Seeing the Singers I Work With Shine in Their Live Gigs
I had the chance to see 3 very different singers live who I have the privilege of working with, (or have worked with in the past). They were all fabulous in varied ways. It’s soo wonderful getting to see these singers live, and also, often being able to assist them in cooling down after the performance element of the gig has finished.
The first was Ray Hart.
Her voice is phenomenal but the power of her performance is way more than that.
How she owns the stage is immense. She was on a small stage but she owned her spot like she was sharing a stadium performance. I’d go and see Ray Hart in Wembley any time.
Paradise Circus
Last Friday I saw my new student, Dave, with his band Paradise Circus, (in joke for the Brummies). They’re a really great band, with cracking tunes and all of them have clear identities. It was a really fun gig.
I really enjoyed his overall performance but I felt he came into himself when he sang without his guitar. That was when he was able to use his wild energy with abandon.
I freely admit I love seeing a performer who seems abandoned. I am a fan of a sense of wild.
Having the vocal technique to be really free on stage
But of course we need to have the skills to be able to be free. We need to be confident in what we’re doing before we get be feel like we dare to be free on stage.
And that’s where the work I do helps.
I work with you so that you feel you can trust your voice.
We will probably look at vocal technique, and mindset and it could be that you need a vocal massage. The list of things we might look at in your lesson are myriad.
For example if you’re British there’s a strong chance you have tongue or jaw tension. This is based on my experience and not formal research but they don’t call it the “British stiff upper lip” for nothing.
What I did with the singers after their gig
I was really happy to be able to grab these two artists after they came off stage and cool get them into a different place before they went off to “meet and greet” with their fans.
Firstly I got them to ground themselves back into their bodies and connect to a calmer nervous system.
Then we did some of the cool down which you can see here…
Then I did some vocal massage on them and then we “grounded” again.
It’s really important that they went back to the world in a calmer and more neutral state than the way that they leave the stage. No one needs to communicate one to one with the sort of energy that is needed on stage!
Reuben James
I’ll finish by referring to the first gig I went to of a singer who I worked with a few years ago. Reuben James is already a legend to those who know him.
Reuben’s gig was at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham and I doubt he will play such a small venue in his home town again. He captivated not only the audience but also my youngest son, Jack. I was hiding at the back of the room with my compromised immune system but Jack went off to the front to get a closer look. He’s a budding musician and hard to impress.
He was so excited by Reuben’s gig that the main part of his birthday present was the signed record from Reuben’s gig
The level of musicianship and skill at this gig was insane. So many genres, guests spots from Soweto Kinch (https://www.instagram.com/sowetokinch/) and nineteen97 (https://www.instagram.com/ogninetyseven/). The relentless but cool energy; and most of the time the band was a drummer and Reuben playing a million different instruments.
The thing that stuck with me was a comment made by Reuben’s mum after the gig. I am very much paraphrasing but it was along the lines of “could do better, needs to work harder.” All said with a wink but it was the kick up the behind that Jack needed to see.
However hard you work, however well you do, you must feel the total joy in the moment, and then, after the dust settles, do more work and keep working and growing.