The Unstoppable Singer

So, you've got all the goods of a Superstar. Your voice is spectacular, your songs are epic and your image is 🔥. But something's missing. You do your best to strut your stuff on stage but in your heart, you know you ain't no Bruno Mars in the dance department. Some performers seem to ooze with natural swagger while others are stiff and awkward. Good news - it can be improved. In this episode, my guest has some tips for singers on how they can move on stage like a pro. 💃🏽

Meet Vangie Gunn, session singer, singer-songwriter, performer, voice-over artist, voice teacher, and so much more! She is as professional as professional gets in the music business. She’s had an enormous career including being a featured vocalist on Jimmy Kimmel, Disney, CBS, Fox shows like American Dad and Family Guy, A Bug’s Life, Happy Feet, Evan Almighty, Bruce Almighty, Despicable Me, Star Wars Rogue One, Spiderman Homecoming, with Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapelton, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. Those are just a few highlights. How does a singer accomplish so much and build such an impressive resume? We’ll learn the vocal training habits of a top performer in this episode.

Why did you learn to sing on Twitch? “Music is intrinsic to you, it’s not a function of your circumstances,” exclaimed Joshua Taylor. When we chatted in this episode, Joshua shared with me how he sees the future of his performing career. In the midst of a pandemic and quarantine, like most of us, his live gigs have disappeared. In order to detach from the geographic dependent gig economy, he’s found hope in streaming.

Many singers who ordinarily make their living gigging and performing live are urgently seeking ways to make money singing online. It's so doable! So, let’s get out of crisis mode, shall we? If you’re anything like me, there’s a lot of things you’ve considered experimenting with. Now’s the time. Let’s get going now before our bank accounts are overdrawn – if they’re not already.  Audrey Callahan, a professional singer, is based out of Southern California and is on a mission to create meaningful music that inspires others to achieve their own level of personal greatness. 

I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with my very own bandmate, Durell Anthony. He's an amazing American soul singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, Durell has been a staple in the Southern California private event music scene since 2010, and a lead singer for The Mighty Untouchables since 2018. As a backing vocalist, he's shared the stage with some of the industry's top names including, Karl Denson (Rolling Stones), John Elefante (Kansas), Paul Wall, Bun B, Slim Thug, Yolonda Adams & Carrie Underwood. And now, having more time on his hands at the moment, he got to work starting a YouTube singing channel.

If you’re a singer, chances are you feel the world’s problems deeply. This is common for creative beings. From March until today, you’ve likely faced an unprecedented amount of stress. The pandemic and political environment bring a barrage of daily anxieties, rising death tolls, increasing unemployment numbers, and physical isolation — on top of intense feelings of frustration and anger. These times are uncertain, and it’s tough to see beyond all the challenges we’re faced with right now. To put it simply — you just aren’t feeling great. Please know you’re not alone. In this episode, I talked with my friend Carissa Lynn Renner of The Bold Vocal. As a vocal coach, her lifetime goal is to transform our planet, one singer at a time. She’s been a pro singer for two decades and believes that the regular habit of singing is an act of self-love. It creates a happier, more confident, and more fully self-expressed you.

To develop your authentic vocal artistry you can think of it in terms of branding. "Branding" is a word I don't really like at all when it comes to singers.  It sounds too manufactured. But on the contrary, I use it as a way of discovering what's truly unique and special about a singer. It's the thing that your fans will remember you by.  Voice lessons experts everywhere strive to draw out these qualities in their singers. Much of their knowledge comes from their own personal journies as singers. My friend, Mariela, knew that being bilingual was an integral part of her identity. It was even the focus of her academic studies and teaching credentials. With years of creative experimenting and by using methods to identify her unique, memorable qualities, she discovered her authentic vocal artistry. 🦄

Whitney Shay is a four-time San Diego Music Award winner (including 2019 Artist of the Year) and 2019 Blues Music Award nominee. She's spent the last several years touring internationally throughout Europe and South America. Her latest release on Ruf Records Stand Up! debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Album Charts and also reached #1 on the Roots Music Report Blues Album Charts. So basically, she's on fire. 🔥 But much like our most coveted influencers online, Whitney Shay strategically and painstakingly poured years of passion and grit into her career. None of this was handed to the #busylittlesinger. She learned the value of hard work early on in her life participating in children and youth theater productions. She went on to earn a degree in Theater Performance from San Diego State University. She got her first gig experience after answering an ad on Craigslist to be part of a jazz duo. That later led to a steady 3-night-a-week, 4-hour gig in Downtown San Diego. From there she became a hard-working, full-time singer. As it happens, one gig led to another, led to an invitation to tour internationally, and led to a record deal.  As spectators, we see the sparkly dresses and highlight reel. What we don't see if the enormous amount of blood, sweat, and tears poured into a successful career. Your Next Step 👣 📝 Write down your top 3 singing goals for the next year. Then write out each step and task you'll need to accomplish to reach each goal. Finally, put each of those tasks on a schedule and get to work! We're in a new day and age that will challenge us to be innovative and use all of our experience and know-how to be successful at what we do. If you know you've got what it takes but don't know where to start, I'd love to help. In my vocal coaching practice, we work on both your strategy and your craft. Contact me here if you'd like to work with me. https://danielletucker.com/vocal-coac...

Meet Rebecca Jade, an award-winning singer/songwriter. She’s been touring with the Queen of Percussion, Sheila E. since 2017, and most recently appeared in “The GRAMMY Salute to Prince” that aired on CBS in April. She also sang background vocals for Sir Elton John at the 2020 Academy Awards. With over 27 years of recording studio experience, she’s sung background vocals, demos, and jingles on many different projects and has been featured in a variety of works. She was awarded “Artist of the Year” for this San Diego Music Awards for 2020. To Be a Successful Singer 🎙 Most of all, she’s a great human being. And, to put it in the simplest of terms, that’s what it takes to be a successful singer.Listen along to learn how a high level of professionalism will help you land gigs that pay- and keep them coming! Find Rebecca Jade on https://www.instagram.com/ladyrebeccajade/ and RebeccaJade.com!