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Conundrum. Im an old school artist through and through, less chris brown or usher, more curtis mayfield, hathoway, hendrix or marley, and isnt this show mostly looking for a contemporary, relevant pop tart? The wrong step (song choice) could sink my ship before it sets sail, yet i dont wanna start off on a false precedent that is untrue to my style.
My nicotine-stained gravely baritone has been described on more than one occasion as sounding like a "negro spiritual" vs the prettyboy tenor (faux and otherwise) that dominates popular music (michael jackson, timberlake, justina bieber). I think with the right direction i could capitalize on this sound and offer something refreshing. Heres a sneak peak of what i sound like.
Ps: i stayed off cam cuz im shy and i dont have a fancy shmancy frontside camera phone
Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Suggestions? Sexual offers?
Not sure how fun it would be, i pay so close attention to melody that lots of artists i hate still have one or two songs i like just because of the melody. Melodically that song never grabbed me, it feels like something i would hear a bunch of monks sing as they march to the mess hall for their dinner of rice and unsalted beans.
So far the audition songs Im considering are Fever a la Elvis or Is This Love by Bob Marley with a fair amount of vocal liberties to give the song a new energy.
Don't. Seriously. The contracts aren't worth it. Join a local band, play some clubs, develop your chops. All the best singers develop their voice by hearing it hit a crowd and seeing the crowd react, over and over.
Don't. Seriously. The contracts aren't worth it. Join a local band, play some clubs, develop your chops. All the best singers develop their voice by hearing it hit a crowd and seeing the crowd react, over and over.
Im 26, that could take years, I'll be 50 before i play in front of a crowd of more than 12 people. i know its sort of selling my soul to the devil but robert johnson did and he got exceptional picking skills.
>>>Im 26, that could take years, I'll be 50 before i play in front of a crowd of more than 12 people. i know its sort of selling my soul to the devil but robert johnson did and he got exceptional picking skills.
Now, you know I love you, Ms Walker, so (to use a Michael Jacksonism), the following is said "with love".
First off, you know as well as I do that Robert Johnson didn't sell his soul to the devil. He just 1. had a lot of natural talent, and 2. nurtured it. Satan didn't meet him at the crossroads to teach him how to play - he learned the old-fashioned way by watching other people, aping them, and practicing his craft over and over again. Even back then, it helped with the PR, so he didn't emphasize that part of his life, but it doesn't change what is. And even if he DID sell out to the devil, it didn't involve reality TV.
On to you. You've got a good voice. As I said, it's in that James Ingram/Jeffrey Osbourne mold. It does seem hesitant in spots, and has an air of lack of training about it, but it's still a really good voice.
I sent this clip to KW earlier, but I'll put it here for reference sake. It's a Denver-area band that's started doing fairly well, consisting of a rapper and a singer in front of a blue-eyed soul/funk band.
Lead singer Jon has a pretty good voice, too, and over the years has developed some stronger chops. He sounds more confident, although I think he's got some ways to go yet on that front. But I've seen this band work a room on more than one occasion.
I know several bands like this. Not of rapper/singers in front of blue-eyed soul bands, but bands that have been around a while, and have developed better chops because of it. And you know what? I know at least five whose singers are trying out for the Voice, or Idol, or X-Factor. And that's just the ones I know about - many more are too embarrassed to announce that, or I just missed the fact that they are. Jon isn't one of them, as it turns out, but I'm talking people that are in that range. And that's Denver - not exactly a well-known hotspot for music. (Seriously - make a list of well-known acts from Colorado. If you've got to put "Winger" in the top ten, that's not a good sign. )
These people are your competition. People who may or may not have as good a natural voice as you. But people who have spent years developing it. Learning how to sing on stage. Learning how to read an audience, and adapt to it. And given this, I'd say the odds are stacked heavily against you.
This is where I probably should bring up Susan Boyle. Yes, she had a great natural voice, and no, she didn't have any experience. And yes, she became a multi-million selling artist. But three things at work here. One - she DOES have amazing pipes, and I'd hazard to say they're better than yours. Two - there's the surprise factor. She LOOKS like a dumpy housewife, and it's a shock to hear her carry a song the way she does. You, on the other hand, are a youngish and attractive Black guy. (Shut up - you are SO attractive. ) There's going to be little to no surprise that you can sing with soul. And thirdly, the Susan Boyle story is probably one that can't be repeated. Not without heavily diminishing returns.
I won't say you won't make the cut on X Factor or any other show. Perhaps you will. You may even make it to the top 100 or whatever that range is. But I'm very skeptical you'll get beyond that. Again, not because of lack of talent, but because of lack of experience. And I've seen the career paths of those "former top 100" singers. It usually involves putting them in front of 50 semi-drunk patrons to "sing that one song they did on that TV show". And frankly, you can almost do that now - and not be tied down to singing that one song.
I write all this not to crush your dreams. My point isn't "you shouldn't be a singer". My point is "you shouldn't look to X Factor to be your shortcut to becoming a well-known singer."
Let me tell you about another band I know. I got a demo from them about ten years back. And they were AWFUL. The demo started with a terrible cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" (covering Tiffany, not Tommy James), and it got worse from there. I politely told them I wasn't much of a fan, and figured that'd be that.
But no. They asked for more critique. I suggested working on their presence, and writing some hookier songs. They did do that, but then they found the one thing that made them 10000% better than they were before.
They got on Warped Tour.
Even today, the band isn't sure how they did this. They just said "It'd be cool if we could play Warped Tour", so they literally drove across country to the first city on the tour, two days before the tour was supposed to begin. They found the guy in charge and begged him to add them to the tour. The guy listened to their pleas, and finally made them a deal.
* You play one 30 minute set a day, at noon. (Which is right when the doors open, when the crowd is lightest.)
* You must help load and unload equipment for the WT offices every day.
* You must get yourself to and from each tour spot.
* You will not get paid.
The band agreed to these terms, and off they went. And as the days went on, the band started learning some really heavy lessons.
* If we're not good and compelling, people won't stick around to watch us play.
* If people don't stick around to watch us play, we don't sell merch(andise).
* If our merch isn't any good, people won't buy any.
* If we don't sell any merch, we don't make any money.
* If we don't make any money, we may not have enough gas to get us to the next town.
* If we don't make any money, we don't eat today.
Seriously. The band literally went hungry during the early days on the tour. Other bands took pity on them and gave them leftovers. One story involved a headliner letting them into a catered tent after the event. There was nothing left but spaghetti sauce - all of the spaghetti was eaten. The band grabbed spoons and ate spaghetti sauce.
But the band started getting better. They scraped together some funds and made some better, funnier T-shirts. One parodied the "Virginia is for Lovers" T-shirt, and said "(Band name) is for Fuckers". (I bought one.) And they started selling more of it. They started working on "developing a look on a budget". Their stage shows went from awful, to passable, to good, to must-sees. They wrote a great off-the-cuff song called "Fuck Yeah!" to end their shows with, and got everybody to sing along to the chorus. (OK, it wasn't singing - it was just everyone yelling "fuck yeah!")
By the end of the tour, they had lost a lot of weight. But they'd also gained a ton of chops, and gained a surprisingly large fanbase across the country. When they went back on Warped Tour the next year, they got a better time slot (1pm!), and people came JUST to see them. And they wrote some damn good songs, too.
I tell you this story because it encapsulates what I think happens with musicians and singers. You've got a really good voice, but it's still a rough diamond. It needs polish. And the only way to polish that thing isn't to get on TV, but to get up on stage and perform. And that might just mean karaoke night a couple times a week to start. But that's how you do it. And I think you've got it in you to make it work.
Lexie you know I love you for always keepin it real with a sista.
I see exactly where youre coming from and in your shoes I wouldve said the same exact thing, almost verbatim.
Ive got the experience, I started in church around age 6, back then I was so shy that when the pastor began to segue into announcing the kids choir I would lay my head on my dads lap and pretend to be sick or really sleepy. Eventually I got comfortable onstage, when i was too old for the kids choir i joined the mens ensemble, i was a black teenager singing with a group of white among whom the youngest after me was 48 did high school talent shows and once i was old enough to drink started karaoke bars, until I left columbia last year i was onstage every tues night for open mic @ Art Bar.
Im a practical guy, if i didnt think i was ready i wouldnt waste my money or time on a two hour bus ride to audition. Im comfortable onstage, the part about being camera shy was me being cheeky and deflecting from not having a front-facing camera since that seemingly makes my phone outdated.
Im sure Im ready for a competition like this, im definitely hungry for a bigger platform to share the music ive beeen writing for years and I think with the right "marketing" i can sell myself to this audience as similar performers have done well in years past. I just dunno how to get my foot in the door.
This isnt a dire need, if i dont make it i can go back to life as usual, i would love to sell out madison square garden one day but if this never exceeds hobby status id be content. Your input is highly appreciated and respected and is currently being considered. If i could afford to put together my own band and rough it on the road eating spaghetti sauce i would, ive dealt with musicians before and the idea of putting a band together is nauseating since i have a clear and concise musical direction in mi cabeza.
All of this is said knowing the window of opportunity for my style of music is exceptionally narrow for these producers, i think it will he challenging selling myself to them but i like a challenge. And if i get to put out an album, if the stars align two, using this as a laucnhing pad, why not try out? Ive been an idol fan for years i know the death-grip contract these contestants sign up for, ive read all the horror stories.
I hate you, gwarl your sound is not nasal as it should be in this video!!!
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUUlVVpcy7c[/ame]
Give me my 1 minute and 31 seconds back!!!
Megan Mullally has a stellar singing voice. I was a fan of the show for years before i heard her actual speaking voice, i thought she actually sounded like she did on the show.
)
i know its sort of selling my soul to the devil but robert johnson did and he got exceptional picking skills.
i knew someone was going to go there.
did high school talent shows and once i was old enough to drink started karaoke bars, until I left columbia last year i was onstage every tues night for open mic @ Art Bar.
your sound is not nasal as it should be in this video!!!