is the most potent exposure an artist could get. TV is the king in music promotion. Surely singers that have already done the hard yards, that have got to the point - on their own steam - where they are good enough to be Delta Goodrem's backing singer, deserve and can make best use of an opportunity like The Voice. It's the chance to become known by the masses. We already have Australian Idol, X Factor, Australia's Got Talent and previously, Pop Stars, to unearth brand new talent.


When I ran the singer-songwriter showcase 'PopTarts', I worked with a lot of refugees from shows like Idol, great new artists who became bitter and despondent from their TV experiences. In most cases it was because it was all too much too soon. Their careers hadn't been given the chance to develop naturally before they were thrust into the limelight. That light can get switched off very suddenly, leaving the subject ill-prepared to stand in the shadows. A singer who has done the groundwork over the years and proven their commitment to their art is best placed to sustain a successful career after this kind of intense TV exposure. What percentage of Idols or products of the X Factory are still going strong?


Like many of my pro singer friends, I got an invitation from the producers of The Voice to audition for the show. Hold on to your hats... I said no. 'But you said...!' I know! I get why people like me want to be on a show like this. But it's not for me. I should probably admit to some fear about these kind of shows, after watching Idol and their ilk as they shoot for ratings dominance by often publicly tearing down their acts. As an already established performer, that felt like an awful lot to risk. Of course I now see that The Voice is taking a much kinder, more supportive approach to their artists, which thankfully seems to be striking the right chords with its audience.


The other reason will no doubt see me labelled as a freak, of the control variety. I have done the requisite bleeding, sweating and crying of tears to develop the career I have. It may only be a little one, held together with bandaids in part, but I'm proud of my career and it is all mine. Handing it over to the producers of a TV Show, and all that entails including control of image and output, was a step I was loathe to take. But now - at the risk of sounding like a football commentator - we, the audience, are the winners in all this. How many times can you switch on the TV and see a gathering of such fine talent all in the same place? And more power to them!