Why are bad singers relevant?

I often get asked the question ‘Why do bad singers get record deals?’ Putting aside for the moment the fact that the record deal, as we know it, is experiencing a major paradigm shift. Still the question beckons “What makes a bad singer relevant in today’s music scene?” Simply put, bad singers become relevant when they are artists. Artists connect with their listeners on a personal level. They understand that the listener doesn’t want to be sung at. They understand that the listener wants to have a conversation, a dialogue. Are you an artist or just a great singer?

Now before we go any further, let me explain. I am in no way suggesting that working on your vocal technique or that being a great singer is of little or no value. That is the very reason why you should work on vocal technique. In order to get it out of the way! You don’t want to be on stage or in the studio thinking about how to sing that high note, or how to get through that phrase, etc.. You want to be concentrating on the job at hand… connecting with the audience on a personal level. That, my friends is why bad singers are relevant. They get it!

They get it isn’t about what a great a singer they are. They get it is about the listener and the listener’s experience and that their sole purpose is to move the listener, to stir the listener’s emotions, to transform the listener to another time, another place. So before the next time you walk out on a stage or step in front of a mic, ask yourself ‘What is it I really want to achieve? To convey… a feeling… a story… a message?’ When you take this unselfish approach, then and only then, you too will be relevant. An artist, you might say. One final thought… a great singer who is an artist, that is a force to be reckoned with! Now get out there and do it!

Create Your Own Luck

Over my twenty years of teaching, I have had the pleasure of helping many young artists as well as established ones prepare for meetings with industry executives, television gigs, auditions, recordings, etc.. All ‘make it or break it’ opportunities. The students who succeeded were the ones who diligently prepared for months even years for that one defining moment… that one moment when preparation meets opportunity. When you create your own luck! It is impossible to know when that moment will arrive. So you have to prepare. You don’t want to blow it. After all, opportunity may only knock once. Not to say, that you won’t have many opportunities. And every mistake made is a lesson learned. But you want to seize that career making opportunity.

Obviously, you need to hone your craft and have all your ducks in a row, etc. But it is more than just that. More importantly, when push comes to shove you gotta ‘Bring it.’ You have to command attention the minute you walk in that door or on that stage. Not in a ‘cocky’ kind of way. But in a self assured, comfortable in your own skin kind of way. How do you do this?

Start by getting your nerves out of the way. Put yourself in as many ‘pressurized situations’ as possible. Go to as many auditions as you can. Sing anywhere you can as much as you can. Record. Network. Set deadlines and goals and then do it! The more you are under that kind of pressure and in those kind of situations, the likelier you will deliver when opportunity presents itself. I see the most progress and growth in my students when they are in these kinds of high stakes, high pressure sort of situations.

Most importantly, you have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect to convince the 'decision makers?' My recommendation for you moving forward is to seek out opportunity. Put yourself out there and do it! After all, doesn’t a lump of coal become a diamond when under pressure?