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!
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!
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