Voice Coach Reacts
Lost Your Voice? How to Get it Back!
Voice Coach Reacts to Morissette singing “Akin Ka Na Lang”!
Voice Coach Reacts | Dimash & Tengri | Swan Goose
Voice Coach Reacts | Freddie Mercury | Time Waits for No One
Voice Coach Reacts | Morissette | Shine!
Voice Coach Reacts | Sia | Best Live Vocals |
Voice Coach Reacts to Sia
It is time for a Voice Coach Reacts to Sia’s “Best Live Vocals”! YAY! I chose to react to this video thanks to one of my viewers, Kartik Sharma. Kartik watched my BTS video and asked about breaks when transitioning vocally.
A Great Question
Kartik writes,
“Are they bad for all singers or only some? Because Sia also has breaks and voice cracks, but to me they seem intentional and good.”
This got me motivated to do a reaction video that has been a popular request: Sia’s Best Live Vocals. However, I realized rather quickly once I started recording, that I had never really watched Sia sing live before. With her back turned to the audience or long wigs covering her face, I realized quickly that I had never noticed her technique…or lack thereof. Oh boy.
How NOT to Sing Like Sia
Guys, I really want to be as positive a coach as possible, whether I work with clients in person, online or via ScaleAbout (coming soon! I’m so excited that I finally qualify thanks to gaining 5000 subscribers on YouTube this week). Yet, once I saw how Sia creates her sound, it became clear quickly that I needed to do damage control on this reaction video.
You see, Sia sings with a tremendous amount of jaw tension and laryngeal tension that could be problematic for somebody trying to emulate her. She shows on this video exactly what NOT to do as far as phonation goes. I want to make it clear: I am not worried about Sia. I am worried about YOU trying to sing like Sia.
Jaw Tension
When you clamp down on your jaw, it creates tension all the way down into your larynx. Your vocal folds are not free to vibrate like they should and it can create vocal strain. You can hear Sia straining through clenched teeth. I literally felt physical pain watching her do this.
Now listen. Sia is awesome. I love her music and I love her voice. It is just the way she thrashes her voice that as a voice coach I can’t support. She obviously has managed to keep her voice going strong for years and years, so more power to her. My concern is YOU, or your kid sister, or some precious lady down at the Blue Moose trying to karaoke it up like Sia. Please, for the love of your voice, don’t try to sing like Sia! You can get as much power in a belting range as she does without all of that tension, dear ones. I promise you can.
Vocal Transitions Guide
As far as Kartik’s question about breaks and cracks the answer is YES. Sia does use breaks and voice cracks to her advantage. It adds a great deal to her style and unique artistry. She is like none other, which is such a breath of fresh air. YOU too can use breaks and voice cracks as a ‘color’ or style choice as instead of singing smoothly through your register transition from chest to head/falsetto (like what I was addressing in the BTS video).
KEEP IN MIND: If you are wanting a more clear break, it is going to be important that you vocalize in a more defined way to keep that clear delineation. Buzzing or sliding the voice through vocalise exercises will make for a more connected sound. Vocal exercises that SLIDE through the registers are like sandpaper for the voice making it nice and smooth. You will want to avoid those. Instead, flip the voice from one register to another to keep the break more defined. You can flip your voice while singing an octave from low to high with an “Ah-EEE” vowel sound will keep the break more defined. (This exercise sounds like a donkey.) I used the term ‘yodel’ in this video to describe a clearly defined vocal break.
MASSAGE THE JAW
Massage that jaw to keep it nice and open (I wish I had talked more about that in this video as well, darn it.) You need to really make massage part of your daily self-care if you struggle with jaw tension. If you suffer with extreme jaw tension, find a massage therapist who can work on your jaw from inside your mouth. They put on latex gloves and work the muscles, both from the outside on the face, as well as inside the mouth. It is not comfy to have this done (experience talking here), BUT it helps so much! You will be able to drop your jaw more effortlessly for a more free sound. Open your mouth and ‘sang, y’all. Your precious vocal folds will thank you.
In closing, I admit that this video is not one of my better offerings overall. I think it about every video I make, but this one was rushed to production without proper time to really dig in and fix its inconsistencies. I could have said things better or differently or more concisely. In short, it is far from perfect.
However, my goal right now with The Voice Love Co. is to get stuff done. Yes, I am going for quality, but MAINLY I’m going for the imperfectly perfect and DONE on a consistent basis. In order to show up for you every week on YouTube I force myself to stand by this imperfect offering by reciting my manifesto which I include in the description box of EVERY video I produce. It says:
I am allowed to be BOTH a work in progress AND to help others grow at the same time. I refuse to wait until I believe I’m perfect or someone else has deemed me worthy of impacting others. I am unapologetically accepting a life of massive growth and improvement.
Keep putting forth YOUR imperfectly perfect offerings in life. Take care of yourself and your voice. Until next time…
Work with me! Send me a DM on my Instagram or comment down below (all comments are held until approved) and let’s get rolling this summer. Whether it is one session or many, I’d love to work with you. Blessings and thanks for reading!
Voice Coach Reacts | Morissette | Rise Up
Today I am doing a Voice Coach Reacts to Morissette’s, “Rise Up”! So many of you requested that I listen and react to Morissette singing “Rise Up”, so here I go! I am having too much fun with all of these new-to-me vocalists.
Morissette: Asia’s Phoenix
Morissette Amon, nicknamed “Asia’s Phoenix”, is a 22-year-old Filipino vocalist who rose to stardom when she was a runner up of The Voice of the Philippine’s in 2013. In this live rendition of “Rise Up”, Morissette is singing into a microphone at a radio station, Wish 107.5. Wish 107.5 is an all-hits FM radio station based in Quezon City, Philippines.
I am in love with Morissette’s voice! Her technique is on point. I hear an operatic quality in the midst of a tasty contemporary vocal style. I love this particular video of her singing live at a radio station. She is relaxed and open and you can easily see how she navigates her register changes. It is really inspiring to watch her sing! She is one to emulate!
How to Sing Like Morissette
In this video you will learn how to sing like Morissette by doing two things:
•Develop your head voice! You can’t have a mix voice unless you have a head voice. You can hear Morissette navigating her head voice in a very open, round placement that is almost operatic. I personally find tremendous value for my clients in having them sing in a classical style up in the head voice to properly develop it.
•Make it a goal to sing through the scales in the Free Resource Library (one for men, one for women) DAILY. Start to sing through them three ways. Buzzing, Mum, Ahhh. You can see on the video what I’m talking about.
Evidently Morissette also boasts an incredible whistle tone. I’ll have to listen to more of her to find out if this is true! I’m so happy to get to listen to more of this amazing singer!
Don’t forget to check out my other Voice Coach Reacts videos: Ariana Grande, Lara Fabian, Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper, Adam Lambert, Dimash, and Sohyang.
Voice Coach Reacts | Lara Fabian | Adagio
From Lara with Love
This was a really enjoyable Voice Coach Reacts: Lara Fabian to film. Spoiler alert: I was dazzled by Lara Fabian singing her original composition, ‘Adagio’ during her “From Lara with Love” concert! This concert happened back in late 2000 and was released for television in 2000.
The Artistry of Lara Fabian
Lara credits her influences as Barbara Streisand and Freddie Mercury. I can definitely hear Streisand in her sound, and can see by her theatrical performances, and even her writing how Mercury crept into her aesthetic. Lara is an artist through and through. She sings with such attention to detail with every lyric. Her body language is constantly communicating the emotions she is trying to get across. Sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly. Lara is a joy to watch and a joy to listen to.
How To Sing Like Lara Fabian
What is constantly amazing to me is how Lara has maintained her voice all these years later. It speaks to her impeccable technique in the midst of her passionate artistry. We will be enjoying her voice until SHE decides to retire. NOT when her voice poops out because of misuse. As a vocal coach who sees vocalists day in and day out, I can’t tell you how this warms my heart! I am a geek about such matters, I know.
How do you sing like Lara? In this video…
•I unpack the technique she employs to hold out the very long phrase (15 seconds or so of power singing) without breaking a sweat!
• AND teach YOU a breathing exercise that will strengthen your intercostal diaphragmatic muscles.
Don’t forget to check out my other Voice Coach Reacts videos: Ariana Grande, Lara Fabian, Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper, Adam Lambert, Dimash, and Sohyang. Leave a comment below with YOUR thoughts on this performance of “Adagio” by Lara Fabian! YOU ARE LOVED! ♥️
Voice Coach Reacts | Dimash | Sinful Passion
Dimash Sings: “Sinful Passion”
It is time for another voice coach reacts, dears! 😉 This time this voice coach is reacting to Dimash singing “Sinful Passion”. By far, this was the most requested video from my burgeoning YouTube tribe. I’ve gotten hundreds of comments with the suggestion that THIS was the next song I was to react to. I aim to please.
I have learned so much about Dimash from his fans. He calls them his “Dears” and I have discovered that they actually ARE dear! They have told me more than any Wikipedia article ever could. From them I learned that Dimash is 6′ 3″!!! From them I’ve learned of his genuine heart and that he is truly humble and extremely kind. He is good to his fans, too. He is also an extremely serious musician and artist coming from a musical lineage that goes back three generations! Music is in his blood.
Well, that is obvious in this performance. Dimash continues to surprise and stun me with his vocal abilities in this performance of “Sinful Passion”.
Voice Coach Reacts to Dimash!
I hate to gush, but once again, this performance leaves me with mouth agape and no words. Dimash is an innovator, plain and simple. As I sat and listened to Dimash sing “Sinful Passion”, the story of Roger Bannister came to mind.
Roger Bannister was a British Olympic runner who was the first man to run a mile in under four minutes in 1952. Prior to that, it was said that it could not be done. That’s right! Up to that point in history, it was widely believed that nobody could ever run a mile in under four minutes. Yet, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier! His time was 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. The amazing thing about this story? He kept his title as the fastest man in the world for exactly 46 days before somebody ELSE ran a little bit faster. Then somebody else ran faster. Then somebody else ran even faster. Once it was widely BELIEVED that it could be done, it was done! And done many times
Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You
In this piece, Dimash sings everything from soprano to sounding like some sort of Khazakstani cantor calling all of his fans to prayer. 😍 What?! I’m so intrigued by this vocal technique and TOTALLY want to learn how to do this. I currently sound like a dying goat trying to emulate Dimash, but I will persevere 😂.
As I watched Dimash move through this piece, I wondered how long it would be before other elite singers would be doing what Dimash does? Hold on to your soprano notes after you’ve hit puberty? Piece of cake! Even writing that sentence makes me laugh! But, Dimash has done it, why can’t others?
Dimash is innovating singing like nobody else I’ve seen. It is really cool to witness. I’m looking forward to seeing where this young man’s career takes him in the years to come. He is living out the adage of “Be so good, they can’t ignore you.” I am sincere in saying that I would love to see him in concert. I’m a bit of a ‘Doubting Thomas’, I suppose. I want to see Dimash sing in person and witness his vocal feats for myself. I’m grateful that he is such a serious and accomplished artist. Otherwise, his vocal gymnastics could be cast down to nothing more than a cheap party trick. Perhaps it is also good that he is not American for this reason as well? Hmmm…
How to Sing Like Dimash
Dimash is truly something special! I’m in love with his voice.
In this video, I unpack:
•Dimash’s gorgeous low tones, as well as his tender high tones.
•His mastery over his soprano register. How, though? I’m still in awe of this.
•I attempt to do Mongolian throat singing (worth the price of admission, folks! jk). I want to learn how to do this!
•Why you need to “Be so good they can’t ignore you” just like Dimash. Carve out your own path and be one-of-a-kind!
•A call to action to share Dimash widely. American audiences need to know about him!
Don’t forget to check out my other Voice Coach Reacts videos: Ariana Grande, Lara Fabian, Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper, Adam Lambert, Dimash, and Sohyang. Be sure to comment below your thoughts about Dimash!